Pride of Judea Children's Home Records

The Pride of Judea Orphan Home opened on April 16, 1923 at 992 Dumont Avenue and Elton Street in the East New York section of Brooklyn, New York. The home was founded by Orthodox Jews from Eastern Europe and Russia who opted to use the term “Judea” in the organization’s name rather than “Jewish” or “Hebrew” which were used in the naming of other orphanages and organizations.¹ The building and grounds comprised a block of land two-hundred by four-hundred feet that included a large yard, kitchen and dining room, living room, library, Hebrew classrooms and study rooms, a synagogue, an infirmary, clothing, sewing, and laundry rooms in addition to the upstairs bedrooms.² Three years before construction began Max Blumberg, a merchant and philanthropist, who contributed many donations, was elected president and the building was built during his tenure.³ The first residents consisted of approximately seventy-five infants, toddlers, and children through age five. The next year six orphaned sisters from four to thirteen years of age were admitted. Through the years the policy changed, the minimum age was raised to five, and the home accommodated three-hundred children between the ages of five and eighteen.⁴

In the early 1930s the name was changed to Pride of Judea Children’s Home to acknowledge that not all of the residents were orphans. Education, both religious (Orthodox) and secular, was also a large focus.⁵ Most of the children attended Public School 202 on Hegerman Avenue a few blocks away. Aside from their studies children were also expected to make their beds and keep their dresser drawers and closets organized.⁶

On August 8, 1933, around 100 children from the Home were taken on a daytrip to Rockaway Beach, Queens. Sadly, the outing turned disastrous when seven of the children drowned. Nine other children were revived at the beach or had to be hospitalized.

Max Blumberg served as board president for twenty years until his death in 1939 when he was succeeded by his friend and former treasurer Jacob H. Cohen. In the summer of 1943 a mansion in Long Beach, New York was donated by Bernard Sharp and his wife to provide a summer vacation home for the children. The deed for the house was presented to Mr. Cohen on the sixteenth of August. The house was known as the “Martin R.D. Sharp Pavilion” in memory of the deceased son of Mr. and Mrs. Sharp.⁷

After World War II the number of residents and new admissions began to decline. In 1954 no new admissions were accepted and in June 1958 the remaining residents were placed elsewhere and the home closed. The following year the Pride of Judea organization created a new name and mission and become the Pride of Judea Mental Health Center which relocated to Douglaston Queens in 1972. In 1999 the organization became a division of the Jewish Board for Family and Children’s Services and as of 2016 was still in existence and operating as an outpatient clinic under the name Pride of Judea Counseling Center. The Pride of Judea organization also maintains a website on the history of the home. ⁸

Between 1915 and 1958 Pride of Judea Children’s Home was home for over ten thousand children.⁹

April 16, 1923

Pride of Judea Orphan Home opens.

1925

P.S. 202 built and becomes elementary school to hundreds of Pride children.

1930s

Name changed to Pride of Judea Children’s Home to acknowledge that many of the residents were not “orphans.”

August 8, 1933

Seven children from the Home drown during a daytrip to Rockaway Beach, Queens.

1937

Third floor is added to accommodate the female residents.

1943

Bernard Scharp donates two homes in Long Beach, NY which provide the Home’s children with summer vacations.

1959

Pride of Judea Children's Home closes.

1960-1972

Pride of Judea Mental Health Clinic (Center) opens and offers outpatient services.

1972

Center relocates to Douglaston, Queens and building closes.

Mid-1970s

Building is torn down.

1985

An alumni chapter of former PJCH residents is established and named in honor of the late Rose Nadler Schefer who lived in the Home for 16 years.

1999

Pride of Judea Mental Health Center becomes part of a division of the Jewish Board for Family Services.

2000

Center changes its name to Pride of Judea Community Services and offers outpatient services and programs for the population of Northeast Queens.