[Boy learning to milk cows by using a model of a cow's udders, Niederschönhausen, an occupational training camp for German Jews hoping to emigrate, Pankow, Berlin]

Beginning in 1933, the Reichsvertretung der Deutschen Juden (Central Organization of German Jews), working with Zionist organizations, sponsored Umschulung (occupational retraining) camps throughout Germany for Jews hoping to emigrate, mostly to Palestine. Many host countries would only admit Jewish immigrants with artisanal, agricultural, or engineering skills, thus for German Jewish merchants and professionals, retraining often became necessary. As an adaptive response, numerous Jewish vocational and occupational schools developed curricula to quickly retrain and certify Jewish hopeful immigrants. Niederschönhausen, one example of these camps, offered courses in metalworking, woodworking, and agrarian skills.