Metadata: Archives of the Verenigde Israëlitische Gemeenten van Antwerpen
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Israëlitische gemeente van Antwerpen – Shomre Hadas
- Holding institution (official language):
- Israëlitische gemeente van Antwerpen – Shomre Hadas
- Postal address:
- Terliststraat 35, 2018 Antwerpen
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)3 232 01 87
- Web address:
- http://www.shomre-hadas.be/
- Email:
- info@shomre-hadas.be
- Reference number:
- ShomHadas-Antwerp-1
- Title:
- Archives of the Verenigde Israëlitische Gemeenten van Antwerpen
- Title (official language):
- Archief Verenigde Israëlitische Gemeenten van Antwerpen
- Creator/accumulator:
- Verenigde Israëlitische Gemeenten van Antwerpen
- Date(s):
- 1944/1978
- Language:
- Dutch; Flemish
- French
- Hebrew
- Yiddish
- Extent:
- 91 files
- Scope and content:
- This fonds firstly contains typical archival documents of a general nature such as statutes, lists of members, documents regarding elections of the board of administrators and other governing bodies, series of minutes of meetings of the board and various commissions, and bookkeeping records (journals, cash books, bonds, series of supporting documents, etc.). The correspondence can mainly be divided into correspondence regarding general matters, correspondence of the different bodies and functions of the community (i.a. the Rabbinate, the Social Service, various functionaries of the community, etc.) and correspondence regarding specific issues (i.a. with the Central Jewish Consistory of Belgium, the Conseil des Associations Juives de Belgique, other associations, government administrations, companies, etc.). Secondly, we point out the material produced by the Chevra Kadischa (burial society), including minutes of meetings, correspondence, forms, various files (i.a. regarding exhumations, transport of bodies, requests for exhumations, repatriation of deceased persons to Israel, etc.), bookkeeping records and a number of photographs. In addition the fonds also contains documents concerning war damage (i.a. correspondence regarding war damage and restoration of the synagogue and other buildings, minutes of meetings of the Bouwcommissie), the inauguration of the synagogues in Van den Nestlei and Bouwmeesterstraat (including minutes of meetings, brochures, press clippings, correspondence, photographs, etc.) as well as declarations of a religious nature (i.a. of marriages, registration in the community), marriage booklets (pre- and post-war), a file related to the “special commission against trade relations of Jews with Germany”, etc.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- A desire for more unity had grown within the heavily affected Jewish population of Antwerp after the Liberation. The Verenigde Israëlitische Gemeenten van Antwerpen (‘united Jewish communities of Antwerp’)(VIG), created in 1944-1945 from a merger of the two largest Orthodox communities of Antwerp (Machsike Hadass and Shomre Hadas), responded to this ideal. The status of the VIG was very ambiguous. On the one hand there was a certain cooperation: the mikveh and hevra kadisha were jointly managed, and attempts were made to obtain an official status for the VIG. On the other hand, this endeavour was discouraged by the CICB (notably out of financial considerations), and the two communities still existed as separate entities. Gradually a number of persistent conflicts emerged leading to major tensions within the VIG, such as the supervision of the Eruv (a ritual enclosure of the city), kashrut supervision, the appointment of the rabbinate, inclusion of non-Orthodox groups, etc. These differences became acute in 1954-1958. In late July 1958 the fusion was terminated. Machsike Hadass and Shomre Hadas again went their separate ways. (V. Vanden Daelen, Laten we hun lied verder zingen. De heropbouw van de joodse gemeenschap in Antwerpen na de Tweede Wereldoorlog (1944-1960), Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Aksant, 2008.)
- Access points: locations:
- Antwerp
- Access, restrictions:
- Consultation requires the authorisation of Mr. Jacques Wenger.
- Finding aids:
- V. Vanden Daelen, Archief Verenigde Israëlitische Gemeenten van Antwerpen (1944-1958). Systematische inventaris, Antwerpen, Instituut voor Joodse Studies – Israëlitische Gemeente van Antwerpen Shomre Hadas, 2004.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
