Bart De Wever, who is known as a good friend of the Jewish community, noted that members of the Antwerp Jewish community frequently visit London. “It is not illogical, if we are talking about a British variant, that we take a sample in neighborhoods where we will perhaps find it. The idea is to know where the situation is in order to take the appropriate measures, “he told the Flemish public television VRT.

“If we really want a wave of antisemitism, let’s continue like this,’’ declared Bart De Wever, Mayor of the city of Antwerp, Belgium, because of non-compliance with the COVID-19 rules and testing requirements in the local Orthodox Jewish community.

The city of Antwerp has invited 6,500 residents of two Jewish neighborhoods to be tested for Covid. The infection rate is there four times higher than in the rest of the city. De Wever criticized the Jewish community for allegedly not responding to the call to be tested.  He said the low response – only a quarter of residents invited to be tested responded to the call- was especially alarming because of the newer, potentially stronger variant of the virus that had recently emerged in the UK.

“The new variants raise great concern, but our policy must be based on scientific conclusions. Now that we are in the midst of the vaccination campaign, we must map the evolution of the virus to control the pressure on our healthcare institutions”, a the mayor said.

De Wever, who is known as a good friend of the Jewish community, noted that members of the Antwerp Jewish community frequently visit London. “It is not illogical, if we are talking about a British variant, that we take a sample in neighborhoods where we will perhaps find it. The idea is to know where the situation is in order to take the appropriate measures, “he told the Flemish public television VRT.

He added that the “Jewish community has to realize one thing: they are following their own logic, but I see the repercussions in my mailbox, and it’s frightening.”

‘’If we really want a wave of antisemitism, let’s continue like this,” he warned.

The mayor noted that Antwerp police had raided the same synagogue twice on Shabbat, evicting 37 worshipers from morning services and then 22 people who gathered there later on.

Antwerp’s Jewish community of around 25,000 is served by 50 synagogues. Under COVID-19 restrictions, no more than 15 people are allowed to attend synagogue services at one time, including the ten adult males necessary for a minyan.

Samuel Markowitz, a Jewish city councilor, believes that the Sabbath, the day of rest for Jews, plays a role. “It is logical that on Saturday there were no Jews in the test village. We will not see anyone get in his car or jump on his bike on a Saturday. The mayor, with whom the Jewish community works in good harmony, knows it. He would have done better to say: stay safe at your place Saturday, and be tested Sunday or Monday without fail. Let us wait until Monday evening to take stock,’’ he said.

He reminded that this is a preventive measure, not an obligation. And recalled that taking care of his health and that of his relatives is a pillar of the Jewish religion. “Believe me, it’s not about indifference,” he added.

Hans Knoop, spokesperson or the Forum of Jewish Organizations, the umbrella representative organization for Jews in the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium  where Antwerp is located,  stressed that the vast majority of Antwerp’s Jews were observing the COVID-19 regulations.

“Out of 25,000 Jews, it’s just a tiny minority who don’t care,” Knoop said. “All Jews are abiding by the rules, except for perhaps 500 or so.”