Louis Lassen (1798-1873)

Merchant, community leader (1849-1873)

Louis Lassen emigrated to Brussels from Copenhagen in 1832 and soon became a prominent member of the city's Jewish community. He was a member of the Central Jewish Consistory of Brussels from 1845, its treasurer from 1846 to 1849, and president of the Consistory from 1849 until his death. He was also president of the administrative commission of the Brussels Israelite School (1851) and founded the Société des Secours efficaces (1852). A Freemason, he was a member of the Vrais Amis de l'Union et du Progrès réunis lodge. It was under Louis Lassen's presidency that the Consistory provided the Brussels synagogue, then located on the Place de Bavière, with an organ, and that work began on the construction of the large synagogue in the Rue de la Régence. In this respect, Louis Lassen was very close to Chief Rabbi Élie Aristide Astruc, whose eminently liberal religious policy he supported. He also gave a real boost to the city's Jewish school, which was housed in new premises in the rue de Rollebeek. Anxious to ensure that pupils from the middle and poor classes were oriented towards learning what were then called useful professions, he was behind the creation of an interest-free loan society intended to assist small tradesmen and craftsmen when they embarked on their careers: it was called the Société de Secours efficaces. Finally, a foundation created in his name was intended to facilitate access to education for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.