Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas religious marriage records. Collection

In 1931 Shomre Hadas, an orthodox Jewish community founded in Antwerp in 1920, merged with the Jewish Community of Antwerp, officially established in 1816. The name of the congregation then became the Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas. The community’s main synagogue, inaugurated in 1893, was located at Bouwmeestersstraat in Antwerp, and was also known as the Dutch Synagogue, a reference to the many Dutch Jews and their descendants who contributed to the project. The community also ministered a synagogue at the corner of Van den Nestlei and Oostenstraat in Antwerp, which was inaugurated in 1928, and a synagogue located at Terliststraat 35 in Antwerp. Just before the outbreak of war the Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas was estimated to comprise about 3200 souls. During the war, the Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas continued to conduct marriages until the summer of 1942, although the synagogue at Van den Nestlei was ransacked during the 'Antwerp pogrom' of 14 April 1941. During this outbreak of anti-Semitic violence an angry mob attacked and destroyed two Antwerp synagogues and the house of a rabbi. The first post-war wedding conducted by the Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas was celebrated on 5 November 1944. The synagogue at Van den Nestlei was restored after Liberation and reopened its doors as the Romi Goldmuntz synagogue in 1954. The Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas continues its work until this day. Digital copy available as collection KD_00585 at Kazerne Dossin Contact Kazerne Dossin Documentation Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu This collection contains: the register of the Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas containing the religious marriage certificates drafted between 1 January 1937 and 27 February 1938 ; a second register containing the certificates drawn up between 6 March 1938 and 27 June 1939 ; a third register containing the certificates drawn up between 29 June 1939 and 14 June 1942 ; a folder containing unbound religious marriage certificates drawn up by the Jewish Community of Antwerp Shomre Hadas between 5 November 1944 and 14 October 1947. Each certificate contains the following information: the date and location of the religious wedding, the date and location of the civil marriage, the names of the spouses, their date of birth, their place of birth, their place of residence, the names of their parents, and the signatures of the spouses, their witnesses and the rabbi. The information in the folder containing marriage certificates drawn up in 1944-1947 refers to persons that might still be alive today. To request access to this file in the collection please contact the Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu