Zion Blumenthal Orphanage
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| Formation | 1900 |
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| Headquarters | 16 Hoshea Street |
| Location |
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Official language
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Hebrew |
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Key people
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Rabbi Baruch Rakovsky, executive director Mrs. Rivka Rakovsky, director |
| Website | www.zionorphanage.com |
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Formerly called
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Blumenthal Orphanage |
Zion Blumenthal Orphanage (Hebrew: בית ציון בלומנטל ירושלים, Zion Blumenthal Home Jerusalem) is an Orthodox Jewish orphanage and educational institution in Jerusalem. Founded in 1900, it is the oldest active orphanage in Israel.
The orphanage was founded near the Bukharim quarter in 1900 by Rabbi Abraham Yochanan Blumenthal (1877–1966), a native of Jerusalem, who led the orphanage for 50 years. Blumenthal's wife, Shaina, served as a director for 40 years. By 1920, the Blumenthal Orphanage was home to 85 orphans. It absorbed many orphans from World Wars I and II and the Israeli War of Independence.
The Blumenthal Orphanage was known for creating a family-like home environment for youth from many different religious communities – Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Hasidic, etc. The use of Hebrew as the official language of instruction further served to unite children of different countries and languages.
For many decades, the orphanage was a popular site for large events. It was the venue for the inauguration of the Chief Rabbi of Israel in 1921; the first tish of the Belzer Rebbe in Jerusalem after his escape from Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944; and the wedding of Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, rosh yeshiva of the Brisker yeshiva in Israel, in 1946.
As the Geula neighborhood developed around the site of the orphanage, the institution became part of the Geula quarter. It is located two blocks north of the central intersection of Kikar HaShabbat. Its 1 acre (0.40 ha) corner lot on Hoshea and Yechezkel Streets has been named Kikar Blumenthal (Blumenthal Square) in honor of the founder, Rabbi Abraham Yochanan Blumenthal.
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