Anti-terrorist measures: lessons will start again on Monday at Jewish schools in Brussels and Antwerp

Lessons will start again on Monday in the biggest Jewish schools in Brussels and Antwerp. They had been suspended on Friday due to the heightened terrorist threat level. Maurice Sosnowski, the President of the Committee for the coordination of Belgian Jewish Organizations (CCOJB), confirmed this to the Belga agency. Crèches were also shut on Friday. “We have received no direct threats to the Jewish community, but these measures are taken as a precaution”, he said, adding they only concerned children.

At this stage, there are no plans to put these measures in place at other sites used by the Jewish community.

“All these measures were put in place while working closely with the government, who we talked with again yesterday”, explains Mr Sosnowski. He added vigilance is necessary as “zero risk doesn’t exist”.

The Organization for threat analysis coordination (Ocam) raised the terrorist level to three out of four, for the whole of Belgium. This happened after two jihadists were shot dead and a third individual was arrested in Verviers on Thursday.

In the Netherlands, an orthodox Jewish school in Amsterdam also decided to close on Friday, due to events in Belgium, despite not receiving any threats, said the public radio NOS. The school has 200 pupils.

(Source: Belga)


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