Metadata: Archives of the Souweine family
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Jewish Museum of Belgium
- Holding institution (official language):
- Musée Juif de Belgique
- Postal address:
- Miniemenstraat 21 / Rue des Minimes 21, 1000 Bruxelles
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 512 19 63
- Web address:
- http://www.new.mjb-jmb.org
- Email:
- info@mjb-jmb.org
- Reference number:
- JM-Brussels-Archives de la famille Souweine
- Title:
- Archives of the Souweine family
- Title (official language):
- Archives de la famille Souweine
- Creator/accumulator:
- Souweine family
- Date(s):
- 1907/1972
- Extent:
- 7 boxes
- Scope and content:
- This fonds contains personal records of the Souweine family. We note a great variety of documents, including identity cards, marriage booklets, certificates of residence, transit passes, birth certificates, notarised documents, announcements of births and deaths, various invitations, photographs and correspondence. We also find documents related to the Association des anciens Détenus de la Kazerne Dossin (1947-1950) and files concerning the SARMA company (bookkeeping documents, balances). (See boxes 158 to 161, as well as 3 supplementary boxes)
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Souweine family originally came from the Alsace region. Félix Isidore Souweine (1873-1940), born in the Netherlands in 1873, moved to Belgium at the age of fifteen. He established the SARMA society (Société anonyme pour la Revente d’Articles en masse) in Brussels in 1928; the business was a real success in the 1930s and branches were opened all over the country. It became one of the major retail companies in Belgium. Félix Isidore was the president of the board of SARMA from 1928 until 1940. He was also committed to helping the German Jewish refugees and donated to numerous Jewish and non-Jewish institutions. His son Edgard (1901-1988) became administrator of SARMA from 1945 until the 1970s. His niece Josine (1899-1983) had a successful career as a sculptor and engraver. Lastly, Robert-Georges Souweine (1907-1972), the cousin of Félix Isidore, held the function of administrateur-délégué for the Association des anciens Détenus de la Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen, where he was imprisoned for more than 200 days. (E. Wulliger & J.-P. Schreiber, "Souweine, Félix Isidore", J.-P. Schreiber, Dictionnaire biographique des Juifs de Belgique. Figures du judaïsme belge, XIXe-XXe siècles, Bruxelles, De Boeck, 2002, pp. 321-322.)
- Access points: locations:
- Brussels
- Access points: persons/families:
- Souweine family
- 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.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
