Obj. ID: 53540
  Architecture  Alms house (Altersheim Schönhauser Allee) in Berlin, Germany

The home was founded by philanthropists Bertha (1837-1918) and Moritz Mannheimer  / Manheimer (1827- 1916) in 1883. For the mausoleum of Manheimers in the Jewish cemetery on Schönhauser Allee in Berlin built in an architecturally very similar style, see CJA Image 292026. 

The house was built as a retirement home for needy Jews who had reached the age of 60 and had lived in Berlin for at least 15 years. Twelve residents moved in. Originally, the home had 12 rooms for residents on two floors and featured a small synagogue, meeting room, kitchen, store, laundry, ironing room, boiler room, and an apartment of the home inspector. The demand was great, so the home was expanded, first in 1887 and then in 1892, when a reading room with a library was added and space for 80 boarders was provided. The Home was mainly financed by donations.

In 1942 the Nazis closed the home and the majority of the boarders, and their helpers were transported to Theresienstadt in 1943, where most met their deaths or were further transported to Auschwitz. The Nazis took over the building and afterward it was occupied by the East German police until after reunification.