Sitting in his office the day after the Vlaams Blok’s rally – just a few hundred metres from where it took place – Dr. Henri Rosenberg confirmed that such harassment, coupled with the Blok’s message, has pushed some Jews to support the party. As an Orthodox Jew and Europe’s only rabbinical lawyer, he argues that the traditional parties’ “stance against Israel” (Yasser Arafat was invited to speak in the Belgian parliament; Sharon was barred) have definitely contributed to the current situation. “You also have opinion-makers in the Orthodox community openly advocating for the Vlaams Blok,” he adds.

Professor Vivian Liska, director of Antwerp’s Institute of Jewish Studies, is one of the Blok’s vocal critics. She calls the Jewish support of the party dangerous and unethical. “There might be pragmatic reasons [for doing so],” she says, “but this disregards what the Blok would do if Jews were the only foreigners.”

No one knows yet just how many Jews have been seduced by the Blok’s message: the Hasidim do not participate in opinion polls and the results of the most recent elections have not been broken down by neighbourhood. Community leaders remain reluctant to talk. But the effectiveness of the Vlaams Blok’s strategy may soon become apparent. European Union and regional elections will be held this spring.

For now, the tension simmers.