A local rabbi publicly announced his departure from Belgium, stating that new criminal charges against mohels and strict enforcement of medical licensing rules for bris milah have made continued illegal circumcisions (metzitzah b’peh — the traditional oral suction step) untenable. Belgian prosecutors recently indicted at least three circumcisers (including one U.S. citizen for “intentional assault” and practicing medicine without proper credentials — a move condemned by israel, the U.S. ambassador, and jewish organizations). The rabbi and community leaders describe the issue as antisemitism and claim it’s forcing a shrinking jewish population to reconsider life in Belgium.