European Jewish Groups Launch Medical Training Center for Ritual Circumcision Amid Legal Challenges

In response to growing attempts to restrict or ban ritual circumcision in several European countries, the European Jewish Association (EJA) and the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE) have announced the establishment of a new center in Brussels. This "Center of Excellence for Religious Circumcision" (CERM) aims to provide medical and professional training for mohelim (individuals who perform ritual circumcisions), offering what its founders describe as the first comprehensive program of its kind outside of Israel. The initiative seeks to supplement the religious and professional training of qualified mohelim with essential medical and safety instruction, practical evaluation, and supervised certification.

The establishment of CERM comes amid ongoing legal and political disputes surrounding circumcision in Europe, particularly in Belgium, where the status of non-physician mohelim has faced uncertainty. Similar discussions and legislative efforts to limit the practice have occurred in other nations. EJA and RCE emphasize that alongside the fight for religious freedom, there is a need for professional standards to enhance medical safety for infants undergoing the procedure.

The center plans to collaborate with European health authorities to gain professional recognition for certified mohelim. The training curriculum will cover infant medical assessment, hygiene, infection control, hemorrhage management, complication identification, emergency response, infant resuscitation, and post-circumcision follow-up. Mohelim will undergo practical exams, clinical scenarios, and emergency simulations, with a strong focus on recognizing when to postpone the procedure, understanding the limits of their authority, and referring infants for medical care when necessary.

A supervisory medical and scientific board, comprising experts from Belgium, the UK, Israel, Italy, and Germany, will oversee clinical protocols, certification tests, and professional standards. The center's safety model is based on four principles: Recognize, Prevent, Stop, and Refer, ensuring mohelim can identify warning signs, minimize risks, act within their scope, and promptly refer infants to medical professionals.

"Jewish life and the existence of Jewish religious customs are an integral part of Europe," stated EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, emphasizing the need to allow ancient traditions to continue while upholding high standards of child welfare and medical safety. Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of EJA and RCE, highlighted that circumcision has been central to Jewish life for millennia and that the response to restrictions must include creating a professional framework to ensure the practice's continuation. He asserted that there is no contradiction between religious freedom and child safety, and that higher, transparent professional standards for circumcision will strengthen the justification for protecting Jewish families' right to practice it.