Deputy Knesset Speaker condemns Belgian police raids on mohalim
In a strongly worded response to police actions in Belgium, Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, MK Rabbi Moshe Roth, has issued an urgent appeal following early morning raids on the homes of mohalim in Antwerp on Wednesday.
A circumcision ceremony Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Mohalim are certified to perform religious circumcisions.
The raids, conducted by Belgian authorities, reportedly involved the confiscation of circumcision knives and instruments, and demands for detailed records of boys circumcised in the past year.
Roth addressed his concerns in letters to Belgian Ambassador to Israel Stéphane Taymans and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, urging immediate diplomatic intervention. He described the incident as “a profoundly disturbing violation of religious freedom and individual rights,” calling on the Belgian government to take swift corrective action.
“The circumcision ceremony is one of the most foundational and sanctified commandments in Jewish tradition for thousands of years,” Roth wrote. “Any attempt to interfere is perceived as a direct attack on the very core of Jewish identity.”
The Knesset Deputy Speaker further underscored the historical sensitivity of the issue by referencing Victory Day, commemorated just days ago, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany. He warned that such actions “evoke painful memories of the persecution endured by Jews in Europe merely 80 years ago.”
Roth demanded a thorough review of the police conduct, the immediate return of the confiscated religious instruments, and assurances that the rights of Belgium’s Jewish community to freely practice their religion will be fully protected.
The incident has sparked concern within the global Jewish community, with many viewing the raids as a troubling infringement on religious liberties.
