Jewish Museum of Belgium

The Jewish Museum of Belgium (French: Musée Juif de Belgique; Dutch: Joods Museum van België) is a museum in central Brussels, Belgium, focusing on the history of the Jews in Belgium. It is located at 21, rue des Minimes/Minimenstraat in the Sablon/Zavel district of Brussels. This site is served by the bus stop Grand Sablon/Grote Zavel (on lines 33, 48 and 95).[1][2][3]

Jewish Museum of Belgium
  • Musée Juif de Belgique (French)
  • Joods Museum van België (Dutch)
Exterior of the museum
Map
Interactive fullscreen map
Established9 March 1989 (1989-03-09)
LocationRue des Minimes / Minimenstraat 21,
1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°50′27″N 4°21′12″E / 50.84083°N 4.35333°E / 50.84083; 4.35333
TypeJewish museum
WebsiteOfficial website

History

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The idea of founding a Jewish museum emerged in the late 1970s and was based on two motifs: the lack of a Jewish museum dealing with history and art, although Judaism has been present in Belgium since the Middle Ages, and the small number of public collections.

As part of the celebrations surrounding Belgium's 150th anniversary in 1979, Baron Bloch, then President of the Central Council and alongside his successor in office, Baron Schnek, suggested driving exhibition of art and history of Belgian Jewry. The event was successful, and a small group was founded in 1981, which put together a collection, as well as a financing basis and the purchase of a property. Official support was finally gained in the mid-1980s. Initially, the Ministry of Labor and Finance, later also the French and Flemish-speaking communities and the regions agreed to support the group's efforts.

Work continued on makeshift premises above the Beth Israel Synagogue on the Rue de Stalingrad/Stalingradstraat, which were provided by the Central Council. The museum has been compiling its collection since 1990 and installed its first permanent exhibition there. In 2005, the company moved to its current premises on the Rue des Minimes/Minimenstraat.

May 2014 shooting

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On 24 May 2014, four people – two visiting Israelis and two people who worked at the museum – were killed in a shooting at the museum.[4][5]

Museum and collection

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The museum has a collection of items that relate to Jewish customs from Europe, Asia, and Africa, dating back as far as the 18th century and mostly from the region to the east of river Rhine and countries around the Mediterranean.

The museum has 750 objects of judaica, 1,250 works of art, and an archive of 20,000 photographs, 5,000 posters, compact discs, LPs, and compact cassettes.

The museum also has six thematic libraries containing a total of 25,000 works and editions, including works in Yiddish and Hebrew, works of Jewish artists, and genealogies.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ligne 33 vers DANSAERT - stib.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Ligne 48 vers ANNEESSENS - stib.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Ligne 95 vers GRAND-PLACE - stib.be". www.stib-mivb.be. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Joods Museum blijft gesloten voor verder sporenonderzoek". De Morgen. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Vierde slachtoffer aanslag Joods museum overleden". De Morgen. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Official website of Jewish Museum in Belgium". Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
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