The Chief Rabbi of Brussels, Albert Gigi, was violently assaulted last night by a gang of Arabic-speaking hoodlums. They kicked him in the face, spat on him, and cursed him. An announcement by the local Jewish community noted that racist and anti-Semitic acts of this nature are on the increase, and blamed Belgium\'s press for \"publishing expressions of hatred for the State of Israel.\"
Rabbi Gigi told Arutz-7 today that the attack occurred at a Metro station noted for such attacks: \"This is the first time I have been assaulted, but Rabbi Haikin of a synagogue near the Metro station, and other worshippers, have been attacked there often.\" He said that he sees the attacks as a \"combination of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism... I don\'t think they identified me personally; for them, any Jew is the same. I think that what they see on TV influences them.\"
Asked how many Jews there are in Belgium, Rabbi Gigi responded, \"They say about 50,000.\"
\"So many?\" asked Haggai Segal. \"When will they make aliyah to Israel?\"
Rabbi Gigi responded with a laugh, \"I don\'t know, you\'ll have to ask them.\"
Rabbi Gigi told Arutz-7 today that the attack occurred at a Metro station noted for such attacks: \"This is the first time I have been assaulted, but Rabbi Haikin of a synagogue near the Metro station, and other worshippers, have been attacked there often.\" He said that he sees the attacks as a \"combination of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism... I don\'t think they identified me personally; for them, any Jew is the same. I think that what they see on TV influences them.\"
Asked how many Jews there are in Belgium, Rabbi Gigi responded, \"They say about 50,000.\"
\"So many?\" asked Haggai Segal. \"When will they make aliyah to Israel?\"
Rabbi Gigi responded with a laugh, \"I don\'t know, you\'ll have to ask them.\"