Belgium

From JudaismWiki

BELGIUM. Jewish history in Belgium before and during the Middle Ages is not a happy one. In 1370, after the Black Death, the brutal Brussels Massacre wiped out the Belgian Jewish community. Jewish life did not flourish until the beginning of the 18th century, when Belgium became part of Austria, subsequently of France and the Netherlands. In 1830, when Belgium was granted independence, religious equality was established, and for first time Jews were able to have their own communal organization with a chief rabbinate in Brussels.

When the Allied armies entered Belgium in late 1944, they found 19,000 Jewish survivors. These were the remnants of a community numbering 100,000 before the Nazi occupation. Another 30,000 survived by escaping, being hidden by Belgian neighbors, or by having false documents. In 2006, there were about 31,000 Jews living in Belgium, mainly in Brussels and Antwerp. The majority of Antwerp Jews work in the diamond industry. It is the center of Orthodox Jewry, while Brussels Jewry is mostly non-Orthodox. The Zionist Federation of Belgium is the only organized Jewish body conducting cultural, educational, and social programs on a nationwide basis. The federation’s biweekly paper is the Tribune Sioniste, the only Jewish publication in Belgium.

Synagogues

Alexander Isaballalei 44 Antwerp

Belz Van Spangenstraat 6 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 231 94 48

Berditchev Zurenborgstraat 20 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 218 96 66

Beth Haknesset Machsike Hadass Oostenstraat 43 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 239 30 88

Beth Haknesset Portugueese Hoveniersstraat 31 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 232 53 99

Beth Haknesset Shomre Hadass Van den Nestlei 2 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 230 13 64

Beth Itschok Mercatorstraat 56 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 218 83 85

Beth Jacob J. Jacobstraat 22 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 231 40 39

Beth Menachem Oostenstraat 13 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 239 51 02

Beth Mordechai Van Leriusstraat 54 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 232 23 49

Bobov Lamorinierstr Antwerp Tel: 32-3239 71 05

Chabad House of Antwerp Brialmontlei 48 Antwerp Tel: 32-3-218-4196 Fax: 32-3-218-6986

Daas Sholem - Shotz Bialmontlei 32 Antwerp Tel: 32-3281 51 71

Eisenman Oostenstraat 29 Antwerp Tel: 32-3230 43 00

Gitschotel Marsstraat 50 Antwerp

Gur Ant. Van Dijckstraat 43 Antwerp Tel: 32-3218 92 18

Heichal Aharon Van Leriusstraat 38 Antwerp Tel: 32-3232 55 11

Klausenborg St. Vincentlusstraat Antwerp Tel: 32-3230 57 87

Lubawitch Brialmontelei Antwerp Tel: 32-3218 41 96

Machsike Hadass Jacob Jacobsstratt 22 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 233 55 67 Fax: 32-3 233 87 97

Moryah - Shomre Hadass Website Terlisstraat 35 Antwerp Tel: 32-3 232 01 87 Fax: 32-3 226 31 23

Or Shraga (Kolel) Van Leriusstraat 22 Antwerp Tel: 32-3231 71 97

Rav Amiel Isabellalei 65 Antwerp Tel: 32-3230 74 54

Arlon Synagogue Rue St.Jean Arlon Tel: 32-63-21-79-85

Adath Israel 126 rue Rogier Schaerbeek Brussels 1210 Tel: 32-2-241-16.64

Ahavat Reim 73 rue de Thy St.-Gilles Brussels Tel: 32-2-648-38.37

Belgian Jewish Student House 3 Avenue Antoine Depage Brussels 1000 Tel: 32-2-646-5251 Fax: 32-3-231-9041

Beth Chabad of Brussels 87 Avenue Du Roi Brussels Tel: 32-2-537-1158 Fax: 32-2-534-7343

Beth Din 40 Rue Saint Augustin Brussels Tel: 32-3-223-450-522

Beth Hamidrash rue du Chapeau Anderlecht Brussels Tel: 32-2-524.14.86

Beth Israel 33 Houzeau de Lehaie Molenbeek Brussels

Beth Israël 74 Avenue de Stalingrad Brussels 1000

Centre Communautaire Laic Juif Rue Hotel des Monnaies 52 Brussels Humanistic Tel: 32-2-537-82-16 Fax: 32-2-537-55-65

Chaare Tzion 147 Rue Boetendael Brussels Sephardi Tel: 32 (0)475 27 13 11

CISU 154 Rue Roosendael Brussels 1190 Tel: 32-2 346 34 87

Communauté Israëlite Bruxelles 32 Rue de la Régence Brussels 1000 Tel: 32-2 512 43 34

Communauté israëlite de Saint-Gilles 115-117 Avenue du Roi Brussels 1060 Sephardi Tel: 32-2-538-33.74

Communaute Israelite de Waterloo et du Brabant Sud 140 Avenue Belle-vue Waterloo Brussels 1410 ORTHODOX Tel: 32-2 354 68 33

Communaute Israelite Liberale de Belgique 80 rue des Primeurs Brussels 1190 Conservative Tel: 32 2 332 2528 Fax: 32 2 376 7219

Communauté Israëlite orthodoxe de Bruxelles 67A Rue de la Clinique Brussels 1070 Orthodox Tel: 32-2 521 12 89

Communauté Israëlite Sépharade de Bruxelles 47 Rue du pavillon Brussels 1210 Tel: 32-2 215 05 25 Fax: 32-2 215 02 42

European Jewish Community Centre Website Rue Froissart 109 Brussels http://www.ejcc.eu.com/

International Jewish Center 149/24 Avenue Louise Brussels 1050 Liberal http://www.ijc.be/

Liberal Synagogue Beth Hillel Website 96 Av. Kersbeek Brussels 1190 Liberal Tel: 32-2-332 25 28

Lubavitch 1a Avenue Reine Marie Henriette Brussels Tel: 32-2-345-0522 Fax: 32-2-346-2153

Maale Website 11 Av. de Messidor Brussels --Unknown-- Tel: +32 2 344.60.94

Or Hahayim 77 rue P. Decoster Brussels Tel: 32-2-344-23-42

Sephard Cong of Brussels 47 rue du Pavaillon Brussels Tel: 32-2-215-05.25

Charleroi Synagogue 56 rue Pige au Croly Charleroi

Ghent Synagogue Bloch's Bakery Veldstraat Ghent Tel: 32-9-225-70-85

Knokke Synagogue Van Bunnenlaan 30 Knokke Tel: 32-50-61-103-72

Liege Synagogue Rue Leon Fredericq 19 Liege Tel: 32-41-436106

Ostend Synagogue Maastrichtplein 3 Ostend Tel: 32-59-80-24-05

Jewish Museums

Jewish Museum of Belgium rue des Minimes 21 Minimes-street;1000 Bruxelles (Sablon) http://www.mjb-jmb.org/angl/fr/default.htm