MK Rabbi Yisrael Eichler on Tuesday evening 11 Adar I 5774 in an address to the Knesset plenum attacked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein. Eichler was referring to the opinion submitted to the Supreme Court by Weinstein, who sided with the mother in a divorce dispute, supporting her decision not to perform a bris on the one-year-old boy R”L.

In actuality, Weinstein made reference to the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Court, stating the nation’s highest beis din exceeded the scope of its authority when ordering the mother to have a bris performed on her son. He feels the dayanim do not have that right, and the matter must involve social workers, psychologists and other professionals to permit reaching a decision that best serves the rights and interests of the boy since the father wants a bris and the mother opposes it. He explains that now that the boy is a year old, the bris is a medical procedure and mom must do what she believes is best for her child.

Eichler turned to Speaker Yuli Edelstein, pointing out how not too long ago his office was addressing opposition to milah in the European Parliament, and now, “we find this in our own home, headed by the attorney general no less.”

“There there were no shouts of health and medical issues, but you shouted Freedom of Religion and beliefs and basic rights as per the UN and so-forth.”

Eichler points out that in our case, Weinstein, “Who is a Jew and not a member of the EU parliament feels that yes, milah is indeed in the scope of the beis din but in this specific case, the child is already a year old…”

Eichler questions the hypocrisy and how the State of Israel dares to approach the EU and shout “bris milah is not a medical procedure, does not cause injury to a child, but a religious tradition and an entitlement under Freedom of Religion” while the state of Israel’s attorney general submits a position paper to the Supreme Court recommending not to perform a bris on a one-year-old child.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)