Archives of the Société israélite d’Inhumation

Collection

Scope and content:: This fonds contains archival material regarding the cemeteries of Uccle and Saint-Gilles (dated 19th century – 1917) and Saint Servais (1969), as well as reports of the Société israélite d’inhumation (1939-1940). (see box 76)

Administrative/biographical history:: In 1833 the Hevra Kadisha (of Brussels) was officially renamed to Société Israélite de Bienfaisance de Bruxelles. The institution most likely existed before, albeit informally. At its creation it was more traditionalist than the Consistory. Its goal was to help the poor and the sick, and especially to organise the religious burial of its members and of needy individuals. Its decline and the cemetery problem resulted in the redesign of its statutes in 1880, which limited its scope to that of a mutual burial society. The institution now focused on aid to the poor; it was gradually integrated in the network of philanthropic societies directed by the Consistory. At the turn of the 20th century, the institution again took up its traditional function as a burial society as well as its role as a philanthropic society (assigned by the Consistory). The SIAI is currently attached to the Communauté israélite de Bruxelles. (J.-P. Schreiber, Politique et religion. Le Consistoire central israélite de Belgique au XIXe siècle, Bruxelles, éd. de l’Université de Bruxelles, 1995, pp. 271-277.)

Subject terms:: Aid and relief; Aid and relief--Philanthropy and charity; Burial; Cemeteries; Hevrah kadisha

Access, restrictions:: Access requires the authorisation of the archivist of the Jewish Museum of Belgium.

Finding aids:: There is a preliminary inventory of the Jewish Museum of Belgium.