Category: Event

The Jewish Museum of Belgium invites you to discover a short film directed by Sarah Lederman, which draws its inspiration from the work of filmmaker Chantal Akerman, one of the artists featured in the “Four Sisters” exhibition.

Les Racines de l’eau (synopsis) : Two women, one Ashkenazi Jew from Poland and one Sephardic Jew from Algeria meet in Brussels with the same quest: to find out what their Jewish identity means to them. Their biggest desire is to undergo the water ritual called Mikveh. But they are not welcome in a bath house, being neither married nor orthodox. Nonetheless, they try to claim their heritage on a road trip and own their Judaism. 

Program : 

Doors open at 6:30pm 

Film screening from 7:00 pm 

Talk with Shabbes 24/7 Collective and Samuel Kujas (director of IMAJ) from 7:45 pm

Light Dinner from 8:30  pm to 10 pm 

Price: 10 euros (+ free admission to the “Four Sisters” exhibition)

free for students

“Mirror effect: I am all this, piece by piece. I go out through every pore. I am crossed, invaded, dispossessed. And yet, in this thin skin, I grow, I am alive.” (Marianne Berenhaut)

In Private Collection / Vie Privée, choreographer/performer Ula Sickle invites the audience to explore the exhibition “Four Sisters” through the materiality of the Poupées-Poubelles – transparent nylon tights filled with textiles and everyday objects – made by artist Marianne Berenhaut.

In 1969, a fall of more than four metres left Marianne Berenhaut bedridden for over a year. The accident became an opportunity to question and reinvent her artistic practice: no longer able to engage in large-scale physical productions, it was with the Poupées-Poubelles that she returned to a production that resonated with the demands of feminist thought to which she was close.

For this performance, Ula Sickle invited Sabrina Seifried and Joëlle Laederach to develop a series of wearable pieces in natural latex, a mutable material known for its healing, protective and sensual properties.

The performer Katja Dreyer personifies the Poupées-Poubelles, which she embodies by wearing these clothing creations in a choreography developed by Ula Sickle.

Program :

3:30 p.m.: Doors open

4:00 pm : Start of the performance

16h30 – 17h30 : Talk with Yann Chataigné, Marianne Berenhaut and Ula Sickle (EN)

5:30 pm : Performance

18h00 : Drink

Price: 10 euros (+ free access to the “Four Sisters” exhibition)

It is common knowledge that war photography is a profession often dominated by men. Julia Pirotte however, like many women photographers, has also worked in war zones. The Polish photographer of Jewish origin, documented the resistance in Marseille during World War II, Jewish families in the internment camp of Bompard and the Kielce Pogrom. Throughout these conflict territories, women often had access to families and children, Julia in particular made it a point to render these moving portraits. Her images played a decisive role in shaping war imagery. By highlighting Julia Pirotte’s photographs and journey, Bruna Lo Biundo, Caroline François and Maja Wolny tell us the specificity of female gaze on war and show us that women are as much transmitters of images as witnesses of war atrocities. The conference will also explore how other women she met along the way have contributed to her work.

The conference will be held in FR/EN
The speakers are : Maja Wolny, Bruna Lo Biundo, Caroline François
Program :
Opening of the doors 18:00
Beginning of the conference 18h30
Drink at 19h30/20h

With the support of the Polish Institute in Brussels

During the Nocturnes, the Jewish Museum will be more than ever a space for encounter and dialogue. In addition to its permanent exhibition on Jewish religion and culture, the museum hosts two temporary exhibitions. Four sisters combines the works of Chantal Akerman, Marianne Berenhaut, Sarah Kaliski and Julia Pirotte, all four women, artists, Jews, and custodians of a memory. 236. Land(es)capes of the 20th Convoy offers, through the photographs of Jo Struyven and the paintings of Luc Tuymans, an artistic look at an exceptional episode in the history of the Second World War. On April 19, 1943, thanks to resistance actions, 236 deportees managed to jump from the train that was taking them to Auschwitz.

More information

WORKSHOP Want to discover Judaism? What rituals and practices are part of Jewish family life? In this workshop on Jewish cultures, the aim is to build bridges, to show the commonalities between cultures and their enriching differences. The workshop is for all audiences, regardless of their background and beliefs. 

→ 18:00 (NL) / 19:30 (FR) – Limited places Please send an e-mail to edu@mjb-jmb.org with your name, the number of people you wish to register, the language of the activity and name of the activity.

WORKSHOP The last survivors of the Holocaust share their personal stories with you, documented by the Museum’s archives. A unique and exceptional opportunity to get to know someone who survived the Holocaust and who will explain why bearing witness is still necessary today. 

→ 17:30 (FR) / 19:30 (FR) –Limited places Please send an e-mail to edu@mjb-jmb.org with your name, the number of people you wish to register, the language of the activity and name of the activity.

On March 19, 2023 at 5:00 pm, the Union des Etudiants Juifs de Belgique, the MerKaz and the Musée Juif de Belgique will have the pleasure of receiving sociologist Illana Weizman on the occasion of the publication of her latest book “Des blancs comme les autres?” dealing with the blind spot that the fight against antisemitism represents within the anti-racist world.

A panel of speakers from Jewish and anti-racist associations will follow IIlana Weizman’s presentation to discuss her book. We will publish their names on the event in the next few days.

It is a fact that in today’s Jewish communities, there is a prevailing feeling that the fight against antisemitism is the most overlooked aspect of anti-racist campaigns. The loneliness that those involved in the fight against antisemitism too often face or, quite simply, the frequent lack of understanding of the antisemitic phenomenon in anti-racist circles are all elements that reinforce this feeling.

Faced with this observation, the speakers and the audience will discuss several major questions: Why is antisemitism sidelined in anti-racist struggles? How can we rehabilitate the fight against antisemitism and the inclusion of this fight in the anti-racist movement? How can we renew the collaboration between activist organizations and Jewish communities?

This event will be in French.

La frontière entre réalité et fiction est souvent floue. Les institutions démocratiques sont sous pression et les charges de travail grandissantes laissent peu de temps à la réflexion et à l’action. Ces préoccupations semblent contemporaines, mais il y a plus de 50 ans, Hannah Arendt écrivait déjà abondamment sur ce sujet. Aujourd’hui, les idées d’Arendt ont encore gagné en importance, voilà pourquoi nous organisons cette série de conférences avec d’éminents experts de la pensée de cette grande philosophe. A travers ce cycle, nous nous concentrerons sur un thème à la fois actuel et intemporel, et, osons-le dire, arendtien: l’identité. 


Qu’est-ce que l’identité ? En quoi est-elle si importante ? Au cours de ces conférences, à travers échanges et conversations, le travail et la vision d’Arendt seront analysés et étudiés. Nous verrons comment intégrer sa pensée dans notre réalité actuelle et essayer ainsi de mieux comprendre le concept d’identité, et la réflexion qui l’entoure.


Hannah Arendt Lecture 1

Quel enseignement Hannah Arendt nous apporte-t-elle sur l’identité ? Comment concevait-elle son identité propre?  sa judéité ? le fait qu’elle soit femme ? mais aussi comment voyait-elle le concept au sens plus large d’identité ? 

La femme proche de Heidegger voyait sans doute l’identité différemment de celle qui fuyait les persécutions durant la guerre, ou encore de celle qui relatait le procès Eichmann à Jérusalem. Nous tenterons de faire cette distinction, de voir comment sa pensée évolue à travers les événements qui ont ponctué sa vie. 

Intervenants : Geert Van Eekert (N) et Martine Leibovici (F) 
Modération : Tinneke Beeckman (N/F)


Informations pratiques


Date et heure : Mardi 19 avril 2022 de 19h00 à 20h30, suivi d’une réception.

Lieu : Musée juif de Belgique, Rue des Minimes 21, 1000 Bruxelles
Tramways : 92, 8 – Bus : 27, 48, 95 – Métro : Louise – Train : Bruxelles-Central

Entrée : 10 euros, gratuit pour les étudiants et les personnes à faibles revenus.

Langue : Les intervenants s’expriment dans leur langue maternelle. La conversation alterne entre le néerlandais et le français. Il n’y a pas d’interprétation simultanée.

Vous avez entre 12 et 15 ans ? Vous souhaitez découvrir différentes cultures et croyances à Bruxelles ? Alors cette visite est faite pour vous. Le Musée Juif de Belgique se trouve sur ce parcours le jeudi 12 août. Au programme : découverte de soi, initiation au judaïsme, discussion sur les stéréotypes et visite d’une synagogue. Inscrivez-vous sur le site de Axcent.

Tout comme Golem, les familles et leur bulle sociale sont les bienvenues au Musée pendant les vacances de Pâques. Tous les jours (du mardi au dimanche), de 13h à 17h, un.e de nos guides vous accueillera (30 minutes par bulles familiales) pour partager avec vous ses connaissances et répondre à toutes vos questions.

Réservations obligatoires : frievancamp@mjb-jmb.org