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Itongadol.- The Brussels Jewish community, shaken by Tuesday\’s bombing attacks, will not be having a joyful Purim holiday this week as Belgium recovers from the shock of brutal terrorism.
"We are going have sad days during Purim, without any celebrations," Brussels resident Shimon Bartoloz told Israel Hayom. "These are definitely dark days for us, and we are very concerned walking the streets. We will have modest gatherings inside our homes [to mark Purim]."
After the attacks, the Belgian Jewish community set up a sort of situation room, where the community and security leaders meet to receive safety instructions, which they then pass on to Jewish citizens in the country.
Two Belgian Jews were lightly wounded in Tuesday\’s blasts and were taken to the local hospital for treatment.
Belgian security officials reached out to Jewish community leaders, asking them to keep any Purim festivities small.
"There was supposed to be a big Purim party with 1,000 guests who would read the Scroll of Esther together, but instead, there will only be small events," said Rabbi Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association and a Brussels resident. "Preparedness has gone up a level."
He added that there are concerns about potential future attacks, so the community "is not taking unnecessary risks."
Rabbi Levi Matusof, the EU\’s director of Jewish Public Affairs, passes by the site of the Metro bombing on a regular basis. "Luckily, I was called to Paris from Brussels for work at the last minute on [Sunday] night, and I managed to avoid the disaster," he said Tuesday.
According to him: "The Jewish community is shocked about these events, but also realistic [about the situation]. Still, despite the talk and concern, you are never really prepared for something like this, especially when it can happen anywhere."
One Israeli was lightly wounded in the airport bombing, but was able to continue his trip. No other Israelis are known to have been injured in the attacks.
Yisrael Yeret, a volunteer with United Hatzalah who was near the explosion site, said: "I was at the synagogue and I heard a terrible \’boom.\’ I felt it very powerfully. Everything around me shook."