Does this small glass panel hold the story of a pioneering spirit? This is the Gedenktafel Nelly Wolffheim Plaque. It commemorates Nelly Wolffheim a remarkable woman. She was the founder of Berlin’s first psychoanalytic kindergarten.
Nelly Wolffheim was born in Berlin on March 29 1879. She died in London on April 2 1965. The Gedenktafel Nelly Wolffheim Plaque is located at Waitzstraße 16. It marks a place where she once lived and worked.
The Gedenktafel Nelly Wolffheim Plaque was unveiled on July 14 2021. It is a 42×42 cm glass panel. It is located next to the building entrance on the right wall. The plaque features a picture of Sigmund Freud. He is depicted with a hat and coat. His hands are clasped behind his back and he holds a walking stick. The photo was inspired by a 1938 image of Freud in London.
The Gedenktafel Nelly Wolffheim Plaque is part of the “Mit Freud in Berlin” series. These plaques honor psychoanalysts who lived in Berlin. They taught and developed psychoanalysis. Most were Jewish and forced to leave Berlin by the Nazis.
Nelly Wolffheim’s life was marked by feminist ideals. She faced neuroses and psychosomatic issues. Psychoanalysis with Karl Abraham and Karen Horney helped her find a new quality of life.
She trained at the Pestalozzi-Fröbel-Haus. In 1914 Nelly Wolffheim founded a private kindergarten. From 1922 she ran it based on psychoanalytic pedagogy and Jewish tradition. By 1930 Nelly Wolffheim gave up the kindergarten. She devoted herself to writing about child psychology.
From 1934 Nelly Wolffheim trained young Jewish women. This prepared them for emigration in her kindergarten teacher seminar. This was because Jewish girls and young women were excluded from state education. In March 1939 Nelly Wolffheim fled to London. She suffered greatly from the conditions of emigration. After the war she wrote about children in concentration camps.
Nelly Wolffheim came from a Jewish family. Her father Moritz Meyer Wolffheim was a merchant. He initially ran a wholesale business for trimmings and haberdashery. The family’s prosperity led them to move to the modern west of Berlin.
Nelly Wolffheim’s childhood was marked by illness. She underwent eye surgery at age five. She also had a skin rash. She felt rejected and inferior. Despite these challenges Nelly Wolffheim decided to become a kindergarten teacher. She wanted financial independence.
Nelly Wolffheim’s kindergarten was unique in Germany. It was the only one that used psychoanalytic pedagogy. Even the children of analysts attended. In 1930 Nelly Wolffheim gave up the kindergarten. She considered herself a writer. Her book “Psychoanalysis and Kindergarten” is her most important work.
In 1933 the Nazis banned Nelly Wolffheim from publishing. In May 1939 she emigrated to England. She received security guarantees from Karen Horney in America. After 1945 Nelly Wolffheim did not return to Germany.
The Gedenktafel Nelly Wolffheim Plaque reminds us of her legacy. It commemorates her contributions to education and psychoanalysis. It also honors her resilience in the face of adversity. The plaque invites us to remember a woman who made a difference in the lives of many. Take a moment to consider her journey. Consider her dedication to children and her impact on the field of psychology.