German prosecutor drops charges against mohel
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A German prosecutor dropped charges against a rabbi for his role as a ritual circumciser.
A statement by the Hof prosecutor on Feb. 21 said that Rabbi David Goldberg of Hof satisfied all requirements regarding child welfare “which are not jeopardized by the circumcision,” the Jewish German publication Judische Allgemeine reported. “Circumcisions which are applied with the consent of parents or custodians are not subject to criminal liability,” the prosecutor added.
Charges had been brought against Goldberg last year after a court in Cologne ruled that circumcision was illegal in its jurisdiction. Goldberg, who has been working as a mohel in Germany since 1997, said he was very pleased the case was now closed.
“I never had any doubts, I still performed circumcisions,” he said. “But I think this is very good news for parents who did have doubts and for the entire Jewish community.”
The German parliament has since passed a new law allowing circumcision, with some restrictions. — jta
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03/01/2013 at 12:20 PM
Can one doubt that the reason for changing the policy was for the German authorities to avoid embarrassment rather than to avoid injustice?
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