An Arctic Blast from the Past: Northern Exposure’s Jewish Anti-Circumcision Doctor
“In medical school, they try to prepare you for this. They do. They tell you there’ll be tough decisions, times when you have to hold someone’s fate in your hand, times when you are forced to play God. But nothing really prepares you for times like this. Nothing. — Dr. Joel Fleishman on circumcision …
Undermining the Cause of Genital Autonomy through Jewish Scapegoating & Antisemitic Tropes
Editor’s Note: The following article appeared on David’ Balashinsky’s blog on March 28, 2022, and was recently updated, making this the first long-form article addressing the most recent concerns of antisemitism in the genital autonomy community. By DAVID BALASHINSKY — I got involved in “intactivism” (the name by which the cause of eradicating male genital mutilation…
Refuting “Jewish Fragility” & Why Antisemitism Harms the Genital Autonomy (GA) Movement
By RYAN McALLISTER — I’ve come to expect defensiveness when I bring up the topic of circumcision. I’ve talked with thousands of people in my small, personal efforts to oppose circumcision in the US, and defensiveness is how nearly everyone responds. And yet, in his newest book and recent posts, Brendon Marotta singles out the…
Standing Together Against Antisemitism
By REBECCA WALD Antisemitism is on the rise. The Anti-Defamation League reports that across the U.S., antisemitic incidents hit an all-time high in 2021. Tel Aviv University has also reported record-high global antisemitism. Sadly, for many of us in the Jewish community, these trends are more than abstract figures. A few months ago, my own…
“With Their Hearts” Text Study
Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon created this short film as part of Bruchim’s educational resources. Bruchim is a nonprofit that advocates for non-circumcising Jews and their families. Eliyahu walks us through three texts from the heart of the Rabbinic legal tradition that all deal with the matter of intact(uncircumcised)Jewish boys and men. He demonstrates that contrary to common belief,…
Jewish Practices Can Evolve
By REBECCA WALD — Sometimes Jewish practice finds itself on a collision course with modern science. How is this handled? Can long-standing Jewish practices evolve? The answer can be found in the life and work of Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler who passed away last week at the age of 95. Tendler’s life and legacy have…
A Brit Shalom and (also) a New Beginning
By REBECCA WALD — A few weeks ago I traveled to northern California to attend the brit shalom of the grandson of my friend and colleague Lisa Braver Moss. It was a magical day full of spiritual and personal significance. The ceremony the family chose came from the book, Celebrating Brit Shalom, which Lisa and I co-authored…
I was a Soviet Jew who chose to get circumcised after making Aliyah to Israel. Now I regret it.
By YAKOV ZISSER — I was born in Siberia, Russia, in 1957. My parents and grandparents were originally Latvian Jews. As an independent country, Latvia had a small Jewish population where Jews had schools and participated in culture and politics. However the Soviets occupied Latvia in 1940. On the eve of Germany’s invasion of Latvia, in…
A Different Take on Brit Milah During Coronavirus
Forgive me, but I am getting more than a little tired of reading the myriad “heartwarming” stories about how brit milah is carrying on despite the Covid-19 pandemic. About how loved ones far and wide now watch the cutting take place on Zoom, and how mohels are donning surgical masks. To counter these trite pieces…
Why Question Circumcision?
Many of us grew up hearing that circumcision is “just a snip,” the removal of “a little extra piece of skin,” “no big deal,” and “healthier.” Did you grow up hearing these things? If so, it’s only natural for you to believe them—especially when you haven’t been exposed to any evidence to the contrary. When…