Dark days for Belgian Jews
JerusalemPost ^ | Nov. 18, 2004 | Louis Davids

The shooting in Antwerp of Moshe Yitzhak Na'eh on Wednesday night made headline news on all TV and radio stations Thursday. Na'eh, 27, an ultra-Orthodox Jew and a father of four – the oldest five years old, the youngest an 18-months-old baby - was shot near a Muslim neighborhood in Antwerp, Belgium, home to large Jewish and Muslim communities.

He is in critical condition and fighting for his life in an Antwerp Hospital.

Antwerp's Jews are worried about the escalating violence in their neighborhood. The young man was an integral part of the close-knit Jewish community, for that reason many are distraught and shocked. As of now it is unclear whether the murder was an anti-Semitic attack or a criminal account settling case; care should be taken before judging the facts and publishing opinions.

The police have increased their patrols of the Jewish areas to reassure citizens. The local police have also assigned a large team on this case in order to uncover the facts as soon as possible. The Jewish community is grateful to the police and the local council for their assistance in this case.

Most if not all of the anti-Semitic acts carried out against Jews in Belgium (and Europe) originate from the Arab community. Tougher laws against racism need to be enacted and access to inciting satellite TV channels such as Al-Jazeera should be banned.

If this turns out to be a racist act, a new boundary will have been crossed that will shake Belgian Jewry to its foundation.

However, Belgian Jews have lived in Antwerp for hundreds of years and are an integral part of the local community.

They will continue living and prospering in the city and will overcome these dark days, just as Israel will overcome it's current difficult times.