Synagogue of Anderlecht
  • Synagogue d'Anderlecht (French)
  • Synagoge van Anderlecht (Dutch)
The synagogue in 1935
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
DistrictCureghem/Kuregem
StatusActive
Location
LocationRue de la Clinique / Kliniekstraat 67A
B-1070 Anderlecht, Brussels-Capital Region
CountryBelgium
Geographic coordinates50°50′25″N 4°19′52″E / 50.84028°N 4.33111°E / 50.84028; 4.33111
Architecture
Groundbreaking1928
Completed1933

The Synagogue of Anderlecht (French: Synagogue d'Anderlecht, Dutch: Synagoge van Anderlecht) is an Orthodox synagogue in the municipality of Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium. Located at the heart of the former Jewish quarter of Cureghem/Kuregem, at 67A, rue de la Clinique/Kliniekstraat, the synagogue is the main synagogue of the Israelite Orthodox Community of Brussels (French: Communauté Israélite Orthodoxe de Bruxelles (CIOB), Dutch: Joodse Orthodoxe Gemeenschap van Brussel). It can be accessed from Clemenceau metro station on lines 2 and 6 of the Brussels Metro.

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, 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 syangogue 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.[8][9][10][11][7] 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

References

Citations

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

Bibliography

  • Isabelle Emmery (éd.) (2009), Histoire et mémoire des Juifs d'Anderlecht. Années 1920-1940 (in French)
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