German Parliament Should Act to Protect Circumcision as Religious Practice

Abraham H. Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League has issued the following statement:

Circumcision of newborn male children is a core religious rite of Judaism, practiced by Jews around the world. The decision by a district court in Cologne, Germany, to deem non-medical circumcision a crime places an intolerable burden on the free exercise of religion by Jews and also by Muslims who practice male circumcision as part of their religious faith.

We support the call by the Central Council of Jews in Germany for the German parliament to quickly pass legislation specifically protecting circumcision as a religious practice. Germany’s commitment to religious freedom requires nothing less.

We hope and believe the German parliament will have the political will to do so. Germany has dedicated itself to re-building Jewish life, and the consequences of a ban on circumcision would be a devastating blow to the future of the Jewish community. While the ruling by the court in Cologne does not appear to have anti-Semitic intent, its effect is to say “Jews are not welcome.”

I agree. To Europe’s secularists and Christians, this is only about what they consider a meaningless surgery, but to Jews throughout the world, it’s a matter of survival. There is no room for compromise. If we cant make our boys truly Jewish our people is dead in a generation.