From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
New EU circumcision certification program looks to keep brit milah safe in Europe
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleZev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Against the backdrop of rising fears that Jewish circumcision practices may be outlawed in Europe, European Jewish organizations have launched a new medical certification program for Jewish circumcisers.
While no countries have laws explicitly banning circumcision, some mandate that all medical procedures must be performed by a licensed doctor. Last year, in Belgium, several mohels (individuals who perform circumcision) were arrested for working without a medical license.
At the time, Jewish community representatives charged that the raids were part of a larger campaign of intimidation against religious figures in Belgium as antisemitic sentiments increase.
“The problem is that there is no clear law regarding circumcision at the moment,” Belgian MP Michael Freilich, the country’s only Orthodox Jewish lawmaker, told The Times of Israel at the time. “It’s not that brit milah is not allowed; it’s that there needs to be a clearer law about who can perform the procedure.”
The new program by the European Jewish Association (EJA) and the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE), based in Brussels, aims to address these concerns by offering certification that will be recognized throughout the European Union. European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Oliver Várhelyi offered his support for the program.
“Jewish life and Jewish religious practice belong in Europe,” Várhelyi said. “Our responsibility is to ensure that longstanding traditions can continue in a framework that meets the highest standards of child welfare, medical safety and professional responsibility, in line with European standards.”
The Times of Israel Community.