European Jews Fear Anti-circumcision Laws

February 1, 2012

According to Gelley, a senior dayan (judge of a Jewish religious court) in the British capital, a large group of members of the country’s biggest doctors’ organization, the British Medical Association, have launched a battle against circumcision and are trying to recruit the entire organization.

Meanwhile, human rights and medical organizations in Holland and Finland are trying to ban the circumcision of males under the age of 18 without the approval of a doctor. Rabbi Gelley told Ynet that so far, those opposing the move have managed to block one legislation attempt, but that the threat on circumcisions remains.

Another issue discussed during the meeting was the de facto ban on kosher slaughter passed by the lower house of the Dutch parliament. Before the meeting, senior organization rabbis met with Polish President Bronisław Komorowski, who they said supported Jews’ right for kosher slaughter and strongly criticized the Dutch parliament.

Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, a member of the convention’s executive committee, said the Polish president compared the move to a similar law approved in Poland in the 1930s, which was inspired by the Nazi regime and began the annihilation of Jews and the setting up of concentration camps in the country.

Source: Excerpts of an article by Kobi Nahshoni, Ynetnews