Pinchas Kahlenberg archives

Collection

Scope and content:: The private records of Pinchas Kahlenberg are varied and numerous. We find, notably, invitations, his speeches, reports of the board of the communauté israélite de Bruxelles, press cuttings (see box 74); greeting cards, correspondence (1947-1950) (see box 127); notes, press cuttings, correspondence (1936-1955)(see box 130); correspondence produced in his capacity as military chaplain (1957-1970)(see box 131); files related to his concerts and programs on the French and Belgian radio (see box 132); handwritten manuscripts of his articles, a file related to his trip to Israel with Queen Elisabeth (see box 135); drawings of P. Kahlenberg (see box 137); his diplomas, decorations, photographs, and correspondence addressed to his widow after his death (see box 141); letters from soldiers addressed to Kahlenberg (1961-1971)(see box 150); lists of children studying for their bar mitzvah (1946-1949), lists of children studying at the Talmud Torah (1954-1977), documents related to his experiences during the war, protocols of the Zionist Federation of Belgium, etc. (1948-1952) (box 282). (See in total: boxes 73, 74, 125 – 152, box Y 194, boxes 282-285 and the 12 supplementary non-numbered boxes)

Administrative/biographical history:: Born in Romania in 1913 to a family of rabbis, Pinchas Kahlenberg became the main ministre-officiant of the Communauté israélite de Bruxelles, where he would work his entire career. This chief chaplain for the Jewish religion in the Belgian army was also a gifted singer, a painter, journalist and Zionist militant. He was decorated as Chevalier de l’Ordre de Léopold, Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne and Chevalier de l’Ordre de Léopold II. He died in Brussels on 7 May 1980. (D. Dratwa & J.-P. Schreiber, "Kahlenberg, Pinchas", in J.-P. Schreiber, Dictionnaire biographique des Juifs de Belgique. Figures du judaïsme belge, XIXe-XXe siècles, Bruxelles, De Boeck, 2002, pp. 186-187.)

Subject terms:: Bar and Bat mitzvah; Children; Correspondence; Education; Education--Talmud Torah; Jewish community; Jewish soldiers; Military; Music; Newspaper clippings; Rabbis; Radio and television; State of Israel; Synagogues; Zionism; Zionism--Zionists

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.