Michael Freilich (born 1980 in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

) is a Belgian journalist and politician for the

Flemish nationalist The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promo ...

and conservative New Flemish Alliance party. He was elected to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des représentants, german: link=no, Abgeordnetenkammer) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered ...

in 2019.

Biography

Michael Freilich was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in 1980, to a British born father and a Belgian mother. He is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor who escaped transportation from

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

. Freilich studied Business Administration and Communication at universities in Israel and the United States before returning to Belgium to begin a career in journalism. He served as editor-in-chief of the magazine ''

Jewish Currents ''Jewish Currents'' is a progressive, secular Jewish quarterly magazine and news site whose content reflects the politics of the Jewish left. It features independent journalism, breaking news, political commentary, analysis, and a "countercultura ...

'' and established himself as a spokesman for Antwerp's Jewish community. Freilich is a practicing Orthodox Jew, making him the first Orthodox Jewish politician to be elected to the Chamber of Representatives. He is married with four children. Freilich was elected to the

on the N-VA's list in the 2019 federal elections for the seat of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

and received nearly 13,000 preference votes. He has stated that the main concerns that prompted him to get involved in politics were immigration, extremism and terrorism. He has cited his opposition to the UN

Global Compact on Migration The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is an intergovernmentally negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, that describes itself as covering "all dimensions of international migration in a ...

, arguing "the chaos with uncontrolled migration is no longer possible" and instead advocating for a points based migration system similar to the Canadian model. He has described his and the N-VA's philosophy as valuing "Enlightenment in a common Judeo-Christian tradition without imposing obligations on others.” In 2019, Flemish newspaper editor accused Freilich of working as a spy for the

Israeli government The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...

in the

Belgian parliament The Federal Parliament is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: Chambre des Représentants, german: Abgeordnetenkammer) and the Senate (Dutch: , french: Sénat, german: Senat). It s ...

. Eeckhout made the accusation in an article for the centre-left newspaper '' De Morgen'' after Freilich attended a debate with pro-Palestinian activists along with other members of the Federal Parliament and allegedly asked his parliamentary aide to film the exchange. A parliamentary conduct panel concluded that Freilich had no right to film the encounter, but cleared him of any wrongdoing. The allegations were strongly denied by Freilich, who said it “boggles the mind” and is “Dreyfus mentality on the eve of 2020.” He furthermore stated that he took the videos to share on social media and pointed out that Eeckhout had previously been involved in

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

controversies. He got elected with 12,829 preferential votes and the N-VA won 24 seats, making it the largest group. Freilich thus became the first Modern Orthodox Jew in the House of Representatives.

References

Living people 1980 births Belgian Jews Jewish Belgian politicians Belgian people of British descent Belgian columnists Belgian journalists Belgian male journalists 21st-century Belgian politicians Flemish politicians Politicians from Antwerp New Flemish Alliance politicians Members of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Political controversies in Belgium {{Flanders-politician-stub