The explosion occurred around 4 a.m on Monday. No one was injured, only material damage was reported.

“This is the first time this happens,” says Joshua Nejman, Rabbi of the Liège synagogue

In a post on X, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that ”antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally.”

COOJB, the representative body of Jewish organizations, stressed that  Belgium still does not have a national strategy to combat anti-Semitism and promote Jewish life, as it had committed to do to the European Commission, nor does it have a coordinator to carry out this work.

An explosion occurred early Monday outside a synagogue in the city of Liège, in the east of Belgium, Belgian media reported. 

According to the city  mayor, Willy Demeyer, it was a criminal act. He denounced it as anti-Semitic. Only material damage was reported.

Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin  also condemned what he called a “despicable antisemitic act”. According to his office, security measures around similar sites are being strengthened while the federal prosecutor’s office investigates the explosion.

Quintin said security services had already been “extremely vigilant” in recent days because of renewed violence in the Middle East. The minister is due to travel to Liège later on Monday to meet local security officials.

The explosion occurred around 4 a.m. No one was injured, only material damage was reported.

The mayor expressed his “utter condemnation of this extremely violent act of anti-Semitism, which is contrary to the Liège tradition of respect for others.” “There can be no question of importing external conflicts into our city,” he said.

According to a local resident, the main window of the synagogue was blown out. Windows in the buildings opposite were also broken. The street remains closed while the investigation is ongoing and a perimeter has been established in the immediate vicinity, according to the police.

Investigators from the terrorism division of the Liège federal judicial police are conducting the initial investigation.

“This is the first time this happens,” Joshua Nejman, Rabbi of the Liège synagogue, told French-speaking Belgian opublic television RTBF. “My heart took a real blow. I’ve been the community’s rabbi for 25 years. This is the first time. We’ve never had anything like this in 25 years.”

He believes that dialogue between communities is very good in Liège. “We just had another interfaith day. It went very well.” As for the damage, he said that the Torah scrolls are in good condition. “Unfortunately, the rest has really suffered.”

In a post on X, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that ”antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally.” ”We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and across the country,” he added.

According to CCOJB, the coordination committee of Belgian Jewish organizations, ”this new attack must serve as an urgent wake-up call for the authorities to move from words to action.”

”This criminal explosion is particularly violent, serious, and worrying. The CCOJB recalls the attacks committed in the past against Jewish places of worship in Brussels, Antwerp, and Charleroi. Last night’s attack is part of a worrying surge in anti-Semitic acts committed in Belgium,” it said in a statement.

The organization expressed its deep support for the Jewish community in Liège and “strongly” called on the public authorities ”to strengthen security measures for Jewish places of worship and Jewish institutions.”

”In recent years, we have heard many condemnations, but words alone are no longer enough. What we need today are concrete actions,” the statement adds.

COOJB stressed that  Belgium still does not have a national strategy to combat anti-Semitism and promote Jewish life, as it had committed to do to the European Commission, nor does it have a coordinator to carry out this work.

Israel’s Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Idit Rosenzweig-Abu condemned the attack. “I was shocked by the news of the attack in Liége. I am in touch with the community that is understandingly shaken and terrified. I agree with Prime Minister M De Wever who said that this is an attack on Belgian society as a whole,” she said.

“To prevent such attacks,  I hope we would not only see an increase in Jewish communities’ security but also a determination to fight against hate speech that incites them,” she added.

The U.S. ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, also condemned the attack and was scheduled to visit the synagogue and “meet privately with leaders of the local Jewish community to convey the support of the American people,” he said in an official statement.

Describing the incident as an anti-Semitic attack against Belgium’s Jewish community, the ambassador said that his country “unconditionally supports the Jewish community’s right to practice its faith without intimidation.”