Julius Brüssel was born in Hollstadt near Bad Neustadt an der Saale on December 8, 1801 as the son of the butcher and "Schmuser" Moses/Moises Brüssel (also known as Bressel) and his wife Jette, née Salomon. Moses Brüssel died on August 11, 1835 at the age of 81. His widow Jetta Brüssel died on December 7, 1843 at the age of 80. Both were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Kleinbardorf.
Julius Brüssel trained as a religious teacher, precentor, shochet (slaughterer) and chasan (cantor). In a report from the "Localschulinspektion Segnitz", the parish office, to the Royal District Court of Ochsenfurt dated December 9, 1828, it states that the "local Jewish community" had previously had a religious teacher for 26 years in the person of Lukas (Louis) Treu, who also acted as "precentor and kosherman". At this time, however, Treu was already 60 years old and "according to the old tradition, there is no doubt that a younger, well qualified man could do more and that the appointment of another teacher would be desirable". However, the school authorities were very concerned about the financial situation of the Segnitz religious community, which could probably not afford to provide for a retired and at the same time an active religious teacher. A connection with the Marktbreiter community was not possible due to the Sabbath laws and so it was recommended that the old teacher remain in service for the time being and that a suitably trained man be employed "only after the matter has been settled". Obviously, the problem was "settled" very soon, because in a letter from the district court dated October 6, 1830, the Royal Government of the Lower Main District approved the appointment of Julius Brüssel, the applicant proposed by the Jewish community of Segnitz, as a religious teacher and precentor.
On January 21, 1834, Julius Brüssel married Johanna, born in 1810, daughter of Isaak and Krandel Lindner from Markt Erlbach. The marriage produced Sophie in 1839 and Moritz in 1842. In the meantime, Julius Brüssel had continued his education and on August 7, 1834, he passed his final examination as a "school inspector" for elementary schools. He also successfully completed his practical training in the school subject on April 26, 1836. This meant that he was also licensed as a private teacher in addition to being a religious teacher. Brussels' application to the district court in 1847 to open a "private educational and teaching institution for Jewish sons dismissed from workday school who wanted to dedicate themselves to the commercial sector, including boarding school" was granted on February 22, 1848 after sympathetic consultation with the community of Segnitz. Brussels then immediately advertised its school in a supplement to the "Schwarzenberg`schen Wochenblatte". With the purchase of the property at no. 65 in today's Mainstrasse 26, the "Cours", on September 10, 1849, the boarding school was able to move there from Brussels' private home. In March of the same year, Brussels suffered a first blow of fate with the death of his wife Johanna. On November 7, 1849, the widower with two small children married Vögelein Philippine, the daughter of Moses Lichtenfeld, who was born in Kirchheim in 1812.
The school obviously soon enjoyed a good reputation and in 1854 Brussels submitted a plan to the municipality of Segnitz to extend his boarding school building. By this time, however, he was already seriously ill and so he did not live to see the further development of his school. He died on November 2, 1855 and was buried in Rödelsee. The further history of the boarding school can be found in the description of the Brussels Institute. The family history, however, continues with Vögelein Philippine Brüssel and the children from Brüssel's first marriage, Sophie and Moritz. Sophie married the Brussels school director Dr. Simon Eichenberg (1829 - 1889) in 1859. She died in Marktbreit in 1909. In 1895, Ida, one of the four known children of the Eichenberg family, also lived there with her mother. She married Dr. Salomon Schulhöfer (1865 - 1939) from Biebergau in 1899 and was deported from Würzburg to Theresienstadt in 1942. The merchant and board member of the Marktbreit Music and Singing Society Moritz Brüssel had already died in Marktbreit in 1888. His stepmother Philippine Vögelein Brüssel also died in Marktbreit on March 6, 1894.
