After the Expulsion

After the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal (1492–18th Century)

Expulsion of Jews from Spain
Spanish Jews pleading before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1497, converted wealthy Jewish traders, whom the Inquisition described as Crypto-Jews, dispersed all over Europe. Crypto-Jews were Jews who had been forced to convert to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism in secret. They also settled in the Seventeen Provinces of the Low Countries under Spanish rule. The old Southern provinces correspond roughly to present-day Belgium, and the Northern provinces to the present-day Netherlands. The Netherlands became an independent country after the Treaty of Münster in 1648 and was renamed the Republic of the Seven United Provinces.

While Spanish Jews settled in the Netherlands in the 16th century, they and others, most likely Crypto-Jews, also settled in Antwerp and Bruges. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Crypto-Jews living in Antwerp played an important role in the economic and financial affairs of the town. Because of Spanish pressure, most of them left Antwerp around 1540–1550, ending the second Jewish immigration in the region.

Although some Crypto-Jews returned to Antwerp during the 17th century, they could no longer enjoy the same economic and financial status they had a century earlier. A secret synagogue existed in Antwerp from 1650 to 1694, and some Crypto-Jewish poets also lived in Brussels during that time.

After Antwerp came under Austrian rule in 1713, Jews were able to practice their religion more openly. They gained even greater freedom following the promulgation of the “Edict of Tolerance” by Habsburg Emperor Joseph II in 1781.

During the 18th century, Jewish presence in the Southern provinces, under Austrian rule, remained low; about 100 Jews – householders – lived in Brussels in 1756.

References

  • Schmidt, E. (1994). Geschiedenis van de Joden in Antwerpen. Antwerpen: Excelsior.
  • Michman, D. (1998). Belgium and the Holocaust: Jews, Belgians, Germans. Jerusalem: Yad Vashem.
  • Saerens, L. (2000). Vreemdelingen in een wereldstad: een geschiedenis van Antwerpen en zijn joodse bevolking (1880-1944). Tielt: Lannoo.
  • Vromen, S. (2008). Hidden Children of the Holocaust: Belgian Nuns and their Daring Rescue of Young Jews from the Nazis. Oxford University Press.