Chairman of EJA urges Belgian gov' to reconsider the removal of security from Jewish neighborhoods
Amidst the rise of antisemitic attacks on Jews globally, the Belgian government has decided to remove the Belgian army from the Jewish neighborhoods it was securing.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JUNE 24, 2021 09:46Rabbi Menachem Margolin the chairman of EJA(photo credit: EJA)
The chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), Rabbi Menachem Margolin has addressed the Belgian government's decision that the Belgian army will stop securing the Jewish neighborhoods and institutions across the country on Tuesday. Despite the rise in antisemitic attacks in Europe, the Belgian government has not offered an alternative body which will take on the responsibility of securing the Jewish communities in the country. In an urgent letter to the Interior Minister of Belgium, the chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), Rabbi Menachem Margolin urged him to reconsider the decision "precisely when the threats against an antisemitic background are at their peak and the harassment of Jews has sadly become a daily confrontation."He further stressed that in the recent year and especially in the last month there has been a significant rise in "threats and assaults against Jews in Belgium as well as across Europe... I call on the Belgian Interior Minister to reconsider the decision, since at this time it is a matter of peoples' lives." Regina Sluszny, president of the Forum of Jewish Organizations in Antwerp has also joined in voicing her concerns alongside Jewish Belgian MP, Michael Freilich who is currently formulating a plan to allocate 3 million euros to continue securing Jews throughout the country.
