Belgium prosecuting Jewish circumcision doctors

Today, Belgian prosecutors announced their intent to charge two Jewish mohels with intentional assault and battery with premeditation against minors and the unlawful practice of medicine. A mohel is a specially trained Jewish officiant who performs the ritual circumcision on baby boys on the eighth day after birth, a custom that traces back to Genesis 17. Belgium allows non-medical circumcision, but the law requires a doctor to be involved. The case began last year after complaints, including some from within the Jewish community in Antwerp. Police conducted raids, seized items like knives, and gathered evidence. Judges will decide on June 18 whether the case goes to trial. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the prosecution, and U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White called it “wrong,” a “shameful stain on Belgium” and anti-Semitic.