Pride of Judea Children's Home · Brooklyn, NY
The 1950 United States Federal Census was enumerated on April 1, 1950. It was the first census to be conducted with the aid of UNIVAC computers for tabulation, and it introduced a sample questionnaire with additional questions asked of a subset of households. The Pride of Judea Children's Home at 992–1000 Dumont Avenue, Brooklyn, was recorded as an institution. The records below are transcribed from that enumeration and represent the Home's population nine years before it closed in the summer of 1959.
The entries below represent the residents and staff of the Pride of Judea Children's Home as recorded in the 1950 federal census. The 1950 census was released to the public in April 2022, seventy-two years after enumeration, making it the most recently available federal census for genealogical research. Names and ages are transcribed as they appear in the original enumeration. Ages reflect each individual's age as of April 1, 1950.
Children in Residence — Alphabetized with Age
Staff in Residence
| # | Name | Age | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demick, Sarah (Dr.) | 56 | Resident Physician |
| 2 | Gatner, Tillie | 56 | Housekeeper |
| 3 | Nagel, Abraham | 21 | Assistant to Housekeeper (former resident) |
| 4 | Schreiber, Andrew | 31 | Head Supervisor |
| 5 | Silver, Celia | 60 | Seamstress / Stockroom Supervisor |
| 6–20 | Additional staff | — | Counsellors, custodial, maintenance, food service (names not transcribed in archive source) |
The 1950 census enumeration recorded 108 children and 20 staff members at the Pride of Judea Children's Home, for a total of 128 individuals — a significant decline from the 184 recorded in 1940. Children ranged in age from 5 to 18 years. The 87 children transcribed here by name and age represent a partial transcription from the archive source image; the remaining 21 are counted in the headcount but not individually identified in this transcription.
Note: This transcription reflects only what the archive source image records — name and age. The 1950 census did capture birthplace, school grade, and relationship to head of household, but those fields are not included in this archive transcription. Researchers seeking that detail should consult the original enumeration images through Ancestry.com or FamilySearch. The Home would close nine years after this enumeration, in the summer of 1959. If you have corrections or additions, please contact the archive.
| Census Year | Enumeration Date | Children | Staff | Total | Age Range (Children) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | April 1, 1930 | 215 | 17 | 232 | 5–15 | Home in its 8th year of operation |
| 1940 | April 1, 1940 | 184 | — | 184+ | 5–16 | Depression era; possible refugee children |
| 1950 | April 1, 1950 | 108 | 20 | 128 | 5–16 | Postwar decline; no new admissions after 1954 |
By April 1950, the United States was in the early years of the postwar boom. Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood had changed significantly since the 1930s — wartime employment had lifted many families out of poverty, and the postwar period brought new prosperity alongside new social pressures. The Jewish community of East New York, like many urban Jewish communities, was beginning to migrate to the suburbs of Long Island and New Jersey.
The Pride of Judea Children's Home recorded its largest population in 1950, with 48 children in residence. Yet the broader trend in child welfare was moving away from institutional care toward foster family placement. Within a decade, the Home would close, reflecting a nationwide shift in how American society cared for dependent children.
The 1950 census was released to the public in April 2022 — seventy-two years after enumeration — making it the most recently available federal census for genealogical research into the Home's residents.
Other Census Years