Central Israelite Orphanage
Nieuwegracht 92
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This building was the Central Israelite Orphanage. The orphanage was established in 1871 to take in Jewish orphans. The orphanage could house 50 children. The Jewish married couple Bernard Salomon and Judik Themans ran the orphanage during the Second World War. They had two small children of their own, Leon and Sonja. During the war, the Themans family lived here, along with about 70 orphans and 10 caretakers. Meanwhile, Jewish children who had fled from Germany also lived in the orphanage. In 1942, the orphanage was evacuated by the German occupiers. There was no longer any space for Jewish children in the city. The building was daubed with swastikas and Vs ("Victory for Germany"). The traces can still be seen on the side of the building. The Themans family, children and caregivers were taken to Amsterdam. They lived tehre for a short while, but in 1943 they were deported to Westerbork. Bernard and Judik had the chance to escape this fate, but they did not take it. They stayed with their orphans. They paid for their courage and dedication with their lives. All the orphans, the caregivers and the Themans family perished in concentration camps in Eastern Europe. The deportation of the Themans's and the children was not the end of this building's Jewish history. Now the building belongs to the Liberal Jewish Congregation.
