The Liège Synagogue. Credit: The Municipality of Liège
A large explosion occurred early Monday morning, March 9, in front of a synagogue in the city of Liège, Belgium. Despite the severity of the incident, no injuries were reported, according to local authorities.
Liège is located about 100 kilometers from Brussels, the country’s capital. The synagogue affected by the explosion was founded in 1899 and also functions as a museum dedicated to Jewish history and culture.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever commented on the incident and suggested that the attack may have had an antisemitic motive. In a public statement, he said: “Antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must combat it unequivocally.” He added: “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and throughout the country.”
The Israel Foreign Ministry said it was shocked by the event. In a statement, it declared: “We are shocked by yet another antisemitic attack on a Jewish community in Europe: an explosive device at the synagogue in Liège, Belgium. We stand with the Jewish community of Liège and of Belgium. We expect the Belgian authorities to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable. Preventing the next attack does not only entail increasing security for the community but also fighting the rabid antisemitic rhetoric that incites these actions.”
The European Jewish Association also commented on the attack. In a statement, it said: “This attack adds to a long list of synagogues that have been vandalized, shot at, burned, or targeted with explosives across the world since October 7. We have written about this before, these incidents are not random. They represent deliberate attacks against the Jewish way of life and the very existence of Jewish communities.”
The Liège Synagogue
This attack in Belgium follows a shooting attack at two synagogues in Toronto, Canada. Belgian authorities have opened an investigation to identify those responsible for the explosion and to clarify the circumstances surrounding the case.
