On October 1 a law went into effect in Sweden interfering
with the age-old Jewish practice of circumcision. A registered
doctor must be present at the religious ceremony and must inject
the infant with an analgesic or
an anesthetic. This means that no Jewish circumcision may be
performed on Shabbos or yom tov, as the injection violates Shabbos and
is not necessary to
perform the circumcision. According to reports received by Yated
Ne'eman, the matter became an issue of public debate in Sweden and
it was dicussed in the popular media.
R' Aba Dunner, the Secretary General of the Council of
European Rabbis (CER), confirmed that the CER has been
concerned and involved with the legislation passed by the
Swedish parliament that seeks to interfere with Jewish
circumcision in Sweden.
Dayan Ehrentreu, a board member of the CER who was part of a
delegation that met with the Swedish ambassador on behalf of
the UK Board of Deputies, explained that there were various
issues that needed to be addressed and that these were
explained to the ambassador.
"There is a need for the Swedish authorities to understand
that their directives dealing with the issue of circumcision
must take into account the concerns of Jews not only in Sweden
but of those throughout Europe.
"Circumcision as practiced in the UK meets the highest medical
standards and is supervised by the Initiation Society, which
is fully recognized by the authorities in the UK.
"We think that the Swedish authorities would be well advised
to visit the UK and to study the methods and practice as
performed in this country in order to base their directives
upon those methods.
"Failure to implement the proposals put forward by us would
make it difficult for Jews to be able to practice their
religious obligations in Sweden and would thus discriminate
against a community that seeks to live within a free society."
The Swedish parliament passed a law on June 1, requiring
circumcision to be performed only by a physician or another
person with appropriate training. It also requires the
administration of an analgesic or an anesthetic in connection
with the procedure.
Bo Lindblom, deputy director of Sweden's National Board of
Health and Welfare, said the legislation arose after a handful
of serious injuries and a death occurred during circumcisions
in the Scandinavian country. He said most of those injured
were Muslims.
Jewish groups pointed out that circumcision has been performed
safely throughout history and criticized the legislation as an
"unnecessary" restriction on freedom of religion.
Under the new law, a mohel can apply for a special
permit to perform the ceremony, but somebody must be qualified
to administer the analgesic.
