PRESS RELEASE — August 24, 2012
The Rabbinical Council of America, representing more than 1,000 rabbis worldwide, calls upon German Bundestag to expedite the passage of legislation that assures the right of Jews to practice ritual circumcision. Furthermore, we call upon the courts of Bavaria to immediately drop all criminal charges filed against Rabbi David Goldberg, the Chief Rabbi of the Bavarian city of Hof, for performing a circumcision.
We applaud the strong support voiced by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle for such legislation. However, we note that until legislative action occurs, a single maverick German citizen can use a decision by the Cologne court to press charges against those who follow Jewish tradition. Such actions have fanned the the flames for contempt of Judaism and of religious freedom.
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, president of the Rabbinical Council of America has noted that “history has taught us that the use of bans against circumcision are a way of disparaging Jewish tradition. That such action can occur in a democratic Germany of today is shameful.”
As rabbis, we pray that this most regretful episode in modern history will soon end and will, through true moral leadership, lead to greater understanding and the full protection of religious rights for all Jews and other minorities.
About the RCA:
The Rabbinical Council of America, with national headquarters in New York City, is a professional organization serving more than 1000 Orthodox Rabbis in the United States of America, Canada, Israel, and around the world. Membership is comprised of duly ordained Orthodox Rabbis who serve in positions of the congregational Rabbinate, Jewish education, chaplaincies, and other allied fields of Jewish communal work
For further information about this statement, you may contact:
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, President
The Rabbinical Council of America
305 Seventh Ave
New York, NY 10001
212-807-9000
http://www.Rabbis.org
Mikolot Mayim Rabbim 
Excellent, Rav Folger! From past experience with the legislative authority in Germany, how long can one expect the process to take until this shameful situation is rectified?
The Bundestag passed a resolution to have a legislative solution by the fall. Whether that will happen successfully, we will see. We really need a quick but solid solution.