Here we are at Haus Gaedicke. Did you know that this building served as a Jewish orphanage? It offered refuge to kids escaping pogroms after World War I. Let’s step back in time to understand Haus Gaedicke’s history.
Built in 1861, Haus Gaedicke initially functioned as a Jewish hospital. It served the community until 1914. The hospital then relocated to a larger facility. The building was then repurposed.
In 1914, Haus Gaedicke became a soup kitchen. It fed the Jewish community’s poor. Post-World War I, many Jews fled Eastern Europe. They sought safety from pogroms in Berlin. Some children arrived without parents. In 1918, Haus Gaedicke transformed into an orphanage. It provided shelter and education to these vulnerable children.
1922 marked a turning point. A nurse named Beate Berger took over the orphanage’s management. As the Nazis rose to power in 1933, Beate made a crucial decision. Recognizing the danger, she resolved to move the orphanage. She wanted to relocate it to then mandatory Palestine. She knew Germany was becoming too dangerous for Jewish children.
By 1934, the first group of children had already been transported. They found a new home near Haifa. The British administration had restrictions. They did not allow the transfer of all children. Yet, Beate managed to save approximately 300 kids. She moved them to safety in Palestine by 1941. Leaving Germany then became illegal for Jews. The first transports to concentration camps began.
Beate Berger passed away in 1940. She was buried in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. In 1941, the Gestapo confiscated Haus Gaedicke. It was turned into an internment camp for Berlin’s Jews. The children still residing there were sent to concentration camps.
After 1945, the Jewish community did not regain control of the building. It was used as a local boarding school. In 2007, a documentary film emerged. Titled “The House on Auguststraße”, it told the story of Haus Gaedicke. Ayelet Bargur directed the movie. She was Beate Berger’s grand-niece.
Today, Haus Gaedicke stands abandoned. Its windows are boarded up. There are no known plans for renovation. Haus Gaedicke serves as a silent reminder of a turbulent past. It is a poignant stop on Berlin’s Jewish heritage tour. The house stands in Berlin’s Jewish quarter at Auguststraße 14-16. Haus Gaedicke embodies resilience. It reminds us of those who sought refuge within its walls.