As of September 1, Jewish sites in Belgium will no longer be secured by the army but by local police forces, a change that worries the Jewish community which continues to demand guarantees that the same level of protection will be assured.
September 1 marks the end of ‘’Operation Vigilant Guardian’’ which had been launched after the terrorist attack against the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May 2014 which left four people dead and confirmed in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher attacks in Paris. The military were put to secure the Jewish institutions and sites, like schools and synagogues.
Just before the beginning of the summer holidays, the CCOJB, the Brussels-based Coordination Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium, and its Flemsish-speaking counterpart in Antwerp, the Forum of Jewish Organizations, had already expressed concern on this issue in a press release which pointed out a lack of clarity on the removal of the military in the protection missions.
CCOJB President Yohan Benizri told daily newspaper Le Soir that since then he has not received from the authorities the desired clarification despite the fact that the level of threat for the Jewish community, set by the Ocam, the official body that analyses such a threat, remains at 3 out of 4, which means ”serious.”
‘’As the start of the school year approaches, but also the month of Tishri, marking the Jewish High Holidays,’’ Benizri said he remains concerned.
In principle, the forces that will take over from the army have already been clearly designated. But while some areas, both in Brussels and Antwerp, where most of Jews live, are well prepared, others said they would have difficulty in replacing the military with equivalent means.
In Antwerp, where some 18,000 Jews live, the Forum of Jewish Organizations (FJO) expressed concern about the safety in the Jewish neighborhood, during a meeting with Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden.
During the conversation, the minister reportedly confirmed that no federal police, nor additional resources for local corps, would be released for the security of Jewish institutions.
Antwerp Mayor Bart De Wever, who is leader of the opposition N-VA party, criticized the government for refusing his demand for reinforcement from the federal polce, speaking of a “slap in the face” of the Jewish community, ”as in September, several Jewish holidays require special security measures.”
The Forum of Jewish Organizations and the Minister have agreed to meet again in October.