Th$N§W9-M§y,1995-Pag§3
TiAt/e^
By Maxine Silverstein
Antwerp, Belgium
When travelers think Bel
gium. they think of the capital
Brussels or the canal city Brugge.
But, often overlooked is Antwerp,
which is a gem of a city rich in
Jewish culture and history. In fact,
Antwerp has the most concen
trated and liveliest Jewish popu
lation in Europe.
Antwerp is the center of the
global diamond industry which is
run predominantly by Orthodox
Jews, as it has been for hundreds
of years. Jewish involvement in
diamonds dates back to the Middle
Ages when the very first stones
were imported to Europe from In
dia. Sephardic Jews traded, cut
and polished diamonds and then
brought that experience to Bel
gium after being expelled from
Spain and Portugal.
Today, most of the adult Jews
in Antwerp are employed in the
cutting and polishing or the pur
chase and sale of diamonds.
Eighty percent of the city’s Jews
work and live on and around the
main street in the diamond district,
‘Pelikaanstraat. This area begins at
the central train station and
stretches several blocks along the
train tracks.
The diamond district is alive
with Jewish culture. Signs are in
Yiddish and bearded, Hasidic Jews
scurry along in wide-brimmed.
Maxine Silverstein
black hats and overcoats. Visitors
will delight in the numerous ca
fes, kosher restaurants, bookstores
Antwerp Is the
center of the global
diamond Industry
which Is run
predominantly by
Orthodox Jews, as It
has been for
hundreds of years.
and jewelry stores where dia
monds can be purchased at sav
ings of up to 50%. (A word to the
wise: few Antwerp Jews adhere to
Liberal Judaism. On Saturdays,
Antwerpen gezien vanop Unkeroever
everything is closed!)
Visitors to Antwerp should
stop by the offices of Belgisch
Israelitisch Weekblad, a weekly
Jewish newspaper, where you can
purchase the publication’s annual
travel guide. It lists synagogues,
kosher restaurants and Jewish in
stitutions in Antwerp, Brussels and
other European Jewish communi
ties.
Antwerp also features numer
ous Gothic churches, medieval
guildhalls and is home to several
great museums that house work
from Rubens to Van Dyck. One of
the nicest places we saw on our trip
was the zoo, which is next to the
pliolo cfidRs Nrtlofiil TmvM Offloi
Brabo Fountain
central train station. It’s the most
incredible zoo I’ve ever seen, and
when we visited, a Hebrew day
school was there with dozens of
children wearing kipots, running
around in awe of the animals.
Antwerp is an exciting place
to visit, whether it’s for diamonds
or Belgian chocolate or an oppor
tunity to learn more about your
heritage. It is also easy to get to
because of its close proximity to
Brussels and the international air
port with numerous daily arrivals
and departures.
Speizman
Jewish
Library
By Amalia Warshenbrot
New On The Shelf
LITERATURE
The Book of Legends (Sefer
Ha-Aggadah) - legends ft'om the
Talmud and Midrash edited by
Hayim Nahman Bialik
NON-nCTION
Conversion to Judaism, a
guidebook by L. J. Epstein Dove
tails - A newsletter by and for Jew-
ish-Christianfamilies
(Qix&VtehLy)
The Healer of Shattered
Hearts by Rabbi D. Wolpe Teach
ing your Children about God by
Rabbi U. Wolpe
COOKBOOKS
The Jewish Holiday Kitchen
by J. Nathan Jewish Vegetarian
Cooking by R. Friedman
nCTION
Prizes by E. Segal
Angel of Death by R. N. Krich
ISRAEL
A Day in the Life of Israel by
D. Cohen REFERENCE
The Timetables of Jewish His
tory - editor J. Gribetz The above
mentioned books were purchased
thanks to donations to several li
brary funds.
For informastion on our
Judaic book collection and on the
funds please call Amalia
Warshenbrot at 366-5007 ext. 258
The Speizman Jewish
Library wishes to thank
the following sponsors of
the reading incentive
program:
Ben and Jerry*s joined the
Arboretum Cinema so that chil
dren who read twenty books re
ceive complimentary tickets and
a free cone.
Special appreciation to
HaLailab BBW for buying book
prizes. This support helped us to
increase reading of Jewish
childrens’ literature.
— Todah Rabbah
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