[1] The establishment of the school was headed by Ludwig August von Frankl, who faced opposition from many members of the Ashkenazi Old Yishuv upon his arrival in Jerusalem.

[2] They feared that his new school would bring lawlessness due to its emphasis on many secular studies, having seen Jerusalem previously as a way of escaping the European Age of Enlightenment.

[3] The reorganization included adding new teachers to the staff, such as David Yellin,[4] and developing a scholastic methodology along with more time towards secular studies.

[8][9][10][11] The school was originally planned to serve as a shelter for poor and orphaned children, providing necessities to the needy youth while simultaneously educating them.

[12] This was challenged in the 1900s for a certain period during a fight over languages, as Ephraim Cohen insisted the secular studies be taught in German despite heavy opposition.

[16] In the years following the school's closure, the building was used as a Talmud Torah by Boyan Hasidim due to its proximity to the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in the city.