A rabbi detained after being accused of carrying out an illegal circumcision in Dublin has won the right to receive kosher food after taking the Irish prison service to court over the conditions of his custody in Cloverhill Prison.

Rabbi Jonathan Abraham, 47, who has 15 years of experience as a mohel, was arrested two weeks ago in a private home in the Irish capital, where he was allegedly performing a circumcision. He is accused of conducting the operation without local certification and faces a maximum of five years in prison if found guilty.

Upon his detention, after being deemed a flight risk back to London, Rabbi Abraham complained that his human rights were being violated. Specifically, he was not allowed to pray using his tefillin, and he was not provided with kosher food.

In a High Court hearing, Justice Nuala Jackson ruled in favor of the rabbi, stating that the prison authorities had erred. She noted that the failure to provide Rabbi Abraham with kosher food had “caused him considerable and understandable stress and seemed to stem from a lack of understanding by the prison services regarding the need to provide him with food in accordance with his religious beliefs.”

Cloverhill has since taken steps to allow Rabbi Abraham to use his tefillin and to obtain kosher food for him. However, the judge determined that the conditions of the detention did not warrant releasing the rabbi from custody.

The judge remarked that Rabbi Abraham was a dedicated and committed member of the Jewish faith, and his devotion had made a positive impression on the court.

Given the circumstances of the case and in light of her findings, the judge was willing to order the Irish State to cover 50 percent of the rabbi’s legal costs.

Ireland’s Chief Rabbi, Yoni Wieder, who testified in court, had made multiple representations to the prison authorities about the importance of providing kosher food to Rabbi Abraham. However, he noted that this had not been done prior to the High Court ruling.