Metadata: Interviews of collaborators and resistance fighters realised in the framework of the broadcasts of the BRT concerning the Second World War
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society
- Holding institution (official language):
- Centre d’Études et de Documentation Guerre et Sociétés Contemporaines
- Postal address:
- Luchtvaartsquare 29 / Square de l’Aviation 29, 1070 Bruxelles (Anderlecht)
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 556 92 11
- Web address:
- http://www.cegesoma.be/
- Email:
- cegesoma@cegesoma.be
- Reference number:
- CHRDWConS-Brussels-AA 1825
- Title:
- Interviews of collaborators and resistance fighters realised in the framework of the broadcasts of the BRT concerning the Second World War
- Title (official language):
- Interviews de collaborateurs et de résistants réalisées dans le cadre des émissions de la BRT sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale
- Creator/accumulator:
- Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie; Radio-Télévision belge de la Communauté française
- Date(s):
- 1980/1989
- Extent:
- 40 boxes
- Scope and content:
- This fonds contains transcripts of interviews with collaborators, resistance fighters and other witnesses from the Second World War. The interviews were conducted by researchers and employees of the BRT in the framework of the various programs concerning the Second World War of this television station. Some of the interviews are relevant for this guide. From the list AA 1825/V, see the interviews with “Jewish children” (concerning hidden Jewish children), Sem Makovski (on Jewish resistance), Alter Pasternak (idem), Mrs. Sourtiz (idem), Rik Szyffer (idem) and Maxime Steinberg (concerning the deportations). From the list AA 1825-C-R, see the interviews with Toon Koreman (i.a. concerning the persecution of the Jews), Mr and Mrs Kümel (i.a. concerning the arrests of May 1940, release despite being of Jewish origin), Freddy Pierle (i.a. about the deportation of the Jews in Antwerp) and Louis Shaw (i.a. concerning the CDJ). From list AA 1825/C-R-A, see the interviews with Kurt Grünebaum (i.a. about emigration to Belgium, internment and transport to French camps in May 1940) and Josef Heinskyll (i.a. about Jewish refugees in the 1930s).
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Belgisch Nationaal instituut voor Radio-Omroep (Belgian National Institute for Radio Broadcasting)(NIR) was created in 1930 as a public institution, based on the model of the BBC. The institute, having received a de facto monopoly on radio broadcasts, partly took over the staff and broadcasting infrastructure of private radio stations. The first television programs were broadcast in 1953. During the Second World War, the installations of the NIR were used by the occupier for the propaganda of Sender Brüssel. The Belgische Nationale Radio-omroep (BNRO), created in 1942 by the exile government, broadcasted from London. After the Liberation the BNRO merged with the NIR. The ‘communautarisation’ of the Belgian state also heavily influenced the structure of the public broadcasting organisation. From 1937, there were independent directorates for the broadcasts in Dutch and French, with common administrative bodies. In 1960, the NIR was split up in three institutions: the Instituut van de Nederlandse Uitzendingen (BRT) (Dutch broadcasts), Instituut van de Franse Uitzendingen (RTB) (French broadcasts) and Instituut van de Gemeenschappelijke Diensten (IGD) (common services). The IGD was gradually phased out and eventually dissolved in 1977, the date of the definitive separation of the public broadcasting organisation. From the late 1970s onwards, individual broadcasting decrees for the two institutions were passed; the French-speaking RTBF and the Dutch-speaking BRT/BRTN/VRT went their separate way. Since the late 1980s, the public broadcasting institutions are faced with competition from private broadcasters. Today, RTBF and VRT are highly autonomous although they are financed by their respective Communities. Their relationship with the government is defined in administrative agreements with the Vlaamse Gemeenschap and the Communauté française respectively. Both public broadcasters are located in Brussels at the Reyerslaan (since 1968); before that they were based at the iconic Flagey building (1938-1968). Relevant for the present guide are the so-called ‘uitzendingen door derden’ (broadcasts by third parties), existing since the 1950s. Judaism (as an officially recognised religion) is one of the religious and philosophical communities receiving airtime on public broadcasting. (J. Derwael, Archief van de Belgische Radio en Televisie. Instituut van de Nederlandse Uitzendingen en rechtsvoorgangers, I 503, Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2011.)
- Access points: persons/families:
- Steinberg, Maxime
- Access, restrictions:
- Access requires the authorisation of the CEGESOMA.
- Finding aids:
- P. Brolet, Inventaire Interviews VRT. Liste d’interviews ‘Collaboration-Répression’ (C-R), Brussel, CEGESOMA, 2005 (list AA 1825/C-R en AA 1825/C-R-A) and E. Debruyne, Inventaire Interviews VRT. Inventaire succinct des interviews de résistants, Brussel, CEGESOMA, s.d. (list AA 1825/V).
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
