July 9, 2012
Rabbis Call Meeting on German Circumcision Ruling
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
BERLIN (AP) - The Conference of European Rabbis says it's calling an emergency meeting in Berlin to discuss a regional court ruling that circumcising young boys for religious reasons amounts to bodily harm even if parents agree to it.
Conference president Pinchas Goldschmidt said in a statement Monday the Cologne court ruling last month "utterly failed to consider how fundamental" ritual circumcision is to the Jewish faith and identity.
The Tuesday through Thursday meeting seeks to produce a strategy for addressing the issue.
There's no law prohibiting the procedure but the ruling sets a precedent that could be taken into account by other courts.
The Cologne case involved a doctor who carried out a circumcision on a 4-year-old that led to medical complications.
Germany's government has offered assurances that religious traditions remain protected.
