Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz is a member of Israel's Chief Rabbinate Council and a member of the Anglican-Jewish Commission.
There is an old, simple nursery rhyme we all know: "All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel... Pop! goes the weasel." It represents a sudden, sharp, and seemingly unexpected turn of events.
For over eighty years in Belgium, the Jewish community lived in tranquility, fully trusting the state's historical commitment to freedom of religion and conscience. The sacred Jewish practice of Brit Milah (ritual circumcision) was observed completely free of governmental restriction, medical intervention, or legal barriers.
And then, suddenly-Pop!
Out of nowhere, without any change in underlying legislation, without a single new medical discovery, and with no objective justification whatsoever, a campaign has erupted. Courts, bureaucrats, and cultural commentators have suddenly turned their sights on this cornerstone of Jewish faith.
When a policy or social attitude twists so sharply without reason, we must look past the official excuses. This sudden persecution is not a legal anomaly; it is a calculated effort to embarrass, isolate, and weaken the Jewish community.
Three Millenniums of Unbroken Expertise
The primary shield used by those trying to ban the practice is the guise of "medical concern" or "child welfare." It is an argument that falls apart under the slightest historical or practical scrutiny.
The Jewish people have been performing Brit Milah for over 3,000 years. It is an unbroken chain of tradition serving as the foundational sign of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. A traditional Mohel undergoes years of rigorous, specialized training, focusing entirely and exclusively on perfecting this single, specific procedure.
To suggest that a general practitioner or a hospital surgeon-who may perform this procedure only occasionally-possesses greater expertise than a highly trained Mohel is a farce. Jewish ritual circumcisers are the premier experts in this field, utilizing techniques refined over millennia to ensure unparalleled precision, speed, and safety. If the state's true interest were the physical well-being of the child, they would be endorsing the traditional method, not seeking to outlaw it.
The Strategy of Forced Defenselessness
If there is no objective medical or legal catalyst for this sudden opposition, we are forced to ask: what is the true intent?
The true intent is to engineer a state of psychological and social defenselessness. By utilizing court orders and legal mechanisms to ban a practice that defines the very entry of a Jewish soul into the covenant of Abraham, the instigators create an impossible dilemma. How does a peaceful, law-abiding community defend itself against a court decree? How do individuals push back against the cold, unyielding machinery of the state?
This is a deliberate strategy of embarrassment. It is designed to make European Jews feel exposed, targeted, and ultimately unwelcome. It sends a chilling message: Your most sacred traditions can be criminalized at any moment with the stroke of a pen.
A Dangerous Byproduct of European Antisemitism
We cannot view this sudden targeting of Brit Milah as an isolated bureaucratic overreach. It must be recognized for what it truly is: a dangerous byproduct of the broader, toxic wave of antisemitism currently sweeping across Europe and Belgium.
When open hatred becomes socially unpalatable, it often morphs into institutional harassment. Unable to legally ban Jews, hostile forces instead seek to ban the practices that make Jewish life possible. Local faith communities must never bear the burden of geopolitical or international conflicts; they have an absolute right to the unconditional protection of their ancient traditions.
The sudden "pop" of the political weasel in Belgium is a warning sign. It is a test of whether Europe will uphold its promises of true religious liberty, or allow the ancient virus of prejudice to dictate its laws. The defense of Brit Milah is not just a Jewish issue; it is the ultimate frontline in the defense of universal human rights.
Diplomatic Mobilization: Letters from the Chief Rabbinate
Faced with this rising tide, direct institutional and diplomatic actions have been launched from Israel to demand accountability and protection for the Belgian Jewish community:
To the Belgian Ambassador to Israel: A formal protest was delivered directly to His Excellency Mr. Stefaan Thijs, emphasizing that the sudden disruptions to an eighty-year status quo cannot be unlinked from the continent-wide surge in antisemitism.
20260603144309.pdf (link to letter)
To the Catholic Church in Belgium: An official appeal was dispatched from The Chief Rabbinate of Israel's Commission for Relations with the Catholic Church to the Most Reverend Johan Bonny, Bishop of Antwerp, calling upon his recognized moral leadership to publicly stand up for the freedom of conscience and religious expression.
20260603144340.pdf (link to letter)