Police in Antwerp early Wednesday morning raided the homes of mohelim in the Chareidi kehilla in the city, seeking their bris knives and lists of children, including the homes of renowned mohelim, HaRav Aharon Eckstein and HaRav Moshe Landau. The police raid follows an outrageous lawsuit filed over a year ago by a Jew with a history of provoking Jewish kehillos in Europe. According to testimonies, the officers knocked on doors and said, “Either you open up, or we break in.” The police confiscated all the knives in their possession despite the fact that there has yet to be a court ruling on the case, and requested the list of all the babies they circumcised in the past year. The Jewish complainant crossed a red line by not only filing a lawsuit against the mohelim but also against Rabbanim and Rebbes who serve as sandekim at brisos, including the Rebbe of Peshwarsk and even the late Gaavad of the Shomrei HaDas community, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Moshe Lieberman, z’tl. The European Jewish Association (EJA) issued a statement condemning the police raid. EJA chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said that “this constitutes yet another red line crossed in the intimidation of Jewish religious figures in Belgium.” “Following the ban on ritual slaughter, the harassment of Mohels represents a further red line and a clear warning sign to Belgian Jews and the Belgian government. Freedom of religion must be upheld!” “Any restriction, no matter how small, on circumcision in Belgium would send a clear message to Belgian Jews that they are not welcome in the country”. “The EJA urges law enforcement authorities, policymakers, the government, and members of parliament must urgently pass legislation that explicitly guarantees circumcision as a protected part of religious freedom under the law.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)