Collection of biographical notes

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Jewish Museum of Belgium

Holding institution (official language):: Musée Juif de Belgique

Postal address:: Miniemenstraat 21 / Rue des Minimes 21, 1000 Bruxelles

Phone number:: +32 (0)2 512 19 63

Web address:: http://www.new.mjb-jmb.org

Email:: info@mjb-jmb.org

Reference number:: JM-Brussels-Collection de notices biographiques

Title:: Collection of biographical notes

Title (official language):: Collection de notices biographiques

Creator/accumulator:: Musée Juif de Belgique; Joods Museum van België

Date(s):: 1900/1999

Date note:: 20th century

Extent:: ca. 10 binders

Scope and content:: This collection is composed of two series: the series of notes concerning Jewish artists (Belgian or foreign) and the series of notes concerning Belgian Jews. The collection mainly contains press clippings, obituaries and texts of speeches.

Administrative/biographical history:: The project to create a Jewish museum in Belgium was born in the late 1970s, in the context of the 150th anniversary of Belgium. A group linked to the Central Jewish Consistory of Belgium, led by Baron Jean Bloch, was at the initiative of an exhibition presenting 150 years of Belgian Judaism. The success of this exhibition led the organisers to create a museum about the art and history of Belgian Judaism. The primary objective of the association Pro Museo Judaico created in 1981 was the preservation and valorisation of the socio-cultural heritage of the Jewish community of Belgium and the collection of evidence of its past. In 1989, a team of researchers settled at avenue de Stalingrad 74, above the Beth Israel synagogue. They presented about thirty temporary exhibitions in addition to a permanent exhibition. In 1999, the Belgian State ceded a complex of buildings near the Sablon to the Jewish Museum. Since 2005 the Musée Juif de Belgique – Joods Museum van België (MJB) is located in this spacious building at rue des Minimes 21, in the heart of the historical district of the capital. The MJB publishes, since 2009, an art and history journal titled MuséOn, to valorise and introduce the collections of the museum to both a specialised and general public. A quarterly newsletter is also published in several thousand copies, containing announcements of past and future activities, presentations of new acquisitions and projects of the museum. The MJB was successively run by Freddy Estenne, Marc Goldberg, Georges Schnek and Philippe Blondin. Although the principal activities of the museum consist of presenting Jewish art and culture as well as the Jewish contribution to and relations with Belgian society to a wide audience through a permanent exhibition and numerous temporary exhibitions, the museum is also active in other domains. We note for example its involvement in the organisation of the European Day of Jewish Culture since 2000, its cooperation with the association Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste which sends young volunteers to renovate Jewish graves, the momentum around the Cercle de généalogie juive de Belgique and others. The museum also organises monthly lectures, numerous guided tours, and various educational activities. On 24 May 2014 the Jewish Museum of Belgium was hit by a terrorist attack in which four victims lost their lives: a couple of Israeli tourists (Emmanuel and Myriam Riva), one French volunteer (Dominique Sabrier), and one Belgian employee of the museum (Alexandre Strens). The museum reopened its doors on 14 September 2014. (http://www.new.mjb-jmb.org/; D. Dratwa, “Élements pour servir l’histoire du Musée Juif de Belgique. Mémoires pour un lieu de Mémoire”, in MuséOn, no. 1, 2009, pp. 14-27.)

Access points: locations:: Belgium

Subject terms:: Art; Art--Artists; Jewish press; Newspaper clippings

System of arrangement:: The biographies are arranged alphabetically.

Access, restrictions:: Access requires the authorisation of the person in charge of the photograph collection.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

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