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Conditions of Refuge

Helping Hands

Karl Liebman (on the right) helping install a window in the hostel

Scattergood guests quickly learned that there were conditions to their stay at the hostel. Guests were expected to work on the small farm and take care of the building itself. Former members of the bourgeoisie, many of the refugees were not used to doing such hands-on labor.

They also learned that Scattergood wasn't a place to wait out the crisis in Europe. The Scattergood Hostel was a transition center for refugees. While at the hostel, the guests would learn how to integrate into American society. They were taught English as well as new job skills. Unfortunately, the guests were being prepared for jobs considered beneath their former occupations. This decline in economic class and social status was a difficult adjustment for many refugees.