Almost a year ago, on 7 October 2023, Hamas launched an attack against Israel, triggering a war with repercussions around the world.
This conflict has also impacted the Jewish community in Belgium, which consists of approximately 30,000 individuals.
Assaults and verbal or written threats on social media have made many hesitant to display their religious identity over the past year.
“It’s out of the question to walk around with a kippa, so they wear a cap instead. It’s also out of the question to display a Star of David,” said Yves Oschinsky, President of the CCOJB (Coordination Committee of Jewish Organisations of Belgium).
“Many Jews are removing mezuzahs (a Jewish religious object placed at the entrance of homes) and their names from their apartment doorbells.”
A study by the Jonathas Institute, in collaboration with Ipsos, indicates that Belgian society remains deeply affected by antisemitic prejudices that stigmatise the Jewish community. The study particularly warns against conflating Belgian Jews with the Israel/Gaza conflict.
“Some people compare what is happening in Gaza to what occurred during World War II, which is obviously unacceptable,” states Viviane Teitelbaum, Secretary General of the Jonathas Institute (a research and action centre against antisemitism in Belgium).