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 There is no law in Israel making circumcision obligatory for Jews,
but a rabbinical court that was presiding over the woman's divorce
case ruled last month that she must fulfill her husband's wish in
the matter.
It fined her 500 shekels ($142) a day until she did so.
Circumcision is one of Judaism's most fundamental decrees. It
symbolizes the covenant between God and the Jewish people and nearly
all Jews in Israel abide by it, performing the ritual when their son
is eight days old.
Traditionally, the circumcisions are performed by a mohel, a
religious man trained in the procedure, and are carried out in a
festive ceremony called a "brit" — Hebrew for covenant.
Rabbinical courts in Israel have jurisdiction over matters of
marriage and divorce and operate under the Justice Ministry. But in
her appeal, the woman, who has not been named, said the rabbis had
no jurisdiction over her son's circumcision.
"This is precedent-setting," said Amnon Givoni, an attorney for the
Justice Ministry's Legal Aid department, which is representing the
woman along with two other lawyers.
"Performing or not performing circumcision is a serious matter and
it should be discussed deeply ... and separately from the matter of
the couple's divorce."
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In their ruling last month, the presiding rabbis said the woman was
using her refusal to circumcise her son as leverage against her
husband.
The couple began divorce proceedings when the baby was one month old
and in the time that has passed, the ruling said, the woman has been
standing in the way of her husband, who wants to fulfill one of the
most important Jewish edicts.
Jewish law, the rabbis said, puts the onus on the father to see his
son is circumcised.
But the mother says circumcision is tantamount to physical abuse. "I
don't believe in religious coercion," she told Channel 2 News last
month, facing away from the camera so her identity was not revealed.
The rabbinical court had no immediate comment, but in a statement it
issued after its ruling last month, it said that it was acting in
the child's best interest.
(Writing by Maayan Lubell; editing by Mike Collett-White)
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