Skip to main content

Main navigation

  • AJC Home
  • Who We Are
    • About AJC
    • Leadership
    • Our Impact
    • Global Offices
    • U.S. Regional Offices
    • Project Interchange
    • Alexander Young Leadership Department
    • Careers
    • Archives and History
  • Issues
    • Israel
    • Antisemitism
      • AJC’s Call to Action Against Antisemitism
      • Translate Hate
      • The Working Definition of Antisemitism
      • The State of Antisemitism in America
      • #ShowUpForShabbat
      • A CALL TO ACTION: Combating Antisemitism in Europe
      • Mayors United Against Antisemitism
      • Forms of Antisemitism
        • Anti-Zionism as a Form of Antisemitism
        • Extremist Political Movements
        • Outlawing Jewish Religious Practices
        • Antisemitism Among Migrant Populations in Europe
      • Antisemitism in Europe
    • Radicalism & Extremism
    • BDS
    • Interreligious
    • Human Rights
    • Policy Resources
  • Take Action
    • Action Alerts / Petitions
    • AJC's Call to Action Against Antisemitism
    • #TranslateHate
    • The State of Antisemitism in America Report
    • Stand with Ukraine
    • #JewishandProud
    • Disrupt Antisemitism
    • Mayors United Against Antisemitism
    • Advocacy Anywhere
  • Global Forum
  • News and Resources
    • Global Voice
    • Antisemitism Resources
    • Israel Resources
    • Iran Resources
  • Support Our Work
    • Donate
    • Donor Recognition Societies
      • National Leadership Council
      • Marshall Society
      • AJC Visionaries
        • Create Your Legacy
    • Planned Giving
  • Relevance
  • Date
  • Title

Secondary navigation

  • Languages
    • English
    • Español
    • Français
    • Deutsch
  • Global Offices
  • Media
  • Podcasts

Header Follow Links

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Donate

Outlawing Jewish Religious Practices

Speaking out when core Jewish practices, and religious freedom and diversity, are attacked

There are organized movements in Europe attempting to severely limit or even ban kosher slaughter and infant male circumcision, two Biblically-based Jewish religious practices necessary for living a Jewish life. Restrictions on these rituals also threaten Islam, which requires halal slaughter and male circumcision.

Throughout Europe, Jews and Muslims are facing constraints on their religious freedom. The Jewish community is in the awkward position of publicly defending age-old religious practices that secular European societies believe to be barbaric. Even if the motives for these bans are not racist or overtly antisemitic, they stigmatize Jews, and the heated public discussions they generate frequently elicit strongly antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, and Belgium have already banned kosher slaughter, while in other nations—the Netherlands and Poland, for example—there have been legislative efforts to do so. Strong anti-circumcision campaigns have been mounted in a number of European countries, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe—which plays only an advisory role—passed a resolution in 2013 urging an end to infant circumcision when not medically indicated.

AJC’s European offices have helped counter bans on kosher slaughter and circumcision. In Germany, AJC exposed significant distortions, fallacies, and prejudices in claims made by anti-circumcision activists, helping to build support for the nation’s approval of a law to allow circumcision for religious reasons.

In Poland, AJC undertook a sustained advocacy effort after the country’s parliament voted to ban kosher slaughter.  A Constitutional Tribunal eventually reversed the ban, asserting that it violated the religious freedom of Jews and Muslims alike, and sent an unwelcome message about their place in Polish society.

  • Forms of Antisemitism
    • Anti-Zionism as a Form of Antisemitism
    • Extremist Political Movements
    • Outlawing Jewish Religious Practices
    • Antisemitism Among Migrant Populations in Europe

Share This

Back to Top

Global Voice

AJC- American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch Issues Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
AJC Blue Logo
American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch Lauds Abraham Accords Before European Parliament, Cautions They Can’t Be Taken for Granted
Nick Fuentes
Who is Nick Fuentes and Why Is His Antisemitism Dangerous for America?
graphic displaying AJC logo
AJC Survey on Holocaust Knowledge Among Americans
More AJC News and Analysis

Sign Up to Stay Informed

Stay Connected

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Donate

AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.

© Copyright 2023 AJC

Footer menu

  • Global Voice
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Global Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Alexander Young Leadership Department
    • Archives and History
    • Careers
  • Issues
    • Israel
    • BDS
    • Antisemitism
    • Radicalism & Extremism
    • Interreligious
    • Human Rights
  • Take Action
  • Global Forum
  • Support Our Work
    • Donate
    • Donor Recognition Societies
    • Planned Giving
  • Legal Information
    • Administrative Policies
    • Form 990
    • Impact and Financial Reports
  • Privacy Policy
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us
  • Global Offices
    • AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding
    • AJC Africa Institute
    • AJC Asia Pacific Institute
    • AJC Berlin Lawrence and Lee Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations
    • AJC Paris
    • Shapiro Silverberg AJC Central Europe (Warsaw)
    • AJC Transatlantic Institute (Brussels)
    • Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs
    • AJC Jerusalem
  • Foreign Language Websites
    • AJC Berlin (German)
    • AJC Español (Spanish)
    • AJC Paris (French)