Why did they ever go back?

4 Elul 5772

...Charges against German Rabbi for Performing Bris

European Jewish Congress President Dr. Moshe Kantor has expressed outrage after Rabbi David Goldberg, the chief rabbi of Hof in Bavaria and a mohel – person trained in the Jewish ritual of circumcision – has had charges filed against him for performing a circumcision.

“The charges laid against a Jewish religious leader for performing a fully legal action is outrageous and a very troubling escalation sending a deeply problematic message to the Jewish community,” Kantor said. “It has been many decades since a Jew was charged for practicing Judaism openly and is reminiscent of far darker times. We hope that in Germany, of all places, the authorities would remain far more sensitive to this issue.”

The issue of circumcision has become contentious since a German regional court in June ruled that the practice amounted to “causing criminal bodily harm”. However, in July a spokesperson for Chancellor Angela Merkel said that circumcisions should be able to continue as normal, saying that there should be no punishment for practicing religious circumcisions.”