(JTA) — Reacting to complaints by Belgian Jews, the country’s Senate has issued a strengthened version of a text recognizing Holocaust-era complicity.
The new version was passed unanimously by the Belgian Senate on Wednesday.
“The Senate hereby enacts the government’s statement made on Sept. 9, 2012, by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who acknowledged the responsibility of Belgian authorities, and through it that of the Belgian state, in the persecution of Jews in Belgium,” the resolution now reads.
Philippe Mahoux, a Socialist senator, said at the Senate session, “We have not been insensitive to the reactions of the Jewish community. We did not have the slightest intention of minimizing the Belgian state’s responsibility.”