Finding aid for the Bellefaire Photographs, Series II

History of Bellefaire

Bellefaire, a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed adolescents, is the oldest Jewish social-service agency in Cleveland. It was dedicated on July 14, 1868 as the Jewish Orphan Asylum, established to care for Civil War orphans. By 1900, more than 400 orphans lived there. The name was changed to the Jewish Orphan Home (JOH) in 1919, and later to Bellefaire when its facilities moved to the corner of Belvoir and Fairmount boulevards in 1929. In 1942 the orphanage changed its focus to include residential therapeutic care for emotionally disturbed children and stopped accepting orphans in 1943. In 1954, Bellefaire opened its admissions to children of all faiths and today provides counseling, substance abuse treatment, foster care, adoption services, and residential treatment.

The Jewish Orphan Home Alumni Association was established in 1888 to serve and connect the orphans who formerly lived at the Jewish Orphan Home. The Association held Homecomings each year in Cleveland and had several active chapters located throughout the country. "Graduates" of JOH were designated by the year of their confirmation class.

Bellefaire, a nationally known institution dedicated to the care and treatment of the emotionally troubled child was originally organized in Cleveland, Ohio in 1868 as an orphanage to meet the specific needs of the Midwestern Jewish community. Incorporated as the Jewish Orphan Asylum, the home was the result of the charitable efforts of the B'nai B'rith, Grand Lodge District 2. Several years earlier the Lodge, at its annual meeting held in Cleveland, Ohio, had made the decision to tax all members in the district one dollar per year "in order to create a fund which some time in the near future might be used for the organization of a charitable institute." The American Civil War and the problem of orphaned children which it created encouraged the B'nai B'rith to use their funds toward the establishment of an orphan home.

For 61 years, the Home was located on Woodland Avenue in Cleveland on grounds purchased by B'nai B'rith. By 1929, the Woodland Avenue site was no longer sufficient to meet the growing needs of the home, and new grounds were purchased at Fairmount and Belvoir Boulevards in University Heights. The new home, officially incorporated as Bellefaire in 1942, is still in use today.

For the first 74 years of its existence, the emphasis at Bellefaire was to educate and care for orphans as well as the neglected child. In 1940, with the election of Fred Lazarus, Jr. as the president of the Board of Trustees, Bellefaire broadened its objectives and began to change from a dependency institution to one which served children who could not be helped in foster homes, and who required a therapeutic experience in a residential setting. To further these objectives, Bellefaire began in 1941 to encourage families from outside the Cleveland area to send their children for treatment. The trustees of Bellfaire also elected to work with the Welfare Association for Jewish Children to coordinate their efforts through the Jewish Children's Bureau to insure that comprehensive attention be given to each child.

Over the years, numerous persons contributed to the successful operation of the Orphan Home and Bellefaire. Among these was Dr. Samuel Wolfenstein, who during his tenure as superintendent of the home actively sought to broaden both its educational and physical facilities.

Although Bellefaire is no longer an orphanage, many of the Home's traditions are recalled and discussed by the Orphan Home Alumni Association whose annual reunion allows past residents to see old friends and to reminisce about their years at the home.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Bellefaire

Scope and Content

Bellefaire Photographs, Series II, 1867-1995 and undated consists of approximately two hundred and thirty photographs of residents, alumni, family of alumni, staff, athletic teams, and the Jewish Orphan Home campus. Notable alumni represented in this collection are JOH assistant superintendent Jack Girick and actor Lou Gilbert.

This collection is of value to researchers studying the history of children and child welfare, social work, early twentieth century orphanages, the evolution of orphanages, and the life of orphans, specifically in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Those interested in the history of Jewish social service agencies will find this collection useful. Genealogy researchers will also find the collection useful. The collection includes many photographs sent from alumni to Jack Girick, a popular staff member with whom many alumni remained in contact as adults.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 3665 Bellefaire Records; MS. 4703 Bellefaire Records Series II; PG 154 Bellefaire Photographs; and MS 4583 Jack Girick Papers.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___] PG 571 Bellefaire Photographs, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Alan Black, Bellefaire, Adolph Hamburg et al, Jewish Orphan Home Alumni Association, 1996 and 2008.

Processing Information

Processed by Art Diamond and Jessica Marra in 2012

Detailed Description of The Collection