Antwerp's Jewish community was outraged after Belgian police raided the homes of mohels (Jewish ritual circumcisers) on Wednesday morning, confiscating all circumcision knives and demanding a list of all infants circumcised in the past year.
The raids, carried out under court order, targeted several mohels, including Moshe David Landau and Aharon Eckstein. Witnesses said police knocked on their doors and threatened to break in if residents didn’t open them.
The operation follows a complaint filed last year by a Haredi man affiliated with the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta group who is reportedly in conflict with the local ultra-Orthodox community. Belgian law prohibits any medical procedure without official authorization — including circumcision.
Authorities had largely turned a blind eye to the practice for years, but the complaint prompted enforcement. The incident has created legal uncertainty, as current law offers no explicit religious exemption for circumcision.
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Some Jewish leaders are now calling for emergency legislation to protect the practice, similar to the swift legal action taken by former German chancellor Angela Merkel after a German court ruling threatened to criminalize circumcision.
The European Jewish Association (EJA) condemned the raid, calling it “a dangerous escalation” and a clear violation of religious freedom. “Following the ban on kosher slaughter, the intimidation of mohels marks another red line crossed,” the EJA said in a statement. “This is a clear warning to Belgian Jews and to the Belgian government. Freedom of religion must be upheld!”
The EJA further warned that “any restriction, however minor, on circumcision will send a message to Belgian Jews that they are not welcome in this country,” urging lawmakers and government officials to pass emergency legislation guaranteeing circumcision as a protected religious practice.
The Brussels-based Action & Protection League (APL) also condemned the move, calling it “a deeply troubling escalation.” In a statement, the group said, “Since World War II, there has not been such institutionalized persecution by law enforcement targeting Jews simply for practicing their traditions.
“At a time when threats to Jewish communities in Europe are at a peak and antisemitic incidents are steadily rising, authorities must protect — not endanger — the physical and spiritual safety of their Jewish citizens.”