Metadata: Province of Brabant. Executive of the province. Series N
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- State Archives in Brussels (Anderlecht)
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archives de l’État à Bruxelles (Anderlecht)
- Postal address:
- Quai Demets 7 / Demetskaai 7, 1070 Bruxelles (Anderlecht)
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 524 61 15
- Email:
- archives.anderlecht@arch.be
- Reference number:
- SAB-Anderlecht-541-96
- Title:
- Province of Brabant. Executive of the province. Series N
- Title (official language):
- Provincie Brabant. Provinciebestuur. Reeks N
- Creator/accumulator:
- Provincie Brabant; Province de Brabant; Province of Brabant
- Date(s):
- 1800/1999
- Date note:
- ca. 19th- 20th centuries
- Extent:
- 17.8 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- This fonds contains, in section Conseils de Fabrique, archival material concerning the organisation of the Jewish religion. We note no. 114 (related to the election of a Chief Rabbi for Belgium – the file concerns David Berman and Ernest Ginsburger; 1923-1924), no. 123 (regarding the appointment of a Chief Rabbi, in this case Joseph Wiener; 1931) and no. 124 (on raising the number of members of the board of the synagogue of Brussels; 1927-1928). We also point out a number of files related to gifts and bequests – see i.a. the nos. 480, 961, 2330, 2477, 2658, 3226, 3227, 3306, 3317, 3541, 3548, 3550, 3627, 3634, 3665, 3677, 3684 and 3698. They relate to gifts/bequests of Jews, made during the years 1899-1932 to the Commissie van Openbare Onderstand in various municipalities, to synagogues, to the Jewish community of Brussels and to the municipality of Uccle (for maintenance of the gravestones). These files often also contain a copy of the will of the donor.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The present division of Belgium into provinces dates back to the French period, when the Southern Netherlands were split up into nine départements (decree of 14 Fructidor, year III). Since the division of the province of Brabant in 1995 Belgium has ten provinces. For almost 150 years, the Provinciewet of 1836 remained the legal framework. The constitutional reforms of 1970 and 1980 also affected the provinces, who escaped elimination but were thoroughly reformed (law of 6 July 1987). Since 1 January 2002 the organic law regarding the provinces is a competence of the Regions; both the Flemish and Walloon Regions have since issued their own provincial decrees. A province is headed by a governor. He/she is assisted by a provincial executive (bestendige deputatie; today called ‘deputatie’ in Flanders, ‘collège provincial’ in Wallonia) selected from the provincial council. The tasks and competences of the provinces were only vaguely described in the Provinciewet. In practice, the provincial executive and the governor primarily supervise(d) lower administrations including municipalities, the Public Centres for Social Welfare and church councils (kerkfabrieken). The province also has the authority to create certain institutions such as schools. The governor is responsible for keeping the peace, public order and security; for this purpose he is authorised to call upon the Gendarmerie (Federal Police, since 1998). As a consequence of these tasks and competences, provincial archives contain documents on a wide range of subjects such as public works, public health, finances of the municipalities and local institutions, elections, provincial education, public order etc. Among the general sources we notably mention minutes of meetings but also the (published) Bestuursmemoriaal in which the decisions, circulars, regulations etc. of the provincial bodies are included. Relevant for this guide are the documents resulting from the organisation and supervision of recognised religions (incl. budgets, accounts, appointment and housing of rabbis, works to synagogues). Provincial archives also contain documents regarding policy during the Second World War, including material on the anti-Jewish ordinances, registration of Jews, deportation, spoliation etc. (P. van den Eeckhout, “De provincies”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 105-138.)
- Access points: persons/families:
- Berman, David
- Ginsburger, Ernest
- Wiener, Joseph
- Subject terms:
- Financial matters
- Jewish community
- Rabbis
- Synagogues
- Wills
- Finding aids:
- M.-T. Polart & R. Agneesens, Provinciaal bestuur Brabant: Reeks N – Gouvernement provincial du Brabant: Série N, T 42 (Rijksarchief te Brussel (Anderlecht)), Brussel, ARA-AGR, 1992.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
