Metadata: Archives of the Register of Jews in Belgium
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-Fonds Registre des Juifs en Belgique
- Title:
- Archives of the Register of Jews in Belgium
- Title (official language):
- Fonds Registre des Juifs en Belgique
- Creator/accumulator:
- Service Social Juif
- Date(s):
- 1940/1944
- Date note:
- December 1940-1944
- Extent:
- 22 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- This fonds contains the records made by the municipal authorities in the framework of the census of the Jewish population, on grounds of the German ordinance of 28 October 1940, requiring the inscription of all Jews over fifteen years old in registers in the municipalities where they resided. These records provide information on the composition of the family and its residence. The individual forms are in French or Dutch. Occasionally various administrative documents are attached. Each document contains the surname, first name, date and place of birth, profession, nationality, religion but also the surname, first name, date and place of birth of the spouse, parents, grandparents and children as well as the date of arrival in Belgium, country of origin, address and signature. These elements were rarely all filled out during the actual registration. The records served as the basis for the organisation of the roundups and arrests leading to the deportation of over 25,000 Jews from Belgium.
- Archival history:
- This fonds, owned by the Service Social Juif, was entrusted to the Jewish Museum of Belgium. The packaging, cleaning, inventory and digitisation of the fonds was carried out by the services of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The municipality is one of the levels of government with which citizens most often come into contact. Its tasks and competences were first established by the decree of 14 December 1789, and by the order of 19 Frimaire year IV [1795-96]. After Belgian independence, the legal framework was provided by the Gemeentewet of 1836 and later the ‘Nieuwe Gemeentewet’ (1988). Since 2002, the organic law regarding municipalities is a competence of the Regions. Until 1980, municipalities were supervised by the provincial and central authorities. Today, there is a division of powers between the federal and regional governments. A municipality is led by a mayor, who is also the head of the local police. He/she is assisted by a college of aldermen, selected from the municipal council. Currently, there are 589 municipalities in Belgium. Before the large-scale fusions in the 1970s – in other words, for a large part of Belgian history – there were 2359 municipalities. The municipality had/has, among others, competences regarding the management of its assets, institutions and staff; municipal revenue and expenditure; Civil Registry; health and safety in public places; urban planning and environment; public works; militia; education; elections etc. This is reflected in the sources held in municipal and city archives. Important general sources include the (sometimes published) minutes of meetings and records of the municipal council and college of aldermen (often indexed by subject). We also refer to all kinds of administrative reports and general correspondence. The series of sources of the Civil Registry (e.g. birth, marriage and death certificates, population registers, registers of arrival and departure) are crucial for historical research on individuals. Relevant for this guide are notably the alien registers (since 1933), and the alien files preserved in some larger cities. Of major importance are also the accounts, correspondence and other material regarding the recognised religions. They contain information on their operation, budgets, assets but also the appointment of ministers, donations to religious communities, various conflicts etc. Building permits and files regarding environmental permits contain information and usually blueprints of buildings. Lastly, in many municipal and city archives there are specific series of sources regarding policy during the First and Second World War. We mention e.g. the various anti-Jewish ordinances, documents regarding the spoliation of the Jews, the so-called Jodenregister (register of Jews), correspondence related to the implementation of the anti-Jewish policies etc. (J. Art & E. Vanhaute (ed.), Inleiding tot de lokale geschiedenis van de 19de en de 20ste eeuw, Gent, Mens & Cultuur, 2003; P. van den Eeckhout, “De gemeenten en de lokale openbare instellingen”, 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. 31-92.)
- Access points: locations:
- Belgium
- Subject terms:
- Antisemitism
- Antisemitism--Antisemitic measures
- Census records
- Holocaust
- System of arrangement:
- The files are arranged by municipality and then alphabetically by family name.
- Access, restrictions:
- Access requires the authorisation of the archivist of the Jewish Museum of Belgium.
- Finding aids:
- There is a separate alphabetical index.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
