New Brussels center to certify European circumcision practitioners

The European Jewish Association and the Rabbinical Centre of Europe announced Tuesday the launch of the Centre of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision (CERM), a new Brussels-based initiative aimed at strengthening medical training and professional certification for Jewish circumcision practitioners, or Mohalim, across Europe. According to the organizations, it is the first comprehensive certification program of its kind outside Israel. The move comes amid mounting legal and political challenges to the religious practice of brit milah in several European countries, where lawmakers and activists have increasingly sought restrictions. Supporters say the program will help protect the tradition by ensuring higher medical standards, potentially blunting arguments used by critics who cite safety concerns to push for bans on the centuries-old Jewish rite.