According to a representative of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel in Jerusalem, a child does not have to be circumcised in order to attend secular government-sponsored daycare, nor does the secular daycare check to see if the child is circumcised (27 June 1994). He added that he did not believe a non-Jewish male child would want to attend a Jewish religious daycare centre, therefore circumcision likely would not be an issue. He did acknowledge, however, that he was not sure of the religious requirements or prerequisites set by religious daycare centres. The representative further added that some Jewish boys are not circumcised, depending on the wishes of the parents, although he assumed the director of a religious daycare would insist that a Jewish child undergo a circumcision ceremony in order to attend his daycare centre (ibid.).

According to a representative of the National Council for the Child in Jerusalem, it is not necessary for a child to be circumcised in order to attend daycare (28 June 1994). With regard to religious daycare, circumcision is more a religious principle than a necessity. It would be assumed that a child was circumcised and no investigation would be carried out.

The representative of the National Council for the Child stated that the organization has never had a complaint lodged or an appeal made because a child was not circumcised and could not attend either a religious or secular daycare centre. The unit dealing with new immigrants from the former Soviet Union has never received a formal complaint concerning a problem of this nature either. The representative stated that he was not saying that a male child has never been prevented from attending daycare due to not being circumcised, only that a formal complaint of such an incident has never been received by his organization. He also added that he has never heard of a policy requiring circumcision in order to attend daycare.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Jerusalem. 27 June 1994. Telephone conversation with a representative.

National Council for the Child, Jerusalem. 28 June 1994. Telephone conversation with a representative.