Bloch-Anciaux and Astruc archives

Collection

Scope and content:: This fonds contains material produced by Chief Rabbi Élie Aristide Astruc, notably his identity papers, correspondence, photographs, notes and texts. (see box 84).

Archival history:: The fonds was donated to the Museum by Baroness Geneviève Ansiaux née Meyer-Astruc (1910-1996), granddaughter of rabbi Astruc.

Administrative/biographical history:: Élie Aristide Astruc was born in Bordeaux in 1831. He was elected Chief Rabbi of Belgium in 1866. He resigned in 1879, left Brussels for Paris, but came back in 1891 and stayed until his death in 1905. He was a Freemason, freethinker, liberal, gifted writer and orator. Astruc married Eglé Esther Astruc (1833-1922), with whom he had three children: Lucien, Gabriel and Myriam. (J.-P. Schreiber, "Astruc, Élie Aristide", in J.-P. Schreiber, Dictionnaire biographique des Juifs de Belgique. Figures du judaïsme belge, XIXe-XXe siècles, Bruxelles, De Boeck, 2002, pp. 34-36; J.-P. Schreiber, "Un rabbin dans le siècle : Élie-Aristide Astruc, Grand Rabbin de Belgique de 1866 à 1879", in Bijdragen tijdschrift voor filosofie en theologie, Amsterdam, LIII-1, 1992, pp. 2-22 ; J.-P. Schreiber, "Le grand rabbin de Belgique Élie-Aristide Astruc et l’enseignement du judaïsme, 1866-1879", in A. Despy-Meyer & H. Hasquin (eds.), Libre pensée et pensée libre. Combats et débats. Hommage à A. Uyttebrouck, Bruxelles, éd. de l’ULB, 1996, pp. 139-158 ; J.-P. Schreiber, "Élie-Aristide Astruc", in L. Nefontaine (ed.), Illustres et francs-maçons, Bruxelles, Labor, 2004, pp. 45-51.)

Subject terms:: Correspondence; Personal records; Photographs; Rabbis; Vital records

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 as well as a list of the archives of E.A. Astruc made by J.-P. Schreiber.