Leicester rabbi doubts Jews involved in ‘illegal’ bris

The head of Leicester’s Jewish community has said he would be “extremely surprised” if Jewish families had been caught up in a scandal involving an NHS psychiatrist performing illegal circumcisions.

Rabbi Shmuli Pink said most Jewish families would come through the Leicester Hebrew Congregation for their bris (circumcision).

The BBC reported that Dr Hassan Abdulla has been banned from the practice by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, who found that he had performed 41 “illegal” circumcisions “for Muslim and Jewish families” in a non-sterile environment.

“I have no idea who they are, or who they could be,” said Rabbi Pink. “To be honest, I’d be extremely surprised if Jewish families were involved.”

A spokesman for Milah UK said: “This case underlines the need for parents in the community to properly research who they choose to perform their son’s Brit Milah to ensure that they conform to all appropriate regulations.”

Systems of oversight, training and regulation in the UK have been replicated across the world to ensure that the best possible safeguards are in place whenever a brit milah (male circumcision) is performed.