Centraal Israëlitisch Weeshuis, Municipal monument at Nieuwegracht 92, Utrecht, Netherlands
The Centraal Israëlitisch Weeshuis is a two-story brick structure located on Nieuwegracht in Utrecht, originally built to house Jewish orphans. The front section now contains the Salvation Army, while the rear portion includes a synagogue on the ground floor that serves the Liberal Jewish Foundation Merkaz.
The orphanage opened in 1871 as a national institution serving Jewish children from age six until their twenty-first birthday. During World War II, the building sheltered around 50 permanent residents alongside 30 German refugee children who had fled persecution in 1938.
The building served as a refuge for Jewish children without families, reflecting how the community cared for its most vulnerable members. Its name and purpose remain connected to the values of care and belonging that defined this place for generations.
The building can be viewed from the street, and the memorial stones embedded in the pavement outside are easy to spot. To visit the interior or the synagogue, it is best to check ahead for visiting arrangements or opening hours with the organizations currently using the space.
Five memorial Stolpersteine are embedded in the pavement outside the building, each honoring a resident who was deported to concentration camps in 1942. These small brass plaques tell the personal stories of those who lived within these walls.
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