Chief Rabbi of Brussels: No Future for Jews in Europe

Central Brussels, 2015

Do the fellow travelers like Jews?

By "fellow travelers" I mean non-Muslims in the United States and Europe who obstinately defend Islam as a "religion of peace," claim that Muslim terrorists aren't really Muslims, condemn those who disagree with them as "haters" and so on.

Here's why I ask. The Islamization of Europe is the worst thing to happen to the Jewish people in Europe since Hitler. Indeed, in terms of effectively eliminating the Jews from Europe, it threatens to complete the work Hitler started. And yet the fellow travelers seem obstinately blind to it.

Now of course, the fellow travelers often cite how awful anti-semitism is, but it's almost always in the context of condemning "extremist Christians" or the "right-wing" or the "haters," and it's often grotesquely cited in the same breath as anti-Muslim "racism". At the same time, the most obvious manifestation of anti-semitism is occurring right in front of their eyes.

Anti-semitism is a relentless scourge. Pretty much every religious, national, ethnic or cultural group has fallen victim to it at one time or another. And yes, I would include Catholics in that equation including, ironically, many of those who talk the most about religious ecumenism. I don't think there's any question that not only is it being ignored by many fellow travelers, it's actually fueling some of them. If the Muslims are against the Jews, how could they be that bad?

From the Jerusalem Post:   

In the shadow of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people and as Belgian police sweep the country for terror suspects, the Chief Rabbi of Brussels said Monday that there is no future for Jews in Europe. 

Rabbi Avraham Gigi spoke to Israeli radio station 103 FM about the atmosphere of fear in the Belgian capital that has been in a state of near lockdown for the past three days. 

"There is a sense of fear in the streets, the Belgians understand that they too are targets of terror. Jews now pray in their homes [as opposed to at synagogues] and some of them are planning on emigrating," Gigi said. 

"Since Shabbat the city has been paralyzed. The synagogues were closed, something which has not happened since World War Two. People are praying alone or are holding small minyanim [small prayer groups] at private homes. Schools and theaters are closed as are most large stores and public events are not permitted. We live in fear and wait for instructions from the police or the government," he said. 

Gigi gave a breakdown of the Belgian Jewish population which he said numbered 50,000. 

"There are 25,000 Jews in Brussels, 18,000 in Antwerp and the rest live in smaller places. There has been aliya to Israel as well as emigration to Canada and the US. People understand there is no future for Jews in Europe," he said. 

He added that economic conditions are also pushing young people to leave Belgium and move to Israel or to other places. 

"I think making aliya to Israel is an important thing for every Jew," Gigi said. 

"It is something that Jews in every generation yearned for. But Jews should not make aliya out of fear because this will result in a poor absorption experience as a feeling that something was left behind will always remain. People should make aliya out of a love for Israel," the rabbi said.