Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland are criminally investigating the Mohalim. Belgium has gone as far as indicting at least two of the six individuals. None of this is good for the practice of brit milah or for freedom of religion. Many Jewish leaders have raised the alarm, citing the reminiscence of Nazi Germany. But the real question is, why is this happening now and what can be done about it?
According to Jonathan Lieberman in his recent piece titled “The threat to the future of brit milah,” direct Metzitzah B’peh (oral suction) is the culprit. The practice is a Talmudic therapeutic innovation of drawing blood, intended to save the baby from “life-threatening danger.” Even though not the essence of the command, the tradition is so inculcated that those who obviate it are halachically forbidden from being practitioners.
During the 1800s, it became clear that Metzitzah was connected to disease transmission. A number of alternatives were derived to avoid direct contact while preserving the tradition. The Hatam Sofer suggested using a sponge, while Rav Samson Rephael Hirsch endorsed the use of a glass pipette. The latter became the standard safe alternative.
The recent indictments in Europe were instigated by a controversial figure named Moshe Aryeh Friedman. He alerted the Health Ministries in all three countries that Mohalim were practicing direct Metzitzah B’peh, thus, in his words, endangering the lives of newborns. It’s unclear if the relevant authorities reacted solely out of safety concerns or if there were other motivations at hand.
Lieberman claims that the Jewish community needs to halt the custom of direct Metzitzah B’peh not only because of its dangers to newborns but because it endangers the practice worldwide.
While both things are true and I too would prefer if direct Metzitzah B’peh became a thing of the past, his solution falls short.
If every Mohel were to immediately begin using a sterile tube, things would indeed be safer for those who undergo the rite, but this would not halt the impending European bans.
Metzitzah is viscerally off-putting even with a tube. Since we now know it has no medical benefit, it’s challenging to justify. We preserve the practice only for tradition’s sake. It is unsettling even for the most ardent defenders of brit milah – all the more so for non-Jews.
We’d be fools to think we could win the public relations battle this way. If we continue oral suction, direct or indirect, it damages our credibility because it makes brit milah seem unsafe.
These inquiries throughout Europe have left us with limited options. In an ideal world, to preserve the custom and save face, we’d shift to the Hatam Sofer’s method. Using a sponge is safe and avoids the unsightly appearance that accompanies Metzitzah.
However, this is problematic on an internal level. The Hatam Sofer’s position was never accepted by the Jewish community. His closest ally was the late Rav Ovadia Yosef, who only allowed gauze to be used in specific cases.
There isn’t a rabbinic figure alive today with enough influence to convince the ultra-Orthodox world to change their behavior en masse. Even if this were possible, it’s fanciful to assume that this would magically reverse the legal proceedings throughout Europe.
Nordic method could be the best solution
The best solution is instituting a version of the Nordic method. This is a middle ground between only allowing medical professionals to perform the procedure and allowing unlicensed Mohalim.
This method requires professional training for ritual practitioners and the presence of a medical professional during the event. This model already exists in countries like Sweden and serves as a bridge for Mohalim to continue their work in the safest way possible and without making ritual concessions.
In many ways, it feels as if Europe is lost – on a course for disaster. The clash of modernity and tradition seemed inevitable. The bans on kosher slaughter laid the groundwork for the present predicament with brit milah.
Our only hope is to fight within the system and salvage what we can. We must find legal solutions that instill confidence in the safe execution of our ritual. But the answer can’t be carving away parts of our tradition in the hopes of appeasing the masses. We must stand our ground and win our battles from a place of strength – because the more appeasement we attempt, the more of ourselves we lose.
I, like Jonathan Lieberman, have spent my career advocating for a change in the practice of Metzitzah. I agree that the tube is the best solution, which may actually be adopted by the haredi communities. But this change needs to come from within, not from fear of ritual bans.
Accommodating those whose intentions are most likely against brit milah, and even Judaism as a whole, will only end in the undermining of the religion itself. We must be proactive, ensuring the proper protections for our ritual before European governments forbid the practice altogether.
The writer is a rabbi, a wedding officiant, and a mohel who performs britot (ritual circumcisions) and conversions in Israel and worldwide. Based in Efrat, Israel, he is the founder of Magen HaBrit, an organization protecting the practice of brit milah and the children who undergo it.