Board members of the Centre of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision (CERM) and representatives of the European Jewish Association (EJA) presented the Centre’s curriculum during a meeting this week in Brussel with European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Oliver Várhelyi.
They next steps for certification and recognition by EU Member States and institutions.
They thanked Várhelyi ‘’for supporting this important initiative to enhance safety, consistency and confidence in religious circumcision across Europe.’’
The EJA and the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE) announced earlier this month the first comprehensive medical and professional certification program of its kind for qualified Jewish circumcision practitioners in Europe.
The program will be provided by the Brussels-based Centre of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision. The initiative comes against the backdrop of growing legal and political challenges to Jewish religious circumcision in Belgium and other European countries.
The program aims to work with health authorities across Europe to build confidence in qualified mohalim as the practitioners best placed to perform religious circumcision, ensuring that their competence is recognized through rigorous medical standards and independent supervision – rather than becoming a matter of political debate.
Certification will include practical assessment, realistic clinical scenarios and emergency simulations, with particular emphasis on recognising warning signs, understanding the limits of competence and knowing when to postpone a procedure or seek medical assistance.
Várhelyi has reacted positively to the program. “Jewish life and Jewish religious practice belong in Europe,” the European Health Commissioner said.
He added, “Our responsibility is to ensure that longstanding traditions can continue in a framework that meets the highest standards of child welfare, medical safety and professional responsibility, in line with European standards. The Centre of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision offers a constructive and credible model for doing exactly that.”
He has warned that Europe cannot claim to welcome Jewish communities while placing restrictions on fundamental Jewish religious practices.