Metadata: Modern Archives - Religions
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- FelixArchief – City archives of Antwerp
- Holding institution (official language):
- FelixArchief - Stadsarchief Antwerpen
- Postal address:
- Oude Leeuwenrui 29, 2000 Antwerpen
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)3 338 94 11
- Web address:
- https://www.antwerpen.be/nl/overzicht/felixarchief
- Reference number:
- FelixArCity-Antwerp-Modern Archief – Erediensten
- Title:
- Modern Archives - Religions
- Title (official language):
- Modern Archief – Erediensten
- Creator/accumulator:
- Stad Antwerpen; Ville d’Anvers; City of Antwerp
- Date(s):
- 1790/2016
- Date note:
- Material continues to be added to this collection.
- Scope and content:
-
This fonds consists of archival material produced by the 11de Directie concerning the organisation of the (recognised) religions; a large number of files concern the Jewish communities in Antwerp.
For the series of budgets, see: MA # 6799 (“Jewish main synagogue”, 1873-1969); MA # 6801 and MA # 6048 folder 14 (“Synagogue of the Portuguese rite”, 1910-1969); MA # 6802/1 (“Synagogue of the Polish-Russian rite Machsike Hadass”, 1911-1969).
For the accounts, see MA # 6800 and MA 6044 folder 12 (“Jewish main synagogue”, 1870-1968); MA # 6801, MA # 6045 and MA # 35131 folder 8 (“Synagogue of the Portuguese rite”, 1910-1968); MA # 6802/2, MA # 6044 folder 11 and MA # 35131 folder 7 (“Synagogue of the Polish-Russian rite Machsike Hadass”, 1910-1968).
For documents concerning elections (generally of the members of the board), see MA #14361 folder 31 (“board of administrators of the Jewish main synagogue”, 1954-1956) and MA # 35146 folder 17 (“Main synagogue”, 1962-1969); MA # 35146 folder 19 (“Syn. Portuguese rite”, 1958-1967) and MA # 35146 folder 18 (“Syn. Machsike Hadass”, 1961-1968).
For material concerning the acceptance of bequests, see: MA # 35149 folder 10 (“Main synagogue”, 1963); MA # 14362 folder 10 (“Jewish synagogue Portuguese rite”, 1955) and MA # 14375 folders 7, 10 and 21 (“Jewish synagogue”, 1949-1953).
For documents concerning the appointment of new treasurers, see: MA # 6053 (“Jewish synagogue”, 1907-1932 and “Jewish synagogue of the Russian-Polish rite”, 1911).
MA # 35148 contains a number of (sub)files related to the purchase of property (1961-1970) of the “Main synagogue”. In MA # 6806 we find documents concerning the purchase, construction works and reparations (1911-1927) to the building of the “Jewish synagogue”; see folders 26, 38 and 41.
Concerning the appointment of ministers of religion of the “Jewish synagogue”, see MA # 6806 folders 11 and 12 (1921-1922). MA # 6804 contains a file related to the raise of the residence allowance (woonstvergoeding) of the minister of Machsike Hadass (1926).
In MA # 14376 we note a subfile concerning the application for official recognition by the “Jewish synagogue – Portuguese rite” (1910).
File MA # 6099 contains three subfiles concerning i.a. the appointment of a minister (1937), elections (1940-1947), the appointment of a new treasurer (1940) and the purchase of properties (1925-1937) of Machsike Hadass.
MA # 35150 contains subfiles related to the purchase and sale, exchange, lease, etc. of property of the “Jewish synagogue”; see folders 13, 14 and 15 (1937-1955).
In MA # 6805 we note the subfiles 27 (“Jewish community “Abodath Hakodesch” – request to rent a city building - no further action”, 1927), 32 (“Jewish religion – establishment of places of worship - denied”, 1939) and 34 (“prohibition to include funds for the Jewish religion in the budget”, 1942).
Lastly we point out subfile 2 in MA # 196/4, related to the organisation of the Jewish religion (1817-1839); we note i.a. correspondence concerning the allocation of funds, burial of Jewish prisoners, etc.
The fonds also contains material concerning the Jewish sections of the cemeteries in Antwerp; see MA # 46085 (“Jewish graves at the Kiel cemetery”, 1878-1910) and MA # 46106 (“Maintenance of Jewish graves – Kiel cemetery”, 1932).
- 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:
- Antwerp
- Finding aids:
- An (obsolete) inventory, consisting of photocopied index cards, is available in the reading room, see: “Modern archief. Kaft 41. Erediensten. Districten. Sodipa. Medische Sociale Dienst VGV”. The list D11 Erediensten has been updated at the time of writing, and contains more detailed descriptions; this finding aid can be consulted on request.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
