London rabbi facing illegal circumcision charges granted bail by Irish Court
Rabbi Jonathan Abraham was granted bail and allowed to return to the UK at Dublin Crown Court
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
London-based Rabbi Jonathan Abraham has been granted bail and allowed to return to the UK having been remanded in custody for three weeks in Dublin on charges over the registration of a circumcision.
Jewish News understands Abraham, 47,from Golders Green, was informed by a judge on Thursday that his request for bail has been granted.
Rabbi Abraham, an experienced mohel who is registered with the Initiation Society in the UK, was charged earlier this month with carrying out a surgical procedure without being a registered medical practitioner.
He had appeared in Dublin High Court on Tuesday to request bail which had previously been denied in the District Court.
The defence proposed bail conditions, including a bond and a combination of independent sureties totalling €100,000, to secure his release pending a trial.
A decision over whether to grant bail was put off until Thursday.
It is understood Rabbi Abraham he was initially arrested and then charged for allegedly carrying out illegal circumcisions on non-Jewish children.
Detained in Cloverhill Prison in Dublin, the rabbi appeared in court again two weeks ago to claim his human rights were being breached with the failure to provide kosher food.
The prison’s assistant governor Paul O’Neill said that provisions had been made “to the best of the kitchen’s ability” and there had been “absolutely no attempt made to re-box a chicken that had come from the tray”.
Cloverhill had tried to source kosher food from an accredited provider but could not do so yesterday as it was Shabbat, he explained.
A mohel is permitted to perform a brit in Ireland in accordance with Jewish tradition, so long as they as aregistered medical practitioner in the country.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
