Antwerp, Belgium, a center of the world diamond business, has a substantial hareidi community, and has the reputation of being a “quiet” city when it comes to anti-Semitism. But that quiet was broken Sunday, when members of the community found anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on a building containing a Jewish school.
The school, operated by the local Vizhnitz Hassidic community, had swastikas and the name “Hitler” scrawled on it. Parents who brought their children to school Sunday morning were shocked at the sight, with the graffiti apparently scrawled on Saturday night.
Police were called and arrived quickly, and opened an investigation. So far there are no leads, police said.
Despite its “quiet” reputation, such incidents are not unheard of in Antwerp. Four months ago, a Jewish man was attacked as he walked in the street on Shabbat by a local Arab. Several Jews who were in the area at the time rushed to his aid, detaining the attacker, who was later caught. The Jewish victim was lightly wounded.