Belgian police raided the homes of several mohels in Antwerp on Wednesday, confiscating their professional equipment. The raid was conducted following a complaint filed against the mohels by a local Jewish rabbi.
Among the homes raided was that of Rabbi Aharon Eckstein, one of the most experienced mohels in the city. "They arrived around 5 a.m., didn't say much, just searched the house and took my toolkit," Rabbi Eckstein said. He added that he intends to continue performing circumcisions, "since I haven't been ordered to stop."
The search was based on a complaint filed by Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Friedman in 2023 against Eckstein and other mohels. Friedman alleged that six mohels, whom he identified to police, endangered infants by performing the "metzitzah b'peh" ritual – a practice where the mohel suctions blood from the circumcision area with his mouth. Eckstein and parents whose sons were circumcised by him deny the allegation, emphasizing that he does not perform this practice at all. Friedman is known for his criticism of various traditions important to the Haredi community in Belgium and Antwerp, where approximately 18,000 Jews reside.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, based in Brussels and serving as head of the European Jewish Association, strongly condemned the raids. "This is another red line crossed in intimidating Jews in Belgium. After the ban on kosher slaughter, the harassment of mohels constitutes a clear warning sign to the Jews of Belgium and to the Belgian government. Freedom of religion must be preserved," Rabbi Margolin said.
Belgium is one of the European countries that recently banned kosher slaughter. These slaughter methods, which require animals to be conscious during slaughter, are criticized by animal rights activists as inhumane. A similar controversy surrounds the circumcision of boys for non-medical reasons. However, unlike ritual slaughter, this practice has not yet been banned in any European country.
