# Antwerp <table class="place-meta"> <tr><td>Local name(s)</td><td>Antwerpen (Dutch); Anvers (French)</td></tr> <tr><td>Region (today)</td><td>Antwerp Province, Flanders, Belgium</td></tr> <tr><td>Coordinates</td><td>51°13′N 4°24′E</td></tr> </table> ## Overview Antwerp is a major port city in the Flanders region of Belgium and home to one of the largest and most visibly traditional Jewish communities in Europe. Its Jewish life is centered on the area around Central Station and is closely tied to the **Antwerp diamond district**, long dominated by Jewish traders. The city has a strong Orthodox and Hasidic character, with numerous shtiebels, yeshivas, and Jewish schools; it is sometimes called "the last shtetl" of Western Europe for the density of its Haredi communal life. The pre-war community was heavily persecuted during the German occupation (1940–1944), with mass deportations via the Mechelen (Malines) transit camp, but Antwerp's Jewish community was substantially rebuilt after the war. <small>Sources: Wikipedia — History of the Jews in Antwerp; YIVO Encyclopedia — Antwerp.</small> ## People with events here | Person | Event | | --- | --- | | [[Shaul Aryeh Rosenberg (b.1865)]] | Born 1865 | | [[Flora Sztajnbok (b.1920)]] | Born 04/05/1920 | | [[Rachel Rosenberg (b.1929)]] | Born 12/09/1929 | | [[Yehuda Yonati (b.1930)]] | Born 04/18/1930 | | [[Avraham Bochner (d.1952)]] | Died 1952 | | [[Alter Yissochor Dov Weinstein (d.2006)]] | Died 09/09/2006 | | [[Sara Weinstein (b.1922)]] | Died |