There is an air of anticipation about the premises of the Israel Orphan Asylum these days. Both children and staff are looking forward to the near future when, their belongings packed, they will move in to their Far Rockaway seashore home. There they spend five months of each year.
Already preparations are in progress at the summer home. At the end of May, the city house at 274-282 Second avenue, now a beehive of activity with more than 150 children on five floors, will be empty except for the office staff.
Each floor in the city houses a different age group, the little inmates’ ages ranging from two to seven. Each floor is a complete unit, with its own dining room of small chairs and tables at which boys and girls are trained in self-help. Each age department has its own rows of cribs, a playroom and bathrooms specially adapted for the youngsters.
On every floor two nurses and a porter are in attendance. There is a special staff for night duty. Another group of employes direct the kitchen which is managed in strict accordance with dietary laws.
There is a Hebrew school, a kindergarten and regular classes under supervision of the Board of Education teachers.
Mention the Israel Orphan Asylum to a man in the street and two things come instantly to his mind: the annual Madison Square Garden benefit featured by its elaborate entertainment and the presence of notables from every conceivable field of endeavor, and Judge and Mrs. Gustave Hartman.
As for the Garden affair, it receives so much publicity each year through the press, radio and other mediums that no further mention need be made of it here.
Not so well known is the fact that Judge Hartman has been heading the institution since its inception, that Mrs. Hartman was connected with it for many years in various capacities, including that of superintendent. Following their marriage, Mrs. Hartman has been continuing her daily stint on full time, the only difference being that she resigned as a paid employe and is doing her work under the title of honorary superintendent.
The house physician visits children daily. There is a large medical staff, including numerous specialists. A little “hospital” and a dental room are on the premises. Two dentists visit the institution weekly.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
