Overview
- The Antwerp prosecutor, which on Wednesday sought to refer two Jewish circumcisers to criminal court, says the case involves charges of intentional assault on minors and unlawful practice of medicine.
- A closed-door pre-trial chamber is set for June 18 to decide if the cases go to trial under Belgian rules that treat circumcision as a medical act reserved for licensed professionals.
- Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prévot rejected claims of antisemitism and defended judicial independence, while Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the country is not antisemitic and urged restraint.
- U.S. Ambassador Bill White condemned the move as antisemitic and Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar called it a scarlet letter, with White saying one of the accused is an American citizen.
- The probe followed 2024 raids that seized ritual instruments after a complaint by Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Friedman alleging unsafe methods that the mohels deny, and Jewish leaders now warn the cases, along with recent security threats like the Liège synagogue blast, could push families to leave Belgium.