Circumcision Row Sees Israeli Mother Fined £85 A Day For Refusing To Allow Bris

'I Have No Right To Mutilate Him': Mother Insists She Will Not Circumcise Son Despite Daily £85 Court Fine
|
Open Image Modal
Instruments used in the Jewish circumcision ceremony (file picture)
Sean Gallup via Getty Images

A mother will continue to be fined £85 for every day her baby son remains uncircumcised, an Israeli rabbinical court has ruled.

“The baby was born with a medical problem, so we couldn’t circumcise him on the eighth day as is customary,” Haaretz quotes the baby’s mother Elinor as saying.

She added: “As time went on, I started reading about what actually happens in circumcision and I realised that I couldn’t do that to my son. He’s perfect just as he is.”

The bris became a court matter when the baby’s parents began divorce proceedings and the husband demanded the procedure take place.

The Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem rejected an appeal on Monday by Elinor against a ruling earlier in the year by a court in Netanya. The penalty was enforced against her for her refusal to observe the requirement of halacha (Jewish law).

“I have no right to cut his organ and mutilate him. And the court has no right to force me to do so.”

Elinor, whose baby is now one year old, has vowed to take her appeal to the Supreme Court.

According to the Jewish Press, the Rabbinical court made reference to circumcision cases around the world too, noting: “We have been seeing public and legal fights against circumcision in the United States and Europe for quite some time.

“The public in Israel stands united against this phenomenon, seeing it as another aspect of the anti-Semitic acts that must be fought.”

Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin which can be performed for religious or medical reasons.

“However most healthcare professionals now agree that the risks associated with routine circumcision, such as infection and excessive bleeding, outweigh any potential benefits.”