Rozenberg, a Belgian-born Jew, has written a deeply personal memoir of his decision to relocate his family permanently to the United States due to a surge of anti-Semitism in the country of his birth. He describes how Belgium was a relatively safe place for Jews in the decades immediately following World War II, but how that changed over time so that many Jews there now fear for their safety.
Rozenberg traces the rise of anti-Semitism in contemporary Belgium to two main factors: 1) mass migration from the Muslim world and the consequent “Islamization” of Belgian society; and 2) a morally corrupt Belgian political class that, to perpetuate its hold on power, has formed an unofficial but effective alliance with Islamists to secure the Muslim vote.
Europe’s social transformation in recent decades due to mass Muslim migration is a serious problem that has been well documented elsewhere, but Rozenberg’s masterful use of personal anecdotes generates empathy and makes the true impact on the individual of Muslim anti-Semitism come alive for his readers.
Rozenberg systematically traces the rise of Islamism and anti-Semitism in Belgium and other European countries. He demonstrates how European leaders “appeased” the Arab world during the 1973 oil embargo and opened the floodgates of mass migration from Muslim countries without considering the vast cultural differences between Europe and the Arab world. “It allowed the countries of origin to control religious and cultural centers in France, Belgium, and all over Europe,” he writes. “The irreversible changes that resulted led to the consequences we witness today.”
Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in Belgium and many other European countries are also increasingly fueled by the political left. Rozenberg demonstrates how in Belgium, senior leaders of the Socialist Party, apparently seeking to appease their Muslim constituents, criticize Israel every time there is a flare-up in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The anti-Israel vitriol is then parroted by mainstream media outlets, many of which depend on government subsidies for their survival. This, in turn, fuels latent anti-Semitism, which often turns into violent attacks against Jews.
Rozenberg also includes a section on Palestinian mythology and propaganda. He demonstrates how Palestinian genealogy and the Palestine Liberation Organization were effectively inventions of the Soviet Union and its main security agency, the KGB, designed to declare war on U.S. “imperial-Zionism.” Rozenberg shows how an entire generation of Europeans has been duped into accepting false Palestinian narratives to the detriment not only of European Jews but also of Israel.
Unfortunately, Rozenberg idealizes life for Jews in the United States. Official data show that in 2021, Belgian authorities registered a total of 81 complaints of anti-Semitism (one incident every four or five days) while during that same year, the United States registered at least 2,717 anti-Semitic incidents (an average of more than seven incidents per day). Even allowing for differences in population sizes, anti-Semitism in the United States is now on par with that in most European countries. Rozenberg warns the United States against following in Europe’s footsteps, but that admonition appears not to be followed.
Rozenberg’s book is ideal to learn about the recent emergence of anti-Semitism in Belgium and beyond. It also includes a useful bibliography with important French-language books.
