A criminal complaint has been filed in Zurich against several mohelim, alleging “dangerous conduct involving infants,” raising fresh concerns within European Jewish communities over growing legal scrutiny surrounding bris milah.

According to reports in Switzerland, the public prosecutor’s office in Zurich is now reviewing allegations of possible bodily harm tied to bris milah procedures.

The complaint was reportedly filed by a Jew with a history of antagonizing and provoking Jewish kehillos in Europe, who previously launched similar legal actions in Vienna and Antwerp — cases that ultimately led to criminal proceedings and convictions. Jewish leaders fear the new case in Switzerland could become another major legal battle over religious freedom and bris milah in Europe.

The complaint claims that some brissim are allegedly being performed by individuals without formal medical certification and under conditions that do not meet hygiene standards.

“These procedures are sometimes performed by people without medical training and in unhygienic basement conditions,” the complainant alleged. “These practices have nothing to do with religious bris milah of any kind.”

The filing also calls for investigations into hospital and intensive care admissions to determine how many infants allegedly required medical treatment following a bris.

The Zurich case comes amid a broader controversy across Europe regarding regulation of mohelim and religious bris milah.

As previously reported, prosecutors in Belgium filed indictments against mohelim in Antwerp following raids last year tied to allegations that brissim were being performed without official government certification. During that investigation, police reportedly confiscated milah knives and demanded lists of children who underwent the procedures.

The Antwerp case sparked outrage within the Jewish community and even led to diplomatic tensions.

In February, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White sharply criticized the Belgian legal proceedings, calling them a serious infringement on religious freedom for Jews in the country.

White directly appealed to Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, urging Belgium to establish legal protections allowing Jewish mohelim to continue performing brissim lawfully. He argued that bris milah is practiced “throughout the civilized world” and that Belgium must safeguard religious liberty for Jewish families.

Belgian officials rejected accusations of religious persecution, insisting the issue is not opposition to bris milah itself, but rather enforcement of national medical and health standards.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever recently acknowledged that bris milah is essential to both Judaism and Islam, while also emphasizing that health regulations must be upheld, saying authorities must find a balance between the two.

Jewish communities across Europe now fear the Zurich complaint could encourage additional countries to tighten oversight and restrictions on mohelim, placing one of Judaism’s most fundamental mitzvos at the center of an escalating legal and political battle over religious freedom in Europe.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)