Jewish Settlements in and around Antwerp

Jewish Settlements in and around Antwerp

Jewish Settlements in and around Antwerp

Antwerp, Belgium is known as a tri-cultural city, holding reasonable numbers of French, Jewish and Dutch populations. The history of the Jews in this cultural melting pot is an interesting one.

It started in the 13th century with waves of the group coming in after being expelled from England and France and later from Portugal and Spain. The main reason why they were entertained in this region was that local authorities saw in them the potential to rouse the region to greater economic stability. And this they certainly did because they were to a great deal educated and wealthier than many at that time. They kept coming in great numbers, reaching the peak in the 1960s, totaling around 65000 in Antwerp alone and thousands more in the rest of Belgium.

The Holocaust dealt this population a huge blow, with over 40000 of them dying after attacks by Nazi forces and many others losing their lives in concentration camps. As such, only a handful of them remained or relocated to Belgium after this period and their main focus at that time was to rebuild their community.

Belgians played a major role in conserving this population because they hid as many of their children as they could in the most unlikely places. Some adopted them as their own children while others hid them in monasteries and schools. At present, the country is said to hold the fourth highest population of this cultural group in the world. The city of Antwerp alone has about 15000, few in comparison to what it used to have but still a significant number considering their global distribution patterns.

The group is divided into several units, each of them being concentrated in a specific region of the city. The Haredi live around the central railway station and due to their great numbers, the area is popularly known as Joods Antwerpen after the group. This area is renowned for its abundance in kosher food outlets, schools that are structured to cater for the group's specific needs and Synagogues as well as other amenities.

They also have several religious communities the two main ones being Machzikei Hadass and Shomrei Hadas. These two groups are so vastly different that each one of them operates separate schools for its children. At the heart of this difference is the coalition between the Shomrei and Zionist doctrine. The cultural group is still a key player in the local economy operating in the lucrative diamond business. A majority of them in fact are middle and high class residents in this city of diversity.

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