Safety first
Child welfare and medical quality
Standards, training and professional support focus on preventable risk, preparedness, complication recognition, referral and appropriate escalation.
About CERM
A European centre for standards, expertise and constructive solutions
The Centre of Excellence for Religious Male Circumcision (CERM) - brings together medicine, science, religious practice, law and public policy to strengthen safe religious male circumcision and support proportionate, evidence-informed frameworks across Europe.
Why CERM exists
Religious male circumcision sits at the intersection of healthcare, parental responsibility, religious freedom, child welfare and public policy. Those interests should not be treated as mutually exclusive.
CERM was created as a multidisciplinary European centre for knowledge, training, certification and expertise. Its purpose is not limited to practitioner education: it also supports research, public information, policy advice, legal and fundamental-rights work, expert dialogue and partnerships.
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Mission & principles
Knowledge & evidence
Research and public information
CERM supports research, evidence appraisal, documentation and clear information for professionals, policymakers, families, media and the public.
Policy
Practical government advisory
CERM provides technical support and policy recommendations to public authorities and institutions seeking workable, proportionate frameworks.
Fundamental rights
Religious freedom and proportionality
CERM supports evidence-based regulation that protects children while preserving the ability of communities to practise their religion lawfully.
Professional responsibility
Supplementary, not substitutive
CERM does not confer religious qualification and does not replace rabbinic authorities, professional associations or national law.
Dialogue & partnerships
Working across disciplines
Conferences, councils, working groups and partnerships bring together medicine, religion, law, academia, public policy and civil society.
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What CERM does — and does not
CERM does
Develop standards, training and certification; commission and publish research; maintain knowledge and information resources; advise lawmakers and public authorities; provide legal and fundamental-rights expertise; organise conferences and expert dialogue; and build partnerships with medical, academic, religious and public institutions.
CERM does not
Train a person to become a Mohel; replace rabbinic or communal qualification; function as a union of Mohalim; confer the legal authority of a regulated healthcare profession; or exempt any practitioner from national law and professional requirements.
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Founding organisations
CERM is founded by two Brussels-based European Jewish institutions. Its advisory, medical, legal and policy structures are designed to widen the centre’s expertise beyond the founding organisations.
Institutional founder
European Jewish Association (EJA)
A Brussels-based European Jewish organisation active in institutional engagement, Jewish life and fundamental-rights issues. ejassociation.eu
Institutional founder
Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE)
A European rabbinical organisation providing religious and communal infrastructure and expertise across Jewish communities. rce.eu.com
Legal particulars, final registration data and statutory wording will be published from the signed incorporation documents. CERM deliberately avoids publishing draft legal data as final.
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Governance & independence
CERM’s credibility depends on a clear separation between institutional governance, religious expertise, medical/scientific review, legal/public-policy expertise and certification decisions. The operating model uses published criteria, conflict-of-interest safeguards and appropriate review or appeal mechanisms.
The centre may establish specialist bodies including a medical and scientific council, a legal and public-policy council, a training and certification committee and international working groups. Public materials distinguish clearly between CERM publications, partner documents and external sources.