Jewish communities fear that the Corona will ban governments from observing circumcision for fear of being infected • "Anyone who rejects the alliance in the end will not obey it at all"

• Fear of circumcision in Europe due to Corona virus // Photo: Dudu Grinshpan

Rabbis, circumcisers, and many members of the Jewish communities in Europe are now expressing concern that governments in various European countries will ban circumcision in their country until the end of the Corona crisis.

Pre-ruling concerns were issued by Rabbi Asher Weiss, one of the largest ultra-Orthodox rulers in the country, who stated that in countries where the government prohibits circumcision at this time, the Jewish community should be banned. Many among the Jewish communities claim that Rabbi Weiss's ruling is based on inaccurate information presented to him, according to which the French government has banned alliances in the country. The claim is that this information is inaccurate because the French government has pressed the rabbis in France, but has never banned an alliance at this time.

"A lot of people tell me: The government in France has not banned, but now, other European governments can say, look there is a great rabbi from Israel, who has ruled that governments have to understand the decision to ban the word - it can set a tough precedent," explains Mohel Yehuda Mahfoud .

Mahfoud, the grandson of Rabbi Shlomo Mahfoud, one of the great Sephardi rabbis of the Sephardi, is in daily contact with mohelim and rabbis in Europe and hears from them about the fear in the communities. "It could create a domino effect, encouraging more European governments to ban circumcision as well. Understanding that such a decision, however difficult and precedent it may be, will pass in silence and will not lead to religious controversy with local Jewish communities."

Meanwhile in France, alliances continue after all. On the one hand, the Chief Rabbinate asked the public to now avoid alliances or to conduct them only in clinics. But on the other hand, a large group of circumcisers from all over France have set up a body called the Alliance des Mohalim, which takes care of giving the mohel masks and complete protective clothing similar to that of medical teams to keep away the risk of infection or infection.

According to Yehuda Mahfoud, "People now fear that, following Rabbi Weiss's ruling, which in fact presented him with inaccurate data, in particular, and the public at large, would think that the French government really bans the word and decide to reject the alliance. The great concern in communities in France and Europe in general is that hundreds and thousands of babies There will be no circumcision at all. Many parents who decide to reject the covenant at the end will not make it at all. Communities do not know who is a covenant child and who is not. Parents cannot be contacted and reminded, assisted and given information if they need to. "