Consistoire Central Israélite de Belgique

An institution created in 1808 under Napoleon I to represent the Jews of Belgium, the Central Consistory is the official body recognized by the Belgian state for Jewish religious affairs. It oversees the nine local communities of Belgium, manages ritual slaughter (shechita), religious instruction in public schools, and military and prison chaplaincies. After the Holocaust, which decimated the Belgian Jewish community, the Consistory played a central role in reconstructing Jewish life and memorializing the 25,000 Belgian Jews who were deported. It today represents a community of approximately 40,000 members, marked by a significant presence of Sephardim of Maghrebi origin.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Site officiel ↗