‘’Honored to stand with the Jewish community of Liège as they reclaim this sacred place that has served the community since 1899. As I told the congregation during my brief remarks, the United States stands with you,’’  said U.S. Ambassador Bill White who attended a ceremony..

The synagogie of Liège, a city in the east of Belgium, which was targeted by a terrorist attack in March, reopened its doors on Sunday in the presence of the U.S. and Israeli Ambassadors..

Representatives from several religious denominations were invited to the reopening  ceremony as a gesture of peace and openness.

The U.S. Ambassador, Bill White, who had visited the site following the explosion of a homemade bomb in front of the synagogue , said he was “particularly happy to be invited to the reopening and to see the synagogue come back to life.”

‘’Honored to stand with the Jewish community of Liège as they reclaim this sacred place that has served the community since 1899. As I told the congregation during my brief remarks, the United States stands with you,’’ Bill White wrote on X.

“The people inside the synagogue have nothing to do with government policy. They are doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, and simply Jews. They are not the government of Israel,” the ambassador noted.

He said he was ‘’very grateful for the military assistance provided by the government so that these families can worship in peace and be safe from terrorism.’’

The March explosion did not result in any casualties but te damage to the synagogue and the surrounding area was significant. It affected the  Jewish community  in Belgium.  Regina Sluszny, a Holocaust survivor, who came from Antwerp,where she lives,  to attend the ceremony, declared:  “What happened is horrible. Why aren’t people there to help one another instead of doing stupid things like that?”, she asked.

Representatives of other faiths were also present. “I’m here out of solidarity,” said  Yves Gabel, a Protestant pastor. “Religions shouldn’t be targeted for anything, since we live in a country where we can live freely.”

For Brussels’ Chief Rabbi Albert Guigui, the attack on March 9 goes far beyond the Jewish community. “The terrorists targeting synagogues seek to destabilize our institutions,” he said. “This is a fight for every citizen of our country.”

The March explosion was branded as an antisemitic attack by the Belgian authorities.

A pro-Iranian jihadist group which is  part of the network of Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq,  claimed responsibility for the explosion.