Memorial Jewish Workers' Colony Weißensee

The Weißensee Jewish Workers' Colony opened in 1902 on what was then Wörthstraße, now Smetanastraße, in the Weißensee district of Berlin. It was the first Jewish workers' colony in all of Germany and was a social project within the Jewish welfare system of the time.

In 1922, the colony ceased to function as a workers' colony. From 1923 onwards, the main building was repurposed as a permanent home for Jewish people with intellectual disabilities. It primarily housed adults from the Israelite educational institution in Beelitz. In 1935, a special girls' home was added.

The home was severely damaged during World War II. In April 1942, the first residents were deported to the Trawniki forced labor camp. The last residents followed in October of the same year. This brought an abrupt and tragic end to the Jewish presence in the institution.

During the GDR period, the building served as an administrative office. Around 1980, a memorial stele, designed by Josef Höhn, was placed in the courtyard in memory of the deported residents.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Koos Winkelman