Shliach’s Message to Germany

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Yehuda Tiechtel, Head Shliach of Berlin, made it clear that the court ruling against circumcisions must be addressed by the federal government and is not a judicial issue.

A ruling by a state court in Cologne that the child’s right to physical integrity trumps freedom of religion and parents’ rights was strongly criticized by Jewish and Muslim groups, as well as hospitals which perform the procedure.

As Volker Beck of the Greens party pointed out, the circumcision of newborn Jews has been practiced for thousands of years. Muslims also circumcise young boys, while many parents request it on health grounds.

“Jewish leaders make it clear, that in a country that orchestrated the Holocaust, this is an assult on their faith,” said CNN’s Diana Magnay, noting that the ruling also threatens doctors.

Magnay met Rabbi Tiechtel and a mohel identified as Mordechai Tzvi at the Szloma Albam House and Rohr Chabad Center in Berlin to discuss their concerns.

“This is not just some custom,” Rabbi Tiechtel told CNN, speaking from the bimah in his shul. “This is the basis of who we are.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that a legal debate “must not lead to doubts arising internationally about religious tolerance in Germany.”

But Rabbi Tiechtel was not satisfied with the ambiguous statement.

“It is of enormous importance that the German government comes out with a clear statement and law that circumcision is respected and accepted as part of religous freedom,” he said.

The case in Cologne involved a doctor accused of carrying out a circumcision on a 4-year-old, approved by his Muslim parents, that led to medical complications. The doctor was acquitted.