This site is served by the tram stop Petit Sablon/Kleine Zavel (on lines 92 and 93) Shortly following Belgian independence, in 1831, Judaism was recognised as an official religion (besides Roman Catholicism, the country's majority faith, and Protestantism).

In 1875, the community had a larger synagogue built at its current address on the Rue de la Régence/Regentschapsstraat in the Sablon/Zavel district of Brussels.

To avoid it being mistaken for a church, the architect Désiré De Keyser [fr] decided for a Romanesque-Byzantine style.

It was envisioned to become a "symbolic focal point for Judaism in Europe", comparable to St. Peter's Basilica for Roman Catholics.

The dedication ceremony featured the reading of a specially crafted "Prayer for Europe" and performances by the European Choir [fr], which consists of 100 singers from 20 EU member states.