Circumcision Under Fire: How Belgium Is Pushing Jewish Rituals Underground

If we thought that scenes of Jews being forced to perform the mitzvah of circumcision in secret, out of fear of the local authorities, belonged to a bygone era — recent events in Belgium have arrived to prove otherwise. Sadly, this intolerable reality is alive and well even today, and astonishingly, in the heart of Europe.

Recently, police officers raided the homes of mohels across the country, conducted extensive searches, confiscated circumcision instruments, and summoned mohels for interrogation for the “offense” of performing circumcisions. One of the most painful aspects of this story is that the authorities received information about the mohels’ activities from a Jew who defines himself as a member of the local community.

“As a result of these events,” a member of the Jewish community in Belgium tells us, “community members are afraid, and we are forced to conduct circumcisions in hiding — in private homes, often with almost no guests present. The celebratory meals following the circumcision are held in a very limited format and under heavy anxiety.”

Abraham, a Belgian resident who asked that his full name not be published, told Hidabroot in an interview: “One morning, the police broke into the homes of three mohels. They took their circumcision knives and also confiscated the lists of children they had circumcised. The incident shocked the community here.”

Belgian law technically permits circumcision, but requires that it be performed by a licensed physician. Within the Jewish community, opinions are divided as to whether this is a purely professional guideline or one rooted in antisemitism. Most community members believe that the campaign against the Jewish community is clearly driven by antisemitism.

Michael Freilich, an Orthodox Jew who serves as a member of the Belgian Parliament, believes that the struggle against circumcision did not arise in a vacuum and that “it is also connected to the war between Israel and Hamas.” As is well known, Belgium has been among the most hostile European countries toward Israel since the outbreak of the war.

“An Absurd Decision”

For the Belgian authorities, this is not the only decision taken against the Jewish people. Belgium is one of the few countries in the world that bans Jewish ritual slaughter. Jews in the country are forced to purchase kosher meat from abroad or conduct ritual slaughter outside Belgium.

This has also become the solution adopted by some families for circumcision ceremonies. “There are many families who leave Antwerp or other cities in Belgium, travel to neighboring countries, and perform the circumcision there,” Freilich explains. “I presented this solution to the national media. I explained that we strictly adhere to Belgian law, but at the same time are committed to religious commandments. Therefore, we do not forgo the mitzvah, God forbid, but seek a legal way to fulfill it.

“I explained in the media that families are forced to waste an entire workday in order to perform the circumcision outside Belgium. I wanted to demonstrate to the average Belgian citizen just how absurd this decision is — it makes life harder for families without achieving any real outcome for the authorities. I also pointed out that circumcision is permitted in other European countries that are no less enlightened.”

An Internal Betrayal

The push to ban circumcision was initiated — disgracefully, by a member of the local Jewish community, known for years of provocative actions against the Jewish and Orthodox community in Belgium.

“He approached the media, the police, and government ministries, presented them with lists of mohels, and claimed that they act irresponsibly and harm infants. He made sure to present himself as a rabbi, as someone from within the community allegedly protesting what goes on inside it. The result was disastrous,” says Freilich.

“This same Jew previously met with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the notorious antisemite who served as president of Iran. Only recently, he chose to enroll his two sons in a Jewish girls’ school here as part of his campaign against the Jewish community — after winning a court petition on the matter. Since local law prohibits separation between boys and girls in schools, the judge ordered the school to accept the children, citing the fact that the institution receives state funding.

“Now he continues, as mentioned, to harm the Jewish community. He even sent a letter to the Minister of Justice, claiming that mohels in Belgium allegedly perform circumcisions in a dangerous manner and endanger infants. He did not stop there, but provided the minister with a complete list of mohels, declared that they have no medical degree, and therefore cannot perform a medical procedure. Following this denunciation, the minister announced his intention to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, he found allies in the Belgian Parliament who are fighting alongside him against Jewish religious commandments.”

“I Brought a Solution, but Unfortunately It Was Blocked”

This situation, say Yehuda and Abraham — residents of Antwerp whose full names are withheld, should never have happened. Freilich had already led an initiative intended to correct the situation.

“However,” they say, “there were members of the Jewish community who did not approve the steps he promoted, steps that were supposed to lead to a solution. We are now facing a dead end,” Abraham adds. “Everyone is afraid.”

We asked Freilich about this, and he responded: “Already about a year ago, I realized we were heading toward a situation in which circumcision would be banned. This was in the midst of the Belgian parliamentary election campaign in which I was running, and some claimed that my warnings were politically motivated and aimed at gaining votes. But I foresaw what was coming and tried to promote a clear solution.

“I approached the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and asked them to allow mohels from Belgium to undergo certification under their authority, in a way that would grant them a certificate recognized by the Belgian authorities as medical authorization for circumcision, after receiving approval from an official Israeli body. Such approval would have resolved the saga we are now experiencing.”

Why was this initiative blocked?

“There were those who preferred not to advance the plan. They argued that the danger to circumcision was not on the horizon, and that I was warning about it for political reasons. While the opposition came from a specific group of community activists, the Rabbinate in Israel demanded full consensus before beginning such cooperation. Due to the internal opposition, the plan collapsed. Now we are left at a dead end, hoping it will be resolved soon.”

As mentioned, Belgium also bans Jewish ritual slaughter — a decision Jews have fought through legal channels, both in Belgium and in European Union courts, so far without success.

“In the end, Jews here manage by importing kosher meat,” Freilich concludes, “but the real issue is the message. We, in the Jewish community, understand that if such a law passes quietly in Belgium, tomorrow it may pass in other countries — and later, additional laws may follow, further restricting Jewish life.”