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| ==Current situation== | ==Current situation== | ||
| In 2008, the ] activities at Schneller were transferred to the Ofrit base near ]. The ] which also operated from the site was moved as well. Current plans are to build a ] neighborhood on the orphanage grounds including 600 housing units. The orphanage buildings, architecturally important because of their age and European style, will be preserved and used as public buildings. Right now, ] are working to ensure the preservations by the ]. | In 2008, the ] activities at Schneller were transferred to the Ofrit base near ]. The ] which also operated from the site was moved as well. Current plans are to build a ] neighborhood on the orphanage grounds including 600 housing units. The orphanage buildings, architecturally important because of their age and European style, will be preserved and used as public buildings. Right now, ] are working to ensure the preservations by the ]. | ||
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Revision as of 18:04, 14 October 2009
Schneller Orphanage was a Christian orphanage which operated in Jerusalem from 1860 until World War II. The orphanage grounds, located on Malchei Yisrael St. in west-central Jerusalem, were then used as a military base called Camp Schneller until November 2008. At this point the site was closed, and there are plans to develop it as a residential neighborhood for the growing Haredi community which currently lives nearby.
History
The orphanage was founded in 1860 by the German missionary Johann Ludwig Schneller, who lived in Jerusalem. The decision to open the orphanage came in wake of the 1860 Lebanon conflict, in which many Christians were killed by Muslims and Druze, making a large number of children into orphans. With the encouragement of the German government, Schneller founded the "Syrian Orphanage" , commonly known as the "Schneller Orphanage". The orphanage's land was purchased from Arabs of the nearby village of Lifta. Before the buildings were constructed, a Second Temple period cemetery was discovered, along with other burial caves.
The orphanage, which provided a German style education, quickly established a good reputation among Middle Eastern Christians. The orphanage grew to cover 70 acres, including dormitories, courtyards, a church, workshops, and more. In addition, houses were built for graduates of the orphanage nearby, in what became known as "Schneller neighborhood".
In April 1934, a choir of children from the orphanage performed on the occasion of Adolf Hitler's birthday. Between 1936 and 1939, the orphanage tried to import weapons from Germany, to train its students for a future war against the Jews.
At the outbreak of World War II, the British authorities expelled the German residents of Palestine, including those of Schneller. The orphanage became the central British army camp in Jerusalem. It was occasionally attacked by the Irgun and Lehi organizations.
On March 17, 1948, the British abandoned the orphanage and transferred its control to the Etzioni Brigade of the Haganah. For the next 60 years the site served as an Israeli military base. Jewish residents of the Nachlat Yitzchak neighborhood, forced to abandon their East Jerusalem homes in the 1948 war, were resettled in the Schneller neighborhood.
Current situation
In 2008, the IDF activities at Schneller were transferred to the Ofrit base near Mount Scopus. The Geological Survey of Israel which also operated from the site was moved as well. Current plans are to build a Haredi neighborhood on the orphanage grounds including 600 housing units. The orphanage buildings, architecturally important because of their age and European style, will be preserved and used as public buildings. Right now, environmental organizations are working to ensure the preservations by the municipality.
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