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- Gershon Lehrer on Old Jewish posters at the Antwerp Archives
- meira shacham on Old Jewish posters at the Antwerp Archives
- Gershon Lehrer on Expulsion Orders from WWII at the FelixArchief – Part 2: Researching The Inventory
- Ralph Mendel on Expulsion Orders from WWII at the FelixArchief – Part 2: Researching The Inventory
- Liveblog: De werken in de Belgiëlei in tekst en beeld | Gershon-Lehrer.be on Protected: Toegankelijkheid in de Belgiëlei en gefaseerd werken zonder fases
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Tag Archives: antwerp belgium
How to subscribe to the online services of the Antwerp Archives
Please note that I am not affiliated with the Antwerp Archives although I strongly support them. Therefore, don’t contact the archives for any question which relates specifically to my website. Only contact them for matters which are related to them and their services.
For some services on the website of the Antwerp Archives (the “Felix Archief”), you first need to sign up (for free) which can be done online. I suggest that you start working on the website without signing up. On accessing most of the objects, you’ll be required to sign in as a user. If you don’t have yet a login and password, then this is the moment to sign up. You can do this on the logon screen which will be presented to you when you try to access a page which is only accessible to registered users. Click then on the word ‘hier’ in the sentence:
“Heeft u nog geen bezoekersnaam of wachtwoord? Klik dan hier“
(translation” If you don’t have yet a login and password, click here):
In the next screen you can (more…)
Posted in Genealogy Related Articles
Tagged antwerp belgium, belgian archives, Belgium, city archives, Felixarchief
A history of the Antwerp Archives (FelixArchief) and getting there
History of the archives:
The archives of the city of Antwerp started with two charters from 1221 which the city kept in a huge chest which was longer then two meters and which was called the ‘privilegiekom’.
Of each lock the key was kept by another councilmember of the city. Therefore only when all councilmembers were together, the chest could be opened (the chest is currently on view in the reading room of the Antwerp archives).
Me standing in front of that chest (I am holding an archival item which is not related to the chest)
Thanks to the growth of the city, and of the growing stack of documents, the chest did not meet anymore the expectations of the city. Another reason why the chest did not fulfill the requirements anymore at that time, is that until the French Revolution all departments of the city archived their own files, which means that there was no (centralized) ‘city archive’ like we know today in Antwerp.
In 1796 a city archivist was appointed who was in charge of storing and managing the archives. Until the first half of the 20th century the archives were kept in the town hall (the beautiful town hall was built in Renaissance style between 1561 and 1565). Since then the archives moved a few times. During the Second World War the most important pieces of the archives were kept near a moated castle near Rochefort (in the south of Belgium). After the war the archives moved to the Venusstraat in a building which purpose was not meant (yet) for archives, therefore part of the archives were temporarily moved to a building in the Meirbrug. On 15 December 1956 the building in the Venusstraat was refurbished and the archives were kept there for almost 50 years. It closed it doors to the public on May 1st, 2006.
In November 2006 the city archives (more…)
Extra Garbage Collection for Jews of Antwerp before Pesach
The 'Bouwmeester'-synagogue in Antwerp
We received yesterday, like the other residents in our district, a letter from the City of Antwerp that they’ll organise an extra garbage collection on Monday, April 18th.
This will be done on the occasion of Pesach which will start this year on Tuesday, April 19th.
This really is an extremely nice gesture of the city towards its Jewish residents.
The festival of Pesach takes 8 days in the diaspora and 7 days in Israel.
The following text is based on what I found on Wikipedia (this holiday is related to the Egyptians, the Egyptians invented the wheel, and like the saying goes, I don’t want to invent it a second time, hence I take the liberty to base my explanation on the text from Wikipedia without inventing the wheel again 
)
[...]It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.
In the narrative of the Exodus, the Torah tells that G-d helped the Children of Israel escape slavery in Egypt by inflicting ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves; the tenth and worst of the plagues was the slaughter of the first-born. The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term Pesach in Hebrew and “passover” (pass over) in English.
When Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called “The Festival of the Unleavened Bread”. Matzo (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday.
The letter from the City of Antwerp ends with the message that for more information you could refer:
- with regard to the garbage collection → refer to the employees of the City of Antwerp
- with regard to the festival of Pesach → refer to the Jewish community (Machsike Hadass)
You can read the letter for yourself hereunder (or click here to get the file in PDF format if it is too hard for reading):
infobrief - Extra ophaling restafval - Stad Antwerpen - April 2011
PS: Check this out if you want to see how the Exodus would’ve occured if Mozes would’ve had Google, Facebook, Skype, etc :
Update April 2012:
Also this year the City of Antwerp sent out a similar letter to the attention of its Jewish citizens:
infobrief - Extra ophaling restafval - Stad Antwerpen - April 2012
Old, Older, Oldest Big,Bigger, Biggest at the Archives
I went recently to the archives from Antwerp where I do collect from time to time files and other information for my family research.
During my research I usually try to understand and focus on several topics which I do come across and about which I do tend to post from time to time some articles on this website.
One of the topics I am currently focussing on, and about which I hope to post in the near future, is the district distribution in the city of Antwerp.
As part of this research I did request to have a look in the file about the reconstruction of the sewers. This interesting file contains a few (more…)
Photos and documents about Rav Schiff’s coronation as the new ruv of Machsike Hadass-Antwerp
The (paying) members of the one of the two Jewish communities, the Machsike Hadass, did vote on November 29th and 30th for the then candidate Rov Rav Ahron Schif.
From the 593 votes, 93.4% were in favour of Rav Ahron Schif as the new Rov.
Last Sunday, April 3rd, the ceremony took finally place in the packed main synagogue of the Kehille in the Oostenstraat.
All members of the kehille received two books. One book with the history on the kehille, its founding and an overview with the history on almost all shuls of Antwerp. And the second book has got a collection of essays by Rav Schiff.
Both books did cost together €10 (only) for non-members.
You can enjoy the photos I made or read some articles which I did collect from different sources.
(some articles and/or photos may have שמות, please handle with due respect)
- Photos of the coronation
Booklet with program of Rav Shiffs coronation as Antwerp Ruv (3 april 2011).pdf- Registration form Machsike Hadass Antwerp Jewish cummunity (distributed on coronation day of Rav Schiff - 3 apr 2011).pdf
- More documents
The cover of the book עיר האם בישראל
The contents of the book
My correspondence with the diversiteit.be regarding the episode with Mr. Koçak
Some of us remember the case of Mr. Selahattin Koçak who is a politician of the SP.A (http://www.s-p-a.be) in November 2010.
A short description from wikipedia about that party:
Socialistische Partij Anders (Different Socialist Party) (sp.a) is a Flemish social-democratic party in Belgium. It was formerly known as the Socialistische Partij (SP), which in turn had branched off from the Belgian Socialist Party, itself formed by former members of the Belgian Labour Party.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialistische_Partij_Anders)
In November 2010 Mr. Selahattin Koçak did have an interview from the P-magazine which I believe is a tabloid newspaper:
From the Dutch Wikipedia:
P-Magazine is a Belgian magazine which focuses on a heterosexual male audience. It originated in 1998 as a successor to the defunct weekly “New Panorama”.
(source: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-Magazine)
In that interview Mr. Selahattin Koçak said a few things which I did not really like. Therefore I complained via (more…)
Protected: Saralea en de hamer
Posted in kindertaal
Tagged Adina, antwerp belgium, Antwerpen, lehrer, Michal, Saralea
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Labour in the Julius Berger company in North-France during WWII
Click here to read a follow-up on this post
© ARA - Brussels - please don't copy without permission
I posted recently (10 February 2011) a question via soc.genealogy.jewish regarding a company where my great-grandfather’s (Gershon Lehrer) brother Kalman Lehrer worked during WWII. The company was called Julius Berger and was based in France.
Kalman was born 20th June 1898 in Ustrzyki-Dolne. When the war started Kalman lived in Antwerp, Belgium on the Kroonstraat 205.
From 26 July 1942 to 31 October 1942 he was forced to work for the “Julius Berger” company in North-France.
He was deported via Malines/Mechelen in Belgium to Auschwitz on 31 October 1942 with transport 16 from which he did not return. The Belgian authorities confirmed (on 5 May 1955) their assumption that he passed away sometimes between 31 October 1942 and 1 June 1945.
I am looking for more details regarding the company Julius Berger.
Click here if you would like to read the message I did post to the newsgroup»I appreciate any ideas or tips, please comment on this post or send me an e-mail.
Click here to read a follow-up on this post
lehrer <gershon.lehrer@gmail.com>
X-No-archive: yes
Hi,
I found in documents that my great-great uncle Kalman LEHRER had to work during the
War in Norht-France in a company which was called Julius Berger. He worked there
from 26 June 1942 to 31 October 1942.
Does anyone know more about the company? Thanks a lot in advance for your help,
Gershon Lehrer
Antwerp, Belgium
www.gershon-lehrer.be
Searching: DORF, ETSIONI, FISZLOWICZ, GERSTNER, GOLDSTEEN, HART, KALLECH, LEHRER,
PA(C)KTER, PAKTOR, S(Y)(I)LBERBERG, SAIL, SANDERS, SCENIZER, SCHEEN, SJENITZER,
SCH (O)NITZER, STORK, TIMBERG, VAN STRATEN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5Jews from Antwerp in Cuba
A while ago I looked on behalf of someone else seek to get more information on why the Cuban authorities allowed Jews from Antwerp to immigrate to Cuba in the 1930’s while they had strict immigration rules.
Although the Internet has got some interesting pieces of information about the Jews in Cuba, I did not really manage to find details about the episode that deals with the Antwerp Jews in the 1930’s.
Therefore I sent a message to a newsgroup that deals mainly with Jewish Genealogy (soc.genealogy.jewish) in the hope that I would get somehow more information.
This post is a means to publish a summary on the responses I got.
Click here if you would like to read the message I posted to the newsgroup»
I received a few responses which replied to me in the Jewish way, i.e.: they replied to my question with another question. The question some asked was: “Why would the Jews not be allowed entrance if everyone knew that the Jews were being chased by bloodthirsty anti-Semites“. A notorious case was the S.S. St. Louis which was not allowed to disembark its passengers in Cuba or the USA. The USA (then INS) agency restricted immigration very severely during 1920′s and thereafter.
From the responses it appears that the Antwerp Jews were accepted into Cuba because of their knowledge in the diamond business. During their stay in Cuba they kept their own community and didn’t become part of one of the communities already present (possibly due to the gap in the language and because they intended to stay there only temporary?). After WWII the Jews left Cuba and went back to Belgium. The Belgian state was of course also interested in the diamond business (it seems that Camille Huysmans was one of the big powers behind this Belgian initiative to get the Diamond business back to Antwerp).
Someone else wrote me that the gangster Meyer Lansky used his connections to the Cuban government, through which he worked out a deal to allow European Jews to land in Cuba. Visa’s were then bought and entry to the US was granted.
If you’d like to read more about the history of the Jews in Cuba (including the Antwerp Jews), the following two books do tell the story:
- Tropical Diaspora: The Jewish Experience in Cuba by Robert Levine, Published by University Press of Florida (Sep 1993) (ISBN 978-0813012186)
- Jewish Community of Cuba by Jay Levinson, Published by Westview Publishing (5 Feb 2006) (ISBN 978-0977620708).
Some general websites about Jewry in Cuba:
- http://www.jewishcuba.org/
- http://www.jewishcuba.org/hadassah1.html
- http://www.cubanjewishrelief.org/
- http://www.thecajm.org
I’d like to thank the following people for having replied on my request: Burt Hecht, Judite Orensztajn, Sam Lifsh?, Barbara Mannlein, Irene Newhouse, Stephen Denker, Jill Goodman, Helaine ?, Marcel Apsel, Sylvain Brachfeld, Mona Freedman Morris, Joan Parker, Rabbi Moshe Otero, Judy Turbin, Tineke Sjenitzer, Sue Kriloff, Melody Mayes nee Pinkus
Date: Fri, Jan 21 2011 5:22 pm
From: gershon.lehrer@gmail.com (lehrer)
X-No-archive: yes
Hello,
Does anyone know why the Jews were allowed to immigrate into Cuba
in the 30′s from the previous century?
Why was an exception made for the Jews whilst I heard that the
Cuban authorities were very strict to allow immigration for
white people (does anyone have any source for this claim?)?
I am mainly talking about the Jews from Antwerp that were working
in the diamond industry.
Thank you for your help,
Gershon Lehrer
gershon.lehrer@gmail.com
Antwerp, Belgium
Searching: DORF, ETSIONI, FISZLOWICZ, GERSTNER, GOLDSTEEN, HART,
KALLECH, LEHRER, PA(C)KTER, PAKTOR, S(Y)(I)LBERBERG, SAIL, SANDERS,
SCENIZER, SCHEEN, SJENITZER, SCH(O)NITZER, STORK, TIMBERG, VAN STRATEN
video YT Sharia4Belgium
Hi,
I just received the following e-mail from the Belgian “Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism“. This e-mail was a response on an e-mail I did send them with a link to a provocative youtube movie from Sharia4Belgium:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Date: 2010/7/29
Subject: video YT Sharia4Belgium
To: gershon.lehrer@gmail.comBeste,
Het Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding heeft uw klacht over de video van Sharia4Belgium op Youtube goed ontvangen.
Eerst en vooral moet u wel weten dat Sharia4Belgium als organisatie niet verboden is in België. Dat wil zeggen dat de leden van de organisatie ook genieten van het recht op vrijheid van meningsuiting. Ten tweede bestaan er al twee hangende klachten bij het parket van Antwerpen tegen deze organisatie. De eerste klacht heeft betrekking op de homofobische uitspraken die zij op een TV programma hebben gedaan. De tweede klacht gaat over een reeks uitspraken die de niet-moslims viseerden.
In die twee gevallen was er duidelijk sprake van aanzetten tot haat en daarom heeft het Centrum klacht ingediend bij het parket.
Onder aanzet tot haat, zoals vermeld in artikel 20 van de antiracismewet, moet begrepen worden alle verbale en non- verbale communicaties die aanzetten tot, stimuleren, aanmoedigen, aansporen of oproepen tot bepaalde reacties. Aanzetten tot haat of geweld gaat verder dan het louter verspreiden van ideeën of kritiek uiten op situaties uit de actualiteit. Er moet ook een bijzonder opzet aanwezig zijn, d.w.z. dat de auteur de wil moet hebben om aan te zetten tot haat, geweld, discriminatie of segregatie.
De uitspraken in de video, die u naar ons hebt doorgestuurd zetten niet aan tot haat. De uitspraken zijn zeker schokkend en provocerend maar ze vallen onder de vrijheid van meningsuiting.
Als u nog dergelijke video’s tegenkomt aarzel niet om die naar ons te sturen. Meer informatie over de organisatie is immers altijd nuttig om onze klachten te verfijnen.
Ik dank u voor uw melding.
Hoogachtend,
Fxxxxx Dxxxx
Racisme et Internet
Centre pour l’égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme
rue Royale 138 – 1000 Bruxelles02-212 30 98
