Israeli parliament slams German circumcision ban
Sipa via AP Images
(AP) JERUSALEM - An Israeli parliamentary committee on Monday denounced a ruling in Germany banning ritual circumcision, saying the decision infringes upon religious freedom and evokes memories of the worst chapter in German history, the Holocaust.
A regional court in Cologne recently ruled that circumcising young boys for religious reasons amounts to bodily harm, even if parents agree to it. Circumcision of baby boys is a fundamental Jewish religious ritual.
German court rules circumcision goes against "fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity"
The ruling was particularly sensitive, given German history and the Holocaust of World War II, when 6 million Jews were killed by German Nazis and their collaborators.
Committee chairman Danny Danon invited the German ambassador to Israel to parliament, seeking clarifications to the court ruling.
"Circumcision is one of the pillars of Judaism, and the last time it was restricted was in Germany during its darkest hour," Danon said at the meeting with the ambassador, which was open to reporters.
Danon said that Israel would not tolerate restrictions on the practice of Judaism anywhere in the world, "and certainly not in Germany."
The German ambassador, Andreas Michaelis, told the Israeli lawmakers his country was working to resolve the issue and that the ruling doesn't apply at the national level.
"It's clear that the ruling prohibiting circumcision is more sensitive in Germany because of the Holocaust," Michaelis said. He noted that the Jewish community in Germany, practically wiped out during the Holocaust, is growing.
The ruling has also drawn criticism from many Muslims, who view circumcision as an important practice in their faith.
A German Justice Ministry spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity according to government regulations, said Monday that legislative action might be needed to protect religious traditions in the wake of the court ruling.
"It's being examined whether there needs to be a change to the laws and if so, in which form," she said.
Pinchas Goldschmidt, the chief rabbi of Moscow and the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, said the court's decision was part of what he saw as growing infringement upon religious freedom in Europe.
"We see this development as part of the larger problem in Europe today," he said, citing France's ban on the face-covering Muslim veils and Switzerland's ban on the construction of new minarets for mosques.
"We are hopeful to see the German government address this issue as fast as possible," he said.
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It is not healthier (especially as to sexual health and function) to be missing parts of your body The inner male prepuce has about 20000 special touch and stretch pleasure nerves. Ther is no observed STD advantage for cut Americans and actually Europe has a lower STD rate.
Cutmen are getting numb member and complaining on the Internet in droves. They're also trying to restore. So many are complaining. It is not a flap of skin.
By the end of the war, almost 600,000 Jews had been killed by the Romans.
The Germans should seriously reconsider what they're doing.
Why?
Because any ruling power or government that infringes on religious liberties -the ancient Romans, Nazi Germany, the Obama Administration - will collapse in the end.
Israel will survive. Her enemies will not.
2.) Circumcised men contract less HIV/AIDS. 3.) Circumcision done later in life to prevent the above problems takes longer to heal, has a higher rate of infection (because their mothers/fathers aren't cleaning them often as done when babies and creates more lifelong problems.
Also: Since when did Germany become so protective of it's Jewish citizens as to pass this stupid law?
2) in the US, cut and natural men get HIV at the same rate. in Zimbabwe, after a circumcision campaign, the cutmen have higher rates of HIV than those not circumcised.
3). About the same percentage of men choose to have parts of their genitals cut off as women. Men, like all humans, like all of their sensory system, and all of their functioning genitals. Most of the world's men have natural genitals and there is no problem.
Just as with gays, credibility.