Metadata: Jewish Historical Archive of Antwerp – Archives of Sylvain Brachfeld
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
- Reference number:
- FelixArCity-Antwerp-AHJA-SB
- Title:
- Jewish Historical Archive of Antwerp – Archives of Sylvain Brachfeld
- Title (official language):
- Antwerps Joods Historisch Archief – Archief van Sylvain Brachfeld
- Creator/accumulator:
- Brachfeld, Sylvain
- Date(s):
- 1897/1999
- Language:
- Dutch; Flemish
- French
- English
- Hebrew
- Yiddish
- Extent:
- unknown
- Scope and content:
-
The “Jewish Historical Archive of Antwerp – Archives of Sylvain Brachfeld” is an exceptionally diverse collection of archival material and documentation.
We firstly note the material related to the private life of Sylvain Brachfeld and his family. We find i.a. a large series of files containing correspondence and various personal documents (driving licences, membership cards etc.). Secondly we find in the sections “Antwerps Joods verleden” and “Belgisch Joods verleden” files and assorted documents related to the most diverse topics on Judaism and the Jewish population in the 20th century. Often it concerns loose archival documents, documents donated to Brachfeld by private individuals, documentation, brochures, leaflets, etc. Much of this material and publications is today rather rare, which makes this fonds all the more important. Apart from topics such as Jewish schools (i.a. Tachkemoni, Jesode-Hatora, the Heide yeshiva), diamond industry, Belgians in Israel, etc., these files are also related to individuals and families, various religious communities and organisations (i.a. Shomre Hadass, Machsike Hadass, the Frechie foundation, the Institutum Iudaicum, the Consistory), youth movements (Bar Kochba, Hanoar Hatzioni, Hashomrim, Borochov-Dror, Achdut, Zeire Ha’am), sporting clubs (Maccabi), charities and the Shoah (witnesses, survivors, hidden children).
The fonds also contains a lot of documentation. We firstly note various extracts from official publications (such as the Staatsblad), press clippings, articles from magazines, leaflets, brochures etc. related to Belgo-Israeli relations, the conflict in the Middle East, etc. The section “magazines” contains series of periodicals of many organisations, published by Jewish as well as, for example, Christian associations. Some of these periodicals are rather rare (cfr. various editions of Gaol from 1935-1936, published by the KKL). Among the documentation we also mention the impressive series of documentation files from Yad Vashem mainly related to the Belgian Righteous Among the Nations.
A third large part is formed by the series of files, correspondence and others pieces concerning the published works of Brachfeld. We find i.a. manuscripts, correspondence with editors, letters of readers, press clippings etc. The fonds contains a large amount of audiovisual documents. The series of slides and photo negatives (ca. 1960s-1980s) relate to the private life of the Brachfelds but also various places in Israel, synagogues and religious festivities in Antwerp, the Jewish quarter in Antwerp, various demonstrations, etc. There are also a few videos (some of which are not readable anymore today) i.a. of broadcasts on Jewish history, interviews and various testimonies. The posters, mainly concerning cultural and religious events, date back to the 1980s-1990s.
Finally, we mention the ca. 400 audio cassettes from the 1970s. Apart from a few recorded radio shows they are mainly interviews and recorded conversations with a series of individuals and families, speaking about the most diverse aspects of Jewish life in Antwerp – i.a. youth movements, political organisations, religious communities, charity, Zionism, Shoah, hidden children, Jewish education, sporting clubs, etc.
- Archival history:
- Donation of Brachfeld to the Antwerp city archives in 2000.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Sylvain Brachfeld (born in 1932) started his career as a diamond cutter (1950-1989). In the 1960s he became active as a journalist i.a. with the Volksgazet (1967-1974), the press agency Belga (1970-1974), as a correspondent in Israel of De Nieuwe Gazet (1974-1993) and the Evangelische Omroep Hilversum (1979) but also as a journalist and collaborator for many Jewish periodicals and magazines such as the Belgisch Israëlitisch Weekblad (1962-200), Tribune-Juive-T.J. Hebdo, Le Journal d’Israël, Revue Centrale-Bruxelles, De Centrale-Antwerpen, Aleh, Meda, Le Lien etc. Brachfeld also wrote, apart from journalistic articles, popular and historical works on the Belgian Jewish community and the rescue of Jewish children during the Second World War. He was (and is) very active (often as a founding member) in Jewish associational life in Belgium and Israel – i.a. in the Club der Jonge Talenten (1960-1962), B’nai B’rith (1963-1968), Belgische immigranten in Israël (1983-1987), the Instituut voor de studie van het Belgisch Jodendom (since 1987), Joodse ondergedoken kinderen in België - in Israël (1991-1998), the Vereniging van Voormalige Belgen in Israël (since 2001), etc. Brachfeld also was the representative of the Jewish community Shomre Hadas in the Consistory (1972-1974). He assembled an impressive collection of archival material and documentation about the Jewish communities in Antwerp. Sylvain Brachfeld was decorated for his work, i.a. with an appointment of Knight in the Order of Leopold (1993).
- Access points: persons/families:
- Brachfeld
- Brachfeld family
- Subject terms:
- Aid and relief
- Aid and relief--Philanthropy and charity
- Aliyah
- Arab-Israeli conflict
- Correspondence
- Education
- Education--Schools and universities
- Education--Yeshivot
- Historical research
- Holocaust
- Holocaust--Hiding
- Holocaust--Righteous Among the Nations
- Holocaust--Survivors
- Jewish community
- Jewish holidays
- Jewish political activity
- Jewish press
- Jewish quarters
- Orthodox Judaism
- Personal records
- Photographs
- Posters
- Professions
- Professions--Jewellers and goldsmiths
- Professions--Journalists
- Radio and television
- Sports
- Sports--Sports clubs
- Synagogues
- Testimony
- Trade and commerce
- Vital records
- Zionism
- Zionism--Zionist organisations and parties
- Zionism--Zionist youth movements
- Access, restrictions:
- Access requires the written permission of Sylvain Brachfeld; contact the FelixArchief – Antwerp city archives for more information.
- Finding aids:
- The fonds is described in the database of the Felixarchief. There is also a detailed inventory: Antwerps Joods Historisch Archief. Archief van Sylvain Brachfeld (inventory LZ # 132), Antwerpen, 2003. More detailed finding aids exists for the slides (see no. 829), negatives (no. 830) and some files – see the inventory for more information. The many photographs are made accessible via the index cards in no. 819. Nr. 818 contains alphabetical index cards for the various files.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://zoeken.felixarchief.be
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium