Synagogue of Anderlecht

Last updated

Synagogue of Anderlecht
  • Synagogue d'Anderlecht (French)
  • Synagoge van Anderlecht (Dutch)
Synagogue Anderlecht 1935.jpg
The synagogue in 1935
Religion
Affiliation Orthodox Judaism
District Cureghem/Kuregem
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Synagogue
StatusActive
Location
LocationRue de la Clinique / Kliniekstraat 67A
1070 Anderlecht, Brussels-Capital Region
CountryBelgium
Map Bruxelles-Capitale.jpg
Reddot.svg
Location of the synagogue in Brussels
Geographic coordinates 50°50′25″N4°19′52″E / 50.84028°N 4.33111°E / 50.84028; 4.33111
Architecture
Architect(s) Joseph de Lange  [ nl ]
Type Synagogue architecture
Style Art Deco
Date established1912 (as a congregation)
Groundbreaking1928
Completed1933

The Synagogue of Anderlecht (French : Synagogue d'Anderlecht; Dutch : Synagoge van Anderlecht), officially the Synagogue of the Orthodox Jewish Community of Brussels [lower-alpha 1] , and also known as the Israelite Orthodox Synagogue of Cureghem [lower-alpha 2] , is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located in the heart of the former Jewish quarter of Cureghem/Kuregem, at 67A, rue de la Clinique/Kliniekstraat, in the municipality of Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium. The synagogue is the main synagogue of the Israelite Orthodox Community of Brussels [lower-alpha 3] . It can be accessed from Clemenceau metro station on lines 2 and 6 of the Brussels Metro.

Contents

History

Early history

From 1910, an Orthodox synagogue had existed in the outskirts of Marolles/Marollen district, in the historic centre of Brussels, but it was quickly replaced by a larger synagogue on the Rue de la Clinique/Kliniekstraat in Anderlecht. [1] The Orthodox community was recognised by royal decree in 1912. [2]

At the beginning of the 20th century, Anderlecht experienced an influx of Jewish refugees, so construction of a large synagogue was seriously envisaged by the end of 1922. In 1926, the community bought a 500 m2 (5,400 sq ft) plot of land and began construction on the building in 1928. Joseph de Lange  [ nl ], a Jewish architect from Antwerp, was put in charge of the project. The community consecrated and inaugurated the synagogue, though it faced a precarious economic and political conditions in Europe. [2] [3] Rabbi Joseph Serfaty, described the synagogue's congregants as follows:

From one end came Ashkenazi Jews from Germany, from the other end were Sephardic Jews from Poland. The latter were much fewer in number and prayed in a small room upstairs. [4]

During this period, the Brussels neighbourhood of Cureghem/Kuregem became the Jewish quarter in the city. Jacob Meir Segalowitsch of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) was the first rabbi until 1940. [5]

After the Holocaust

After the Holocaust, a commemorative stone was placed at the entrance of the synagogue in honour of the Jews of the Orthodox-Israelite community who were killed. The synagogue's rabbi, Joseph Gelernter, and his family (with the exception of his eldest son) were killed during the war. [5] Rabbi Isaac Steinberg became the rabbi after the war and he refinished the interior of the building. At one point, the building housed the offices of the Orthodox Jewish Community of Brussels, the Kosher Supervisory Commission of Brussels, the Orthodox Rabbinate, the Bet Din, and the Beit Midrash. [2] [5]

In 2010, Joël Rubinfeld said that the synagogue was completely deserted, due to the security issues in the neighbourhood and the migration of the Jews of Anderlecht to other neighbourhoods in Brussels. Albert Guigui, the Chief Rabbi of Brussels, explained that the synagogue is only opened on major Jewish holidays. [6]

Anti-semitic incidents

In 2010, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the entrance door of the synagogue. [7] In September 2014, the synagogue was the victim of arson. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] The perpetrator, Mohamed H., was sentenced to six years in prison in December 2017, despite declaring his innocence. [12] In 2017, surveillance cameras at the synagogue were vandalised multiple times. [13]

See also

Notes

  1. French: Synagogue de la Communauté israélite orthodoxe de Bruxelles; Dutch: Synagoge van de Joodse Orthodoxe Gemeenschap van Brussel
  2. French: Synagogue orthodoxe israélite de Cureghem; Dutch: Israëlitische Orthodoxe Synagoge van Kuregem
  3. French: Communauté Israélite Orthodoxe de Bruxelles (CIOB); Dutch: Joodse Orthodoxe Gemeenschap van Brussel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderlecht</span> Municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium

Anderlecht is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the Flemish municipalities of Dilbeek and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).

Communauté Juive Libérale d'Île-de-France is a Reform Jewish congregation with a synagogue, located in a Maison du judaïsme at 11 rue Moufle, in the XIe Arrondissement of Paris, France. The community is led by Rabbi Pauline Bebe, the first woman rabbi in France. The community is affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Indonesia</span>

The history of the Jews in Indonesia began with the arrival of early European explorers and settlers, and the first Jews arrived in the 17th century. Most Indonesian Jews arrived from Southern Europe, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the Middle East, North Africa, India, China, and Latin America. Jews in Indonesia presently form a very small Jewish community of about 500–1,000, from a nadir of about 20 in 1997. Judaism is not recognized as one of the country's six major religions, however its practices are allowed under Perpres 1965 No. 1 and article 29 paragraph 2 of the Constitution of Indonesia. Therefore, members of the local Jewish community have to choose to register as "Belief in One Almighty God" or another recognized religions on their official identity cards.

The Nederlands-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap (NIK) is the umbrella organisation for most Ashkenazi Jewish communities in the Netherlands, and is Orthodox in nature, while to be described as traditional in outlook. The expression Orthodox, is for the Dutch situation at least, of a later date than the existence of the congregations that make up the NIK and the NIK itself. The Rabbi of the NIK is Rabbi Dr. Raphael Evers. In total, the NIK has some 20 rabbis actively working in 18 congregations throughout the country, serving some 5,000 Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollandse Synagoge</span> Orthodox synagogue in Antwerp, Belgium

The Hollandse Synagoge, officially the Synagogue Shomré Hadas, and also known as the Bouwmeester Synagoge, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Bouwmeestersstraat 7, in Antwerp, Belgium. Whilst the first Jews arrived in Antwerp in the 14th century, the congregation was not officially established until 1816. Descendants of Jews who came to Antwerp from the Netherlands in the early 19th century, built the synagogue in 1893 and it was the first large synagogue in Antwerp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Switzerland</span> Ethnic group

The history of the Jews in Switzerland extends back at least a thousand years. Jews and Judaism have been present in the territory of what is now Switzerland since before the emergence of the medieval Old Swiss Confederacy in the 13th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Antwerp</span> Jewish history in Antwerp, Belgium

The history of the Jews in Antwerp, a major city in the modern country of Belgium, goes back at least eight hundred years. Jewish life was first recorded in the city in the High Middle Ages. While the Jewish population grew and waned over the centuries, by the beginning of World War II Antwerp had a thriving Jewish community comprising some 35,000, with many Jews connected to the city's diamond industry. The Nazi occupation of Antwerp from 1940 and The Holocaust decimated the city’s Jewish population. By the time of Antwerp's liberation in September 1944, the Jewish population had fallen to around 1,200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Libérale Israélite de France</span> Reform synagogue in Paris, France

The Union Libérale Israélite de France, commonly referred to as the rue Copernic synagogue, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the XVIe arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated on 1 December 1907, it is the oldest Reform synagogue in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Synagogue of Europe</span> Synagogue in Brussels, Belgium

The Great Synagogue of Europe, formerly known as the Great Synagogue of Brussels, is the main synagogue in Brussels, Belgium, which was dedicated as a focal point for European Jews in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neveh Shalom Synagogue</span> Reform synagogue in Paramaribo, Suriname

The Neveh Shalom Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Paramaribo, Suriname. The congregation was established as an Orthodox community who worshipped in the Ashkenazi rite.

Julien Klener is a Belgian linguist born in Ostend, Belgium in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels massacre</span> 1370 killing of Jews in Brussels, present-day Belgium

The Brussels massacre was an anti-Semitic episode in Brussels in 1370 in connection with an alleged host desecration at the Brussels synagogue. A number of Jews, variously given as six or about twenty, were executed or otherwise killed, while the rest of the small community was banished. The event occurred on May 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Synagogue of Deventer</span> Former synagogue in Deventer, Netherlands

The Great Synagogue of Deventer is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at Golstraat 23, in the city of Deventer, in the Overijssel region of The Netherlands. Designed by J. A. Mulock Houwer in a mix of the Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles, the synagogue was completed in 1892.

The Dutch Israelite Religious Community of The Hague is the Ashkenazi Orthodox Jewish community in The Hague and is a member of the Nederlands-Israëlitisch Kerkgenootschap (NIK).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amiens Synagogue</span> Orthodox synagogue located in Somme, France

The Amiens Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in the city of Amiens in the Department of Somme, France. The synagogue, rededicated in 2017, replaced two previous buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Avold Synagogue</span> Synagogue in Saint-Avold, France

The Saint-Avold Synagogue is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at the corner of Rue des Americains and Rue de la Mertzelle near Place Paul-Collin in Saint-Avold, in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The current synagogue building, completed in 1956, replaces a nearby synagogue destroyed during the German occupation of France in World War II.

Keren Or Synagogue is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 15 Rue Jules Vallès in Villeurbanne, in Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashi Synagogue</span> Orthodox synagogue in Troyes, France

The Rashi Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on 5 rue Brunneval in Troyes, Grand Est, France. The synagogue is named after the medieval rabbi and biblical commentator Rashi, who was born and died in Troyes. A Sephardic synagogue, it is a member of the Consistoire central israélite de France. The site includes a museum, the Rashi House, a cultural center, and a library. The European University Rashi Institute,, located opposite the synagogue, is a research institute independent of the synagogue focused on Jewish studies, Semitic studies, and Monotheism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cureghem</span> Neighbourhood in Brussels, Belgium

Cureghem or Kuregem is a district of Brussels, Belgium, located just south-west of the Pentagon. Covering 2 km2 (0.77 sq mi) and with a population of 22,741 inhabitants on 1 January 2009, it is one of the region's largest and most populated districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven</span> Belgian politician

Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven is a Belgian francophone politician and a member of the MR.

References

  1. Saerens Lieven, Rachel; Jacob, Paul; et les autres (2014). Une histoire des Juifs à Bruxelles (in French).
  2. 1 2 3 "Historique". Communauté Israélite Orthodoxe de Bruxelles (in French).
  3. Service du tourisme d'anderlecht (2016). Le guide touristique d'anderlecht (in French). p. 45.
  4. Merchiers, Karolien (2006). "God in Brussel: Chanoeka". Bruzz (in French).
  5. 1 2 3 De Caluwé, Dirk (2014). Cureghem, partie 3, resistance et déportation (in French).
  6. "Des synagogues sont délaissées". La Capitale (in French). 26 February 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Incendie criminel à la synagogue d'Anderlecht". L'Echo (in French). 2014.
  8. "Incendie criminel dans une synagogue d'Anderlecht: "Des antisémites se seraient attaqués aux objets de culte"" (in French). 16 September 2014.
  9. La Libre (2014). "Incendie criminel à la synagogue d'Anderlecht: trois personnes intoxiquées" (in French).
  10. "Une synagogue d'Anderlecht incendiée: trois personnes intoxiquées". La DH (in French). 2014.
  11. "Incendie probablement criminel à l'étage d'une synagogue à Bruxelles". The Times of Israel (in French). 2014.
  12. "Anderlecht: 6 ans de prison pour avoir incendié la synagogue". LaCapitale (in French). December 2017.
  13. "Anderlecht: les caméras d'une synagogue vandalisées". La Meuse (in French). 2017.

Bibliography