Sigmund Benda (1794 – 1848)

President of the Consistory (1842-1848).

A member of the Central Jewish Consistory of Belgium since its creation (1832), Sigmund Benda was its president from 19 January 1842 to 13 February 1848, shortly before his premature death. Originally from Furth, he settled in Brussels in 1823 and was a convinced supporter of the reforms of the liturgy of the Israelite cult. He led the radical faction within the Brussels Jewish community that wished to model its worship reforms on those adopted in certain radical communities in Germany, such as the Reformed community in Hamburg. Together with Hartog Somerhausen in particular, he pleaded for a lightening of the ritual, changes in preaching and the creation of a ritual specific to Belgium. He died ruined in 1848, after having built up a large fortune in trade and having occupied a private mansion in Place Royale. A Freemason, he was a member of the Brussels Lodge of Philanthropic Friends.