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Schneller Orphanage was a Christian orphanage which operated in Jerusalem from 1860 until World War II. The orphanage grounds, located on Malchei Yisrael Street in west-central Jerusalem, were then used as a military base called Camp Schneller, first by the British, then after 1948 by the Israelis until November 2008. At that point in time, 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 Prussian government, Schneller founded the "Syrian Orphanage" (Template:Lang-de), 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 nearby for the school's graduates, in what became known as the "Schneller neighborhood".

On March 17, 1948, the British abandoned the orphanage following an attack by the Irgun in which one soldier, Private Harry France, was killed and nine wounded. After the British left, it was transferred 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.

31°47′27″N 35°12′46″E / 31.7908°N 35.2127°E / 31.7908; 35.2127

• Orphanages in Israel
• Buildings and structures in Jerusalem