Brussels-based center trains mohelim as Belgium circumcision debate intensifies
The newly established Center of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision (CERM) comes against the backdrop of growing legal and political challenges to Jewish religious circumcision across Europe.
A new medical certification program for Jewish male circumcision practitioners has been launched in Brussels, aimed at addressing legal and political challenges to the practice in Belgium and other European countries. The Center of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision (CERM), based in the Belgian capital, provides certification and training for qualified mohelim - Jewish religious practitioners who perform Brit Milah, the ritual circumcision of male infants.
The program, a collaboration between the European Jewish Association (EJA) and the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE), is overseen by an international network of medical experts, including urologists, pediatricians, and medical scientists. The curriculum covers newborn assessment, hygiene, infection prevention, infant welfare, bleeding and wound care, and emergency response, among other topics.
The goal is to ensure that mohelim meet rigorous medical standards and can be independently supervised, rather than becoming a topic of political debate. Belgian authorities have recently investigated multiple sites for illegal circumcisions, with two mohelim indicted in May 2026 for bodily harm with premeditation against minors.
The EJA and RCE hope the program will strengthen trust in qualified mohelim across Europe and uphold the highest standards of child welfare and professional responsibility.
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