Synagogue in Rotterdam set ablaze, authorities investigate motive

A fire was deliberately set last night at the entrance of a synagogue in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, police confirmed. The blaze, which briefly burned at the A.B.N. Davidsplein in Rotterdam-Blijdorp around 3:45 a.m., reportedly went out on its own, and no one was injured, NOS reports.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told media that the incident “raises a lot of fear among our Jewish city residents” and emphasized that authorities “continue to closely monitor security around synagogues.”

Social media footage, verified by NOS, shows an object igniting in front of the synagogue entrance, followed by a small explosion. Police said they have reviewed the videos and are using them as part of the ongoing investigation. The motive and identity of the perpetrator remain unknown.

This attack follows a series of recent incidents targeting synagogues worldwide. Earlier this week in Liège, an explosion at a synagogue was described by Belgium’s Interior Minister as a “clear antisemitic attack,” though no injuries occurred.

In the United States, a man in Michigan deliberately drove his car into a synagogue on March 12. Sources said that the suspect, an American of Lebanese descent, had two brothers in Lebanon killed in a recent Israeli airstrike.

Authorities in Rotterdam are coordinating increased security measures at local synagogues and continuing to investigate the fire. The incident has sparked renewed concern among the city’s Jewish residents amid a broader context of rising attacks on places of worship internationally.

By Vafa Guliyeva