Jewish leaders in Europe have launched an emergency campaign to protect the right to perform brissim after police in Belgium reportedly launched criminal proceedings against certified mohelim in Antwerp after raiding their homes in May.

The European Jewish Association (EJA) said that the raid, which included the seizure of medical equipment and a demand for mohelim to reveal the names of infants who had undergone brissim, was a serious violation of religious freedom and could establish a dangerous precedent.

Over 50 Jewish leaders and Rabbanim across Europe signed a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accusing Belgian authorities of infringing on basic rights. “This evokes some of the darkest chapters in European history,” the letter stated.

The letter urged von der Leyen to publicly condemn the police raid, reaffirm the European Union’s commitment to religious freedom, and call on Belgian authorities to immediately halt “the persecution of a core Jewish religious practice.”

EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin stated, “We will not stand by while our faith is put on trial. Circumcision is a sacred commandment practiced safely for thousands of years. Attempts to criminalize this tradition are not only an existential threat to Jewish communal life but also a grave violation of Europe’s core values—religious freedom and human dignity.”

The association also submitted a statement signed by more than 20 senior physicians from Europe, North America, and Israel, backed by medical groups including the Global Jewish Health Alliance and the American Jewish Medical Association. The doctors said circumcision performed by certified mohels is a safe procedure that reduces the risk of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and diseases such as HIV, and emphasized that mohelim undergo extensive medical training and adhere to strict safety and hygiene standards.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)