Milah UK is encouraged by the recent Resolution passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which reaffirms Freedom of Religion in accordance with article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, and documents clearly that  Jews should have the right to practice their  faith in accordance with their  religious beliefs.

In addition Milah UK is pleased that PACE understands that faiths should be responsible for determining how their own religion should be practiced in public.  However, it recognises that challenges could arise from the detailed implementation of the guidance contained in the Resolution.

Milah UK’s co-chairs Professor David Katz and Dr Simon Hochhauser said:

“Milah UK is particularly pleased about this important step forward in protecting Brit Milah across Europe. The Resolution supercedes the previous motion which cast serious doubt about the legality of our practices.  

We appreciate that the PACE document poses several significant challenges for the UK Jewish community. However, we believe that overall PACE’s efforts (and especially those of the Chairman, Rafael Huseynov) to protect Brit Milah will help to ensure that we can continue to practice it as safely as we can, and as we have done for generations. 

Milah UK will continue to work with the various organisations, such as the Conference of European Rabbis, the European Jewish Congress and the Israeli Government’s Department for Combating Antisemitism, to monitor how the Resolution is implemented.”