ANTWERP - For David Rosenberg and his family, the nightmare began in the early hours of May 14. A few minutes after five o’clock, while Rosenberg, his wife, and their four children were still asleep in their home in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, they were awakened by loud knocks on their door.
Rosenberg, a 46-year-old Jewish businessman and elected representative of the Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang to the Antwerp District Council and a vocal defender of Israel, looked at the security cameras. What he saw prompted him to call the police immediately: six armed individuals, some with shaved heads and the appearance of neo-Nazi skinheads, were standing outside, threatening to break down the door if he didn’t open it.
The police operator on the emergency hotline initially told Rosenberg that a patrol was being dispatched and stayed on the line. But a few minutes later, the operator suddenly informed him that the police were already at his door. He was instructed to open it or it would be forced open.
“I couldn’t believe it was happening to me,” Rosenberg says, still visibly shaken. “At first, I was sure those knocking on my door had come to kill me. I started thinking about how to save the kids. It felt like October 7. Then, six police officers with weapons and body cameras came into my house and treated my family and me as if we were terrorists or drug dealers. They turned the house upside down, confiscated phones, computers, and hard disks. They even accompanied me to the bathroom. What they were looking for was a video of one of my sons’ brit milah.
“A few years ago, I participated in a TV show about Jewish life in Antwerp. In one of the scenes, I was shown with my family watching a video from that event. No visual details of the ceremony were visible. But as part of a campaign against circumcision led by certain left-wing and liberal politicians, assisted by a self-proclaimed rabbi and controversial Jewish figure, Moshe Arye Friedman, a complaint was filed with the police. Friedman alleged that some mohalim were performing illegal circumcisions and claimed I had a video that could serve as proof.
“So the police came to me as a potential witness, but they treated me as a suspect, which is intolerable. At the same time, two of Antwerp’s mohalim were arrested at their homes. Now, Antwerp is full of organized crime, and authorities claim they lack the means to deal with it. But when it comes to harassing Jews, lack of resources doesn’t seem to be an issue.”
A worrying level of antisemitism is brewing in Belgium
This is only one of several disturbing incidents the Jewish community of Belgium has faced in recent weeks. A court in Ghent acquitted writer Herman Brusselmans, who had written that he wanted “to ram a sharp knife through the throat of every Jew” he met. The court ruled this hate-filled statement was protected by freedom of expression.
In Brussels, a poster campaign targeted members of Jewish and pro-Israeli organizations, displaying their faces, names, and work addresses, and accusing them of “lobbying for genocide.” Suspects arrested by police were released.
A viral video showed a radio moderator and teacher throwing wine on an Orthodox Jew and his 16-year-old daughter while shouting “baby killers.” The school where the teacher works declined to dismiss him.
Organizers of the Rock Herk Festival in Limburg refused to cancel a concert by the British rap band Bob Vylan, which had chanted “death to the IDF” at a UK performance.
And then there was the dispute over the Israeli flag. During summer, when tourists flock to Antwerp, the local municipality traditionally hangs the flags of EU member states and countries with consulates in the city on the facade of its historic town hall. Israel is one of them. Left-wing parties demanded the Israeli flag be excluded this year due to the war in Gaza.
The city is governed by the Flemish nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which has also led Belgium since February. In Antwerp, N-VA governs in a coalition with left and center parties, leaving Vlaams Belang in the opposition. Despite opposition from its socialist coalition partners, N-VA – with support from Vlaams Belang – managed to keep the Israeli flag on the facade. Nevertheless, municipal workers succeeded in taking it down and replacing it with Palestinian flags.
“Add to all this the almost daily antisemitic attacks on members of the Jewish community in Antwerp,” Rosenberg stresses. “Jewish children, like my niece just a few days ago, are regularly thrown from their bicycles. Hats and kippahs are ripped off. There are acts of spitting, curses, antisemitic posters and stickers.
“In a resolution I recently proposed to the district council to reinforce the fight against antisemitism, I cited that 81% of antisemitic incidents are not even reported to the police – because Jews know nothing will be done. Unfortunately, my resolution was rejected, even by Jewish council members from the N-VA.”
Diaspora affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli has repeatedly urged Belgian Jews to emigrate, claiming Belgium has been taken over by Islamists and can no longer protect its Jewish community. In February, the Israeli government approved a plan to encourage aliyah from Belgium, France, and Ukraine.
Yet, according to Israeli government statistics, Belgian Jews are not fleeing. On the contrary: since 2021, the number of Belgian Jews making aliyah has steadily declined. In 2021, there were 145 immigrants; in 2022, 103; in 2023, 95; in 2024, following the outbreak of Operation Swords of Iron, 86. In the first four months of 2025, only 17 have moved to Israel. Out of a community of roughly 46,000, that’s less than 1%.
Jewish life is more visible in Antwerp than in Brussels, due to the city’s large Orthodox population. On the surface, life in the Jewish quarter seems normal: religious Jews biking or walking with children, shoppers in kosher groceries and restaurants, Hebrew and Yiddish conversations in the streets. But members of the community say that this apparent normalcy masks a deeper unease.
“Jewish officials will tell you that Chikli’s calls are radical and that he didn’t consult with them,” says the head of a Jewish organization, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The new government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever is friendlier to Jews and Israel than the previous one. But antisemitism is clearly rising. It’s no longer confined to Muslim communities. Other sectors of the population are now embracing radical anti-Israel positions. The general atmosphere has become anti-Jewish, and the government is struggling to respond. The priority seems to be Gaza, not us.”
A recent survey by the European Jewish Association found that while Belgians are less interested than other Europeans in their government engaging in Middle East peace initiatives, only 23% believe their government should focus more on fighting antisemitism. Belgium also ranked low in terms of public friendliness toward Jews and sympathy toward Israel.
Michael Freilich, a member of the N-VA and the only Jewish MP in Belgium’s federal parliament, survived an antisemitic bombing as a toddler in 1981.
“We haven’t suffered a major attack since,” he says. “There are occasional insults and spitting, but the authorities generally do what they can to ensure our security. My two children walk around with kippahs. I worry more about traffic accidents than antisemitic attacks. Compared to Paris or Madrid, it’s safer here.”
But he adds: “There is a dangerous longer-term trend. Society is becoming more polarized and hostile toward Israel and, by extension, Jews. The press bears a lot of responsibility. People are bombarded with anti-Israel narratives. Many are brainwashed. We are rarely physically attacked, but we are disliked. It’s not healthy.”
In the last four decades, every military conflict between Israel and its neighbors has triggered a surge of anti-Israel and antisemitic hatred. Freilich believes the current wave is more severe due to the duration of the war, the scale of destruction in Gaza, and the number of casualties.
“Civil society is much more organized today,” he says. “There is a new generation of left-wing organizations, like the Extinction Rebellion movement. It’s the same people who are now out on the streets waving Palestinian flags. They have social networks, websites, WhatsApp groups. They get organized better and faster. That’s why the level of hate is so much greater. People are being bombarded with images from the conflict. Israel and Israeli politicians don’t focus enough on their image abroad, because they’re not elected by the European public.”
Freilich pushes back against criticism of the new Belgian government, led by his party, emphasizing that it has been in office for only six months. “It’s still early days, but we’re seeing the direction it’s heading. It started with the coalition agreement, in which all parties agreed to reverse the policies of the previous government, which was highly critical of Israel. We’ve changed things, but don’t expect Belgium to become Hungary or Germany. My party has more respect and understanding for the Israeli side, but we are part of a five-party coalition – two of which are very critical of Israel. We need a neutral approach if we want the government to survive.
“Belgium has financial difficulties, a huge national deficit and debt, unemployment, healthcare problems, and a decapitated military. We have our own share of issues. The adults in the room understood two things: first, Belgium is too small to influence the Middle East conflict; second, given the internal disagreements, it’s best to say that on the Middle East, we agree to disagree and strive for a unified European voice.”
Ralph Pais, who moved to Belgium from the Netherlands 20 years ago with his Belgian wife, is vice president of the Jewish Information and Documentation Center, which focuses on combating antisemitism in Belgium. Pais acknowledges that Chikli’s remarks upset some in the Jewish community, as they were seen as interference in internal affairs.
“The situation in Belgium is very bad,” Pais says. “I’m not an alarmist – I’m usually very optimistic. But now we’re seeing antisemitic incidents every day, both in Antwerp and in Brussels, where Jews are less visibly identifiable because most are not religious. So I don’t think Chikli exaggerated. I always tell my family: as long as the government protects us, we’ll stay. But after the Brusselmans trial, I feel differently. That was a sign we’re not protected. If that wasn’t antisemitism, what is? I told my wife: if more incidents like that happen, pack the bags.
“Jews have lived here for centuries. This country has a duty to protect us. In that sense, I understand and even appreciate Chikli’s message – because it prompted a response from the Belgian justice minister, who said Chikli went too far. At least the issue is being discussed.”
Pais emphasizes that, unlike in previous conflicts, antisemitism has now become socially acceptable. “People say things today about Jews that were unthinkable five years ago.
“Bob Vylan is the best example. We contacted the festival organizers who invited the band to explain that someone who calls for violence shouldn’t be welcomed. They replied that freedom of speech was more important. That kind of response would have sparked outrage in the past. Now – nothing.
“Who would have thought centrist political parties would be openly anti-Jewish? I’m a descendant of Holocaust survivors. I carry that trauma. My grandmothers used to say antisemitism hadn’t disappeared; it just wasn’t visible. I regret not believing them. Now it’s visible again – because people can spew antisemitism and face no consequences. They post TikTok videos attacking Jews without fear. Everybody can be antisemitic today. Criticize the Jew, spit on the Jew. They’re not deporting us in trains, but they’re making our lives miserable.
“We expected more from this new government, especially from parties that claim to stand with us. It’s been six months since they took office, so I don’t want to be too harsh – but so far, we’ve seen little. We insisted on appointing a government commissioner to combat antisemitism, like in Germany or the Netherlands. It was part of the coalition agreement. Yet, six months later, there’s still no commissioner.”
Some of Pais’s Jewish friends have already left Belgium – not necessarily for Israel.
“Those who leave are either wealthy and adaptable or have nothing to lose. The middle class stays. For us, Israel is simply too expensive,” says Pais.
Marcel Kierszenbaum made aliyah in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. A 65-year-old diamond consultant, he was asked by a friend how he could move to Israel during wartime. “I told him then: I felt safer in Israel than in Antwerp,” he recalls.
He returned to Belgium in 2019 for professional reasons but maintains his Israeli citizenship. “Until the early 2000s, life here was great. You didn’t feel antisemitism. You could count the Islamists on one or two hands. There were no woke leftist politics. Now, it’s the opposite. The Left has aligned with Muslim communities for electoral reasons. They give the Islamists whatever they want.
“October 7 was a turning point. People suddenly had a reason to hate Jews. Anti-Zionism and anti-Israelism became masks for antisemitism. Waving the Palestinian flag is the new Che Guevara T-shirt – it’s trendy, a way to express hate.
“October 7 connected us to our parents’ experiences. My father was a Holocaust survivor. My mother was expelled from Tunisia. Now I feel that bridge. I finally understand what they told me. Antisemitism won’t disappear.
“Jews here still have a Diaspora mentality. They don’t want to make noise. Living in Israel changed me. I say what I think. When Bart De Wever was mayor of Antwerp, he defended Jews. But since becoming prime minister, he’s changed.”
Joel Gemeiner, owner of the chic and popular restaurant Den Artist near Antwerp’s Museum of Fine Arts, is also an N-VA municipal councilor. In 1989, at 18, he made aliyah after being recruited to Kibbutz Givat Haim’s water polo team and later to Israel’s national team. But when the team failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympics, he returned to Belgium with his Israeli wife.
“Starting a career here was much easier than in Israel,” says Gemeiner. “Let’s be honest – opening a business like mine would be difficult in Israel. So we came back.
“Life here is very good. I think Chikli’s comments were an overreaction. Nobody has been killed. Yes, there’s an antisemitic vibe. But it’s not like France or the UK. The more Muslims in an area, the more antisemitic tension. Antwerp is different from Brussels, where there are neighborhoods even the police avoid. We’re not afraid. Security is good. Sometimes you hear of incidents, but nothing major. We don’t feel the need to flee. We belong here.
“But something changed after October 7. Supporting Palestine became fashionable among climate activists. They’re brainwashed by the media. I’m not afraid to wear a kippah, but I wouldn’t walk around with an Israeli flag. I’m not sure I want my children to stay here if demographics keep shifting. They might need a place where they can feel safe. And there’s only one such place, Israel, even under rocket fire.”
“I personally think Chikli was right in describing the situation,” says Rosenberg. “But I don’t think we need to leave yet. We have to fight to change the situation, because this is our country. For many Jews, it’s not easy to leave, especially for economic reasons. But in 20 years, Antwerp and Belgium will have Muslim majorities. Some schools already have 60% Arab pupils. My children, 14 and 16, and their friends say they don’t see a future here.
“We could do great things, if Jews worked together. But instead, they fight me and my party, falsely accusing us of being far-right instead of addressing the real problem. If we don’t unite now, our story here will be over.”