U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White is criticizing Belgian prosecutors for filing criminal charges this week against three Jewish men for performing ritual circumcisions, calling it a “shameful stain” on the country that many would deem antisemitic.
“The Trump administration condemns this judicial action and also condemns the political inaction by the [Belgian] government to find a solution with the beautiful Jewish communities here in Belgium,” Mr. White posted late Tuesday on X.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot rebuked Mr. White, saying it is inappropriate to publicly criticize a country over a disagreement regarding judicial proceedings.
“Would you consider it acceptable for our ambassador in Washington to do the same?” Mr. Prevot posted on X. “In Belgium, the judiciary is independent and makes its decisions — whether one agrees with them or not — free from any political influence.”
Police in Antwerp last year launched raids in the city’s Jewish quarter on the homes of several mohels — men who perform the ritual circumcision known as bris. Officers confiscated the bris knives and demanded records of every infant circumcised during the prior year, according to media reports at the time.
“This is a shameful stain on Belgium. The prosecution of these religious figures — mohels — one of whom is American, is wrong and won’t be tolerated,” Mr. White said. “Belgium will be thought of as anti-Semitic by the world until this is resolved.”
After prosecutors filed charges this week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Belgium of using “criminal law to prosecute Jews for practicing Judaism.”
“This is a scarlet letter on Belgian society. The Brit Milah is the cornerstone of Jewish faith,” Mr. Sa’ar said Tuesday. “Many countries in Europe and around the world have created legal frameworks to facilitate the [procedure] and Jewish religious freedom in their countries.”
Mr. White said additional information on the case would be released following the upcoming meetings with the Belgian government.
Michael Freilich, Belgium’s only Jewish lawmaker, said the results of the case against the three mohels could have a chilling effect on religious freedom in the country.
“There will never be a ban on circumcision, but there will be a de facto ban,” he told the Belgian news website Euractiv. “If you say that only doctors can perform it, obviously Jewish people are not going to go to a doctor in a hospital because most doctors aren’t Jewish.”
The complaint that led to the indictment of the three men was filed by Moshe Friedman, a controversial anti-Zionist activist within Belgium’s Jewish community known for calling on authorities to enforce strict regulations on Jewish customs, including gender-segregated education.
After a year-long investigation, the three men have been accused of unlawful practice of medicine and intentional assault on minors.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, the Chairman of the European Jewish Association, called the indictment by the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office “anti-Semitic in nature. Not borderline, not ambiguous, but anti-Semitic.”
In a statement released Wednesday, Rabbi Margolin said the charges mean Jews in Belgium are considered second-class citizens with limited rights.
“The message here is clear: Jews are no longer welcome in Belgium,” he said. “All the ‘beautiful words’ of politicians about the importance of Jewish life in Europe mean nothing if they do not act immediately to stop this injustice.”
Mr. Prevot cited Moshe Friedman’s involvement in the case as proof that anti-Semitism didn’t play a part. But Ralph Pais, vice president of Belgium’s Forum of Jewish Organizations, characterized Mr. Friedman as a fringe character frequently at odds with the Jewish community in Belgium.
“He is not affiliated with any recognized Jewish institution, synagogue, or communal body,” Mr. Pais told the Jerusalem Post. “He does not participate in communal life, and his positions are widely rejected.”
Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Congress of European Rabbis, urged prosecutors in Belgium to drop the charges against the three men.
“A 3,500-year covenant practiced in Antwerp for the last 800 years, criminalized for lacking [European Union] medical licenses,” Rabbi Goldschmidt said Wednesday on X. “This isn’t health policy. It’s state harassment of Jewish life.”
