According to Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents in Belgium almost doubled last year—from 56 in 2017 to 101 in 2018. The prime minister’s statement was part of a longer response to questions from the European Jewish Press regarding the rise of anti-Semitism in the country in the context of the European and national elections that will take place at the end of this month.
Like other European countries, said Michel, Belgium is witnessing rising anti-Semitism, including “insults, harassment and violence that can lead to deaths, like in the anti-Semitic attack at the Jewish Museum of Brussels in 2014.”

A New Jersey public library has postponed a talk by the author of “P is for Palestine” after local community members objected.
Golbarg Bashi, author of the children’s book promoting Palestinian nationalism, was scheduled to appear May 18 at the Highland Park Public Library.
Members of the Central Jersey town’s Jewish community protested the talk, on grounds that the book promotes violence, especially to a two-page spread featuring the letter I, which states “I is for Intifada, Intifada is Arabic for rising up for what is right, if you are a kid or a grownup!”
Following the complaints, the library issued a statement saying the matter had been referred to the library’s board of trustees, which “will take it up at its next regularly scheduled meeting” on May 20.

German Palestinians violently attacked the Israeli clarinetist Daniel Gurfinkel in Berlin in the first week of May, according to a YouTube video that surfaced on Thursday.
According to a report by German reporter Ulrich W. Sahm on the website of Audiator, “A dozen hateful Palestinians can be seen beating up Daniel Gurfinkel at an event on a large square.”
Gurfinkel said in a statement: “I walked through Hermann square and saw that there was a demonstration against Israel. I am a resident of the State of Israel. The attack began immediately when I began to support my country with a single word. I’ve been struck on the head and I’m in pain so far. I was in total shock. ”

http://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/VIDEO-2019-05-10-01-49-43.mp4

Sir Beryl Wolfson, now 96 years old, witnessed the liberation of Holocaust concentration camps. From his wheelchair, adorned in a World War II Veteran cap and Star of David belt buckle, he shared his story on Sunday at a Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Russellville, Arkansas.
Unfortunately, the event was interrupted by protesters bearing anti-Semitic signs, including one that read “The Holocaust didn’t happen, but it should have.”
The demonstrators were affiliated with Shieldwall, a local white supremacist group, and ostensibly were protesting the Anti-Defamation League, Shieldwall spokesman Billy Roper told KSFM.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
{Matzav.com}

An Israeli flag outside the South Side Sandwich Shop in Lakewood, NJ, owned by Yosef Mutterperl, is still flying above the store on Cedar Bridge Avenue, despite efforts to have him take the flag down.
The effort to have the flag removed began with individuals contacting the KCL, the certifying agency that supervises the kashrus at the store. The KCL, according to sources, reached out to one its senior rabbinic advisors regarding this matter, Matzav.com learned exclusively. This rabbinic advisor felt that in light of the fact that the store is located in an area of bnei Torah, not far from the Lakewood Yeshiva, the flag should preferably be taken down.

The Hatzolah of Lakewood announced that they will be changing the organization’s name to Hatzolah of Central Jersey to better reflect the services they offer the local Jewish community.
The EMS volunteer group was established over 30 years ago, operating in the small neighborhood surrounding the growing Lakewood Yeshiva. Decades later, the Jewish community of Lakewood has now expanded and grown tenfold, with Jews branching out to local towns such as Brick, Jackson, Howell and Toms River and Hatzolah servicing all these new neighborhoods. What started as a few calls to Hatzolah a week has now become nearly 10,000 calls a year.