_As 21st century Jews, we are always working to adjust our lives and actions to the constantly expanding moral arc of human rights. A greater number of American, Israeli, and worldwide Jews are beginning to question milah (the surgical circumcision) aspect of the bris. Is it wishful thinking to hope that Judaism in the modern age moves to a symbolic interpretation of circumcision, as it has already done for all other violent commandments from the Torah? Jewish law is constantly evolving to expand human rights and ethical treatment of others. Jewish law regularly reinterprets violent decrees in metaphorical and symbolic ways, so as to avoid harming others. That an individual has the right to all of their original body parts is a moral truism. Some Jews even feel that circumcision is a violation adequate enough to warrant legal restriction. Increasingly forward thinking Jews are adopting peaceful covenant ceremonies that abolish the surgical circumcision in favor of a loving welcoming instead. Read their voices.

"We do not engage in circumcision, so that we celebrate all babies being born, girls and boys and the ceremonies are the same for welcoming both girls and boys into a poetic kind of covenantal ideal of love and support. We're all born into the world vulnerable and in need of people who love us and take care of us…  we depend upon each other for love and protection and that extends in this case I would say also to creating a covenant without circumcision….  There’s no official place in our movement’s philosophy for circumcision… the welcoming ceremony has no place for it… it’s really unimportant actually… most Jewish people who have any of covenant actually focus primarily on how we treat each other…   we’re all in this together folks… we all have to live some kind of ideas… not sacrifices of children’s bits - I think that’s completely absurd at this time in history. I will say that I would not circumcise a child. … I think many Rabbis actually if they were going to be honest would say that circumcision is an unimportant part of Jewish life.”
- Rabbi Binyamin Biber, Washington DC Q&A with Ryan McAllister & Rabbi Binyamin Biber, Thursday, September 22, 2011.

“There are tens of thousands of intact Jewish boys and men around the world who thank their lucky stars they were not circumcised.”
- Brian Levitt, Intactivist and co-founder of Jews for the Rights of the Child.

“Although uncircumcised, I am a very proud Jew, with a very strong sense of Jewish identity, and never hesitate to affirm my Jewish identity, to Jew and non-Jew alike, but particularly to myself. I can assure you that having a foreskin has not made me less of a Jew than those without one…”
- Alan Altmann, Circumcision Questions, California Jewish Bulletin.

"It's not a parental choice. There's an ethical problem with making this a parental choice, namely that you're not taking into account the wishes upon whom the surgery is being performed."
- Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, Georgetown University, September 22, 2011, Washington DC Q&A with Ryan McAllister & Rabbi Binyamin Biber Podcast.

“In any other arena of medical or religious practice, such an activity as the willful removal of healthy, God-given, purposefully functioning tissue (without sufficient mitigation of the pain that it causes) from a fully conscious infant, would be immediately recognized, in both Jewish and American law, as the trespass it is.
Or, to put it another way: It's a mitzvah to fight to end circumcision!”
- Samuel Richmond, a Jewish Intactivist in southern California, The Case for Brit Without Milah.

"It seems very silly that people who are not Jewish would engage in circumcisions. It makes no sense to me either. And neither does today from where I'm at, neither does a brit milah work for me. Because when I see the babies crying in your film, and I've spoken with neurosurgeons as well, and I know that babies undergo - that there's a lot of pain involved. Your conclusion was absolutely right. Our faith should be about healing and joy, not about inflicting more pain. And so from my perspective I'm very interested in performing brit shalom. You can do everything you do in that ceremony - except the violent part. Everything works. You can adapt a couple of brahot and it's beautiful. They can carry in the baby, although many Moms don't want to be separated from their babies, so let the Mom carry in the baby. That's the beauty of who we are today. We should be joyful and not hurt little babies... I too am rooted in tradition. I went to Yeshiva. I've davened with Lubbovovich. I've led services in the Conservative synagogues and in the Reform synagogues."
- Rabbi Steven Blane, NYC Q&A with Rabbi Steven Blane & Laurie Evans.

"…the ritual and religious consequences of not being circumcised [in Judaism] amount to nothing. There is absolutely nothing that an intact Jewish male today cannot do. Contrast this with - I'm talking from the Orthodox perspective - non-Sabbath observance. Jews who are not Sabbath observant are not trusted in Halachic courts of law, they cannot be witnesses at people's weddings, they cannot be trusted with issues of Kashrut, making sure that things are Kosher... Here's an issue that is very easy to solve. You don't even have to argue for the eradication of male circumcision in the Jewish tradition for everyone to be happy. All you have to do is say that this will be a decision that an individual makes at an age when they can make the decision.”
- Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, Q&A with Rabbi Steven Blane & Laurie Evans.

"The issue of circumcision, in my view, is whether we want submission and wounding, as a symbolic act, to mark a man's relationship to God and to the community in general. I no longer believe such a wounding is defensible."
"There is more emotion about eliminating circumcision than perhaps any other traditional practice. But it is time to find a different symbol of a boy's entrance into the community. Instead of cutting our sons, we might celebrate their masculinity. A more appropriate symbol would be a nurturing act, one that would affirm a boy's relationship to a loving father, both his own and that of his God. We might, for example, feed our sons, since a meal is also a traditional symbol of covenant. Indeed, in one text, Moses and Aaron and the elders go up to the top of the mountain, and when they see God, they eat and drink. Feeding our sons, rather than wounding them, would be a symbol of our nurturing relationship to them." 
- Rabbi and Professor Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, A Masculine Critique of a Father God, Tikkun Magazine.

"The code of the Jewish law is called "halacha" (the way). Within the Code, there is a provision that if a mother loses a son because of circumcision, she is NOT obligated to circumcise her next son. I extrapolate from this, the inter-connection of my human family, that enough deaths and maiming have occurred because of circumcision. Therefore - circumcision is no longer a requisite! Just as we no longer practice the animal sacrifices in the traditional temple, so let us not sacrifice an important piece of our mammal in the temple of tradition."
- Rabbi Nathan Segal, One Rabbis' Thoughts on Circumcision.

We're seeing [circumcision's] decline, and we're seeing Rabbi's like me and others in other communities saying these practices are not warranted and we're seeing a generational shift away from them. One of the things that I think that's also critical is the growing popularity, and I think a rightful popularity of natural medicine and natural childbirth ideas. And I think that this is clearly seen as inconsistent - circumcision, male infant circumcision, female infant circumcision or genital mutilation - not consistent with natural childbirth, natural health. To the extent we see within nature patterns of evolved health and wellness. This is clearly not one of them. Inflicting a wound on an infant is clearly not one of those... If circumcision is ever wanted, it's not warranted at this point.“
- Rabbi Binyamin Biber, Q&A with Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon with Ryan McAllister & Rabbi Binyamin Biber.

“Mutilation of the divinely made human body is as far from Judaism as anything could be… Torah mentions circumcision only cursorily. Circumcision is conspicuously absent from the Sinai commandments, and from the subsequent listings of rules… Deut30:6 mentions circumcision metaphorically at most, “circumcise your heart.” No less likely is the meaning, “tame your pride.”
- Israeli Linguist Vadim Cherny, How Judaic is the circumcision?

“Judaism has always been a core piece of my identity, even though my practice and understanding have evolved over the years. I have great reverence for what we hold as spiritual. When the authorities of my tradition define the sacred in a way that violates the most elemental and life-giving forces, mothers and babies, then something is very wrong. That which is not ethical, cannot be spiritual. That is a basic Jewish tenet… It is Judaism that has taught me that reverence for life, the principle of pikuah nefesh, and the mandate incumbant upon all of us to distinguish (l’havdeel) between what is holy and what is profane. It is precisely these fundamental tenets of Judaism that have led me to conclude that circumcision is not holy in terms of Jewish ethics.… What is most satisfying to me is knowing that I have helped a number of parents, particularly Jewish parents, come to the conclusion that they can be good Jews and leave their baby intact.”
- Miriam Pollack, Defying Convention: An Interview With Miriam Pollack, Beyond the Bris.

"…As a progressive Reform Jew I was raised to believe that any conflict between human rights and Jewish law and/or tradition, is always resolved in favor of human rights, and that this does not diminish Judaism, but in fact makes it stronger… So when does circumcision become a bad idea?  If a single child suffers from it directly, or indirectly from complications, or ... a single child should die (which is not common but does happen) isn't that enough warrant a re-evaluation? ... I believe it is time for the Reform movement to consider how contemporary medical and ethical studies on circumcision put the practice at odds with its cherished values of human rights and social justice -- values which, in my opinion, are truly what defines and are central to Judaism."
 - Thomas Wolfe, Why do we need an alternative Brit Milah (Bris) ceremony?

“It seems to me that for liberal Jews the choice comes down to this. Do we want to in some way circumscribe the sexual possibilities of our sons by performing a body modification when they are infants so as to bear witness to the covenant? Are there not other ways to bear witness? Are there not other ways to maintain our distinctiveness from the society around us? Despite having circumcised my two sons, the more I think about the issue, the more likely – were I a resident of San Francisco – I would support the referendum.”
- Sandford Borins, Ph.D., The Circumcision Referendum: A Liberal Jewish Perspective.Sandford Borins, Ph.D., is a professor of Management at the University of Toronto.

“There are really no practical religious ritual consequences - and I’m speaking about this from an Orthodox perspective too - to not being circumcised… The only exclusion in Jewish law – even from an Orthodox perspective, for an intact Jewish male is the Pascal Lamb, the Korban Pesach (animal sacrifice) which hasn’t been brought in 2,000 years, and it won’t be brought again until the Temple’s rebuilt obstensively. If it’s even brought when the Temple’s rebuilt, if the Temple’s rebuilt.“
- Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, Washington DC Q&A with Ryan McAllister & Rabbi Binyamin Biber, Thursday, September 22, 2011.

“All attempts to justify a custom such as this by means of one or another symbolic explanation collapse in the presence of the baby, in agony under the mohel’s knife.… there is enough of worth in Judaism to guarantee its survival, even after it rids itself of this disturbing custom. It may even be strengthened this way.”
- Israeli Professor Hanoch Ben-Yami, Letters, Azure, Summer 5767 / 2007.

“More and more Jews are choosing to not circumcise their boys.. (Thank God!) And just as we accept Jews who do not keep kosher or observe as we do, we recognize the amazing diversity of practice and belief that is part and parcel of our astounding heritage.
Genital cutting does not create a 'mensch' (a conscious-caring individual). Indeed it is more of an obstacle to our natural development and [a] source of anger and confusion. Coming from an Orthodox background and having lived in Jerusalem, i am very aware that the problems of domestic violence and sexual pathology are just as prevalent in the observant communities as in the secular. Deuteronomy 10:16 says: "Circumcise the foreskin of your heart..." In Hebrew, the word foreskin is 'orlah'... there is an 'orlah' covering the ear and the heart... What is preventing us from 'hearing the word of God and opening our hearts in love and compassion.. This is the real circumcision that needs to occur. and it is a life-time learning ceremony…. 'Brit Milah' is the hebrew for the covenant of 'circumcision'. 'Mila' also means 'word'.. We can welcome the child with songs and praises and holy words, gentle tones, and soft touches and smiles.”
- Rabbi Nathan Segal, One Rabbis' Thoughts on Circumcision.

“So it’s quite obvious that to question any aspect of Judaism, including circumcision is not anti-Semitic. It is very much in keeping with Judaism’s rich tradition of discussion and debate…So what if parents don’t want the milah, but still want the brit? Several different alternative rituals have been created by parents and rabbis of all branches of Judaism. They’re typically called a Brit Shalom, so rather than covenant of cutting, it’s a covenant of peace. They tend to involve all the traditional aspects of a traditional bris, including all the same participants and blessings, just without the actual circumcision. Some will simply use the same naming ceremony used for girls. It’s not particularly common, but it is being used more often now than in the past. Support groups exist for parents of intact Jewish boys. Cars now bear bumper stickers which read, “Jews embracing wholeness. Saying no to circumcision”. Even in Israel, there are Jewish organizations that oppose brit milah. One non-profit organization in Israel working to stop circumcision took its case to the High Court of Justice in 1998 and maintained in its petition that “in a modern democratic society there is no place for the ‘barbaric’ ceremony which mauls a child who does not have any say in the matter." The movement is largely made up of Reform parents, but it is visible in other areas as well. Moshe Rothenberg is a Conservative Jew living in an observant Jewish community in Brooklyn, yet he did not circumcise his son. (Rothenberg).  The Af-milah newsletter is an Israeli newsletter dedicated to ending brit milah.  Those who question and refuse to have a brit milah aren’t necessarily doing it because they have assimilated or because they’re anti-Semitic. Some feel this way after careful study of Jewish texts and observances.”
- D.A. Huffman-Parent, Brit Milah : Inconsistent with Jewish Ethics?

“I’d heard how my uncle had fainted during my bris and what a horrible event it was. This was the thing everyone would talk about at the Passover seder… The ban on circumcision that’s on the ballot in San Francisco is a triumph for intactivists… I'm totally for it. San Francisco has often lead the country in elevating our consciousness. It has already helped spread awareness of this human rights crime to other states and hopefully will lead people everywhere to be more compassionate, thoughtful and rational not only towards their own fragile newborn children but to other fellow men and women as well.”
- Jason Paige, Jewish Singer, Blood, Sweat & Tears Lead Singer Protests Infant Circumcision.

Some American Rabbis Explain their Opposition to Circumcision.
Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon with Ryan McAllister & Rabbi Binyamin Biber * 
Rabbi Jeffrey Falick: Eliminating The Cruelest Cut * A humanistic Rabbi on Intactivism.
Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon with Rabbi Steven Blane & Laurie Evans *  
Rabbi Nathan Segal Calls for an End to Circumcision * A Progressive Rabbi urges us to move to peaceful covenants.
Rabbi Jeffrey Falick: A Resource Guide To The "Intactivist" (No Circumcision) Movement *

Jewish Intactivist Media.
BeyondtheBris.com * A Jewish Intactivist parenting blog.
Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision * A Film by Orthodox Intactivist, Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon
QUESTIONING CIRCUMCISION: A Jewish Perspective by Ronald Goldman, Ph.D. *
Worldwide list of Rabbis who lead covenant without cutting ceremonies *

Jewish Intactivist Groups.
Jews Against Circumcision * Jews For the Rights of the Child * Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective by Ron Goldman, PhD. * Gonnen * Kahal * Af-Mila: An Israeli Jewish Intactivist Journal *
The Israeli Association Against Genital Mutilation * 

Jewish Peaceful Covenant Texts for New Parents.
Worldwide list of Rabbis who lead covenant without cutting ceremonies * 
Brit B'lee Milah (Covenant Without Cutting) Ceremony * 
A Brit Shalom Ceremony * 
Norm Cohen: A Brit B’lee Milah Ceremony *
Song for an Intact Jewish Boy’s Welcoming Ceremony *

Progressive Jews Acknowledge the Moral Problems of Circumcision.
Eli Ungar-Sargon Outlawing Circumcision Good for the Jews? * Published in the Jewish Daily Forward.
Circumcision Questions (letter from an intact Jew). * Published in the Northern California Jewish Bulletin.
Hebrew Scholar Vadim Cherny: How Judaic is circumcision? * It’s not at all, he finds.
Eli Ungar-Sargon & Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on the Ethical Problems of Circumcision * At the Manhattan Jewish Experience.
Jenny Goodman, MD: An Alternative Perspective * A Jewish doctor in the UK urges us to keep our sons intact.
A Progressive Case for Bris without Milah. * 
Miriam Pollack: Circumcision : A Jewish Feminist Perspective * Published in Jewish Women Speak Out.
Brit Milah: Inconsistent with Jewish Ethics? * Written by a Jewish parent.
The Measure of His Grief by Lisa Braver Moss * A new book exploring Jewish intactivism.
Miriam Pollack, Intactivist of the Month *
Lisa Braver Moss: Evolving Jewish Practices * Published on Beyond the Bris.
Moshe Rothenberg: Being Rational About Circumcision and Jewish Observance * 
Lisa Braver Moss: The Jewish Roots of Anti-Circumcision Arguments * 
Defying Convention: An Interview With Miriam Pollack * Published on Beyond the Bris.
Profile of Orthodox Intactivist Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon * 

Judaism, the Foreskin and Human Rights Law.
Jewish Parents, the Foreskin, and Human Rights * Part 1.
Jewish Parents, the Foreskin, and Human Rights * Part 2. 
Jewish Parents, the Foreskin, and Human Rights * Part 3. 

Leaders in the Jewish Movement Against Circumcision.
Jewish Rationales for Abolishing Circumcision * from Jews Against Circumcision.
Jewish mom: Circumcision spiritually wounds * From a lecture by Miriam Pollack.
Jewish Scholar and Intactivist, Leonard Glick, MD, PhD. * A Jewish history of circumcision.
Shea Levy: To the Mohel Who Cut Me * Published on Beyond the Bris.
Progressive, Moral Jews speak out in Favor of Banning Circumcision on Minors. * Intactivism and Human Rights.
The History of Circumcision: Leonard Glick , MD, PhD. explains how he came to write Marked In Your Flesh. * 
Jonathan Friedman: On Circumcision Authority, and the Perpetuation of Abuse * Published on Beyond the Bris.
Women’s Perspectives * Published on Dr. Ron Goldman’s site.
American Jews Speak Out in Favor of Banning Circumcision on Minors * 
International Jews Also Favor Outlawing Circumcision of Minors * 
Judaism, Human Rights and the History of Circumcision * 
The Intactivist Movement Within Judaism. * Published on Saving Sons.
Howard Stern: Jewish Intactivist * Published on Beyond the Bris.

Read Jewish Parents' Experiences Keeping their Sons Intact.
Dear Elijah: A Conservative Jewish Father's Letter to His Intact Son * Published on Peaceful Parenting.
Moshe Rothenberg: Ending Circumcision in the Jewish Community? * Envisioning an Intactivist Judaism.
The Naming * Published on Very, Very Fine.
Michael Kimmel: The Kindest Un-Cut: Feminism, Judaism, and My Son's Foreskin * Published in Tikkun. 
Circumcision: Identity, Gender, and Power by Miriam Pollack * Originally published in Tikkun.
Sarah Rockwell: Lucking Into Bris Shalom * Published on Beyond the Bris.
Stacey Greenberg: My Son: The Little Jew with a Foreskin * Published in Mothering Magazine.
Laura Shanley: A Jewish Woman Denounces Circumcision * A Childbirth educator chooses intact.
Intact & Jewish * Published on the Natural Parents Network.
Diane Targovnik: How "Cut" Saved My Son's Foreskin : A Movie Review * Published on Beyond the Bris.
Today’s Jews Reject Circumcision and Choose Peaceful Welcoming Covenants * An Intactivist Midwife.

A personal story from a Jewish mother who finally researched circumcision, and had a change of heart once she learned the facts.

Written by: Rebekah C. on her 
Thoughtful Momma blog
Posted With Permission from Author

Circumcision is one of those issues that has moms flaring at the nostrils and screaming in protest regardless of how they personally feel about the issue. I remember the first time someone challenged me on the topic and how furious I was when she suggested I was advocating for infant mutilation. I was, to put it blandly, enraged.

I grew up being raised in a blended faith. My family are Messianics: Jews who embrace Jesus as the Messiah promised in the Tenach. I remember my youngest brother’s Bris quite well but because his Bris was a reception only (the actual procedure was done in the hospital), and the only other one I’d ever been to happened when I was so young I couldn’t really remember it, I had no idea, really, what circumcision entailed other than my parent’s sublime explanation: “It’s when a little flap of skin is cut off as a sign….”

Years later, I married a man who wasn’t circumcised. Not to go into too much private detail but I will tell you that I thought it was so COOL he wasn’t. I had this idea that it made him unique, almost exotic. I laugh a little at myself now, of course. I have only ever “been with” my husband so it’s not as if I had anything at all to compare it to and now, of course, it seems ridiculous to consider something entirely normal as “exotic”.

However, as we talked here n there about our faith, future children, that sort of thing, circumcision came up a lot. At that time in my life, I truly believed that our son(s) needed to be circumcised. That not doing it to him would be a sin. For me. Not him, for me and for my husband.

I am explaining this to demonstrate the backwards and completely blinded point of view I had at that time. When I conceived my first child, I still felt that circumcision was just something I had to do. Thankfully, she came out without a penis, lol. I deeply cared about my child and had she been born a boy I would have had her circumcised believing I was doing the very best thing for her physically AND spiritually. I wasn’t any less of a loving person then. I haven’t become more intelligent over the last 6 years, either.

That said, I was definitely thinking backwards. See, I would never have dreamed of asking my husband to be circumcised. If asked, I would have explained why by saying that it was his body, not mine, and that the decision to cut himself was between him and God.

Are you catching the discrepancy here? It wasn’t ok for me to ask a grown man to choose for himself but it was entirely ok with me to make that decision for my defenseless baby?!

Then, one day, when my oldest was about a year old, I become involved (to my embarrassment, now) in a flame-war going on in a wonderful little yahoo-group that revolved around birthing. As I’m sure you can imagine, mother’s are vicious and don’t really pull any punches when they are advocating their motherly choices for their children. This little war was epic, yes it was. Someone had posted an informative link regarding circumcision awareness and someone else had immediately retorted about being judged and it went off from there. I kept my mouth shut at that point as my personal opinion was that circumcision for any reason other than religious was stupid. But then, the fateful words hit my inbox: “Mutilating your son in the name of your god is still wrong, regardless of your religion.” Ooh I was hot! SO angry. It was like someone punched me in the stomach. How DARE this woman comment on something so intimate and personal as another person’s religious beliefs! I’m afraid I wasn’t even really “hearing” her point, I was just pissed she presumed to know another person’s heart when making decisions like this. 

Looking back on it, she didn’t say anything cruel or intentionally insulting, she was just speaking the truth. But it was ON in that moment. I wrote a lengthy, heartfelt, passionate response. She returned it with one of her own. She made me look like a complete idiot without even trying because she had all this “information” about what was done and it’s life-long implications and I realized I had no idea what I was talking about! So I set about researching her claims, intent on digging up the opposite research to shut her up.

That isn’t what happened, though. I had been told growing up that the anti-circumcision movement was “the Enemy’s” attack on God’s people. That it was anti-Semitic, etc etc. And I was convinced that I could prove her wrong by going to science. After all, wasn’t it true that being circumcised was healthier? I mean, obviously she was just bigoted or misled…right? RIGHT?

Nope. No, in fact, every click I made drew me further and further into an education I didn’t even know I needed. I learned, for the first time in my life, what a foreskin really was and how it compared to female anatomy. I also learned about other forms of ritual genital mutilation that are NOT socially acceptable but defended with the exact same arguments as what I was using! (referring to Female Genital Mutilation, here) I watched circumcision videos (not for the faint of heart, let me tell you! I cried…a lot). I read medical websites devoted both to defending the practice and ousting it as an outdated unnecessary and yes, harmful procedure. I learned things I never dreamed could be true, including that just as many baby boys die during the neonatal period of their lives from being circumcised as do from SIDS. THAT interesting fact spurned me to learn even more and by the end, I was a changed person. I was humbled and I had some serious thinking and soul-searching to do.

I, like so many others, looked for ways around the religious “need” without actually denouncing circumcision. I researched “gentler” ways to remove the foreskin from the son I hoped for, even going so far as to consider doing it myself so that it was done “Biblically” and with the least amount of harm possible!

It was then, when considering doing it myself that I realized that I had lost my friggin’ mind! I mean, I’m sitting there, considering cutting a piece of my son off myself in order to protect him from harm!?!?! What was WRONG with me? I came to the conclusion that there was something seriously wrong with my thinking. My husband, of course, had been going through his own thoughts and research about it and obviously, being uncirced himself, came to the same conclusions. It was a relief, in a way, but posed other issues for us. Concerns about “sin” and about rejection from my family (who still see this as something sacred and necessary). I’ll come back to my thoughts on that at a later time, though.

I’m happy and even proud to say that now I have a 13mo old baby boy who is happily and blissfully ignorant of what he’s been spared. His body was left intact, as it was designed and functions normally. It may be that someday he’ll grow up and, for his own reasons, decide to get circumcised. I admit that as his mother I hope he doesn’t: I think he’s perfectly created just the way he is and it would be a real shame to mutilate a part of his perfect little body. But it’s his decision ultimately, and that’s what matters. HIS choice. Not mine.

I share all of this because I want people to understand that I get it. I know how complicated and difficult this “choice” feels because I’ve been there. I’ve agonized over it, defended it and seethed when anyone contradicted my perceptions of reality.

I really want to talk about this more, it’s a subject I’ve come to feel very passionate about. I want to help stop this horrible practice and help other parents to wake up and see what it is we’re doing! I realize this topic will piss people off. For a long time I hesitated to write about it because I don’t really like intentionally offending people. Unfortunately, though, the truth is the truth. Sometimes hearing it angers people. That’s ok. If someone hadn’t offended me, my son’s little penis would be mutilated today and I sincerely hope that I can share that gift of “enlightenment” with someone else.

Posted with Permission

Over the last 170 years, a Jewish and Israeli movement to stop circumcision has emerged. The movement is inspired by modern notions of an individual’s right to their own body, new historical information about the non-Judaic origin of circumcisions in Africa and Egypt, scientific discoveries about the damage caused by circumcision, and a desire to live a higher level of spiritual ethics. They include Jewish mothers, fathers, families, scholars, intellectuals, educators, and Jews around the world. More and more Jewish parents in Israel, America, and the rest of the world are choosing to bypass circumcision, and to keep their new sons intact. Alternative rituals called the Brit B’lee Milah or Bris Shalom are serving as covenant ceremonies rather than surgical circumcision. More Jews are beginning to live their spiritual values and ethics by respecting their son's bodies and refining their rituals accordingly.

“His body, His Rights” – Intactivist Protest by Jews for the Rights of the Child

Intactivist Jewish Groups in the United States
♡  Jews Against Circumcision
♡  Jews for the Rights of the Child
♡  Questioning Circumcision by Ron Goldman, PhD.
♡  Officiants of Bris Shalom / Brit B'lee Milah by Mark D. Reiss, M.D. (50+ Rabbis and Jewish Leaders)

Intactivist Jewish Media (Movies, Blogs)
♡  Cut - Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision - A Film by Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon
♡  Beyond the Bris Milah: Jewish Intactivist Parenting Forum
♡  Officiants of Bris Shalom / Brit B'lee Milah by Mark D. Reiss, M.D. (50+ Rabbis and Jewish Leaders)

Peaceful Intactivist Covenants: Brit B’lee Milah, Bris Shalom, Brit Chayim, Brit Ben and more.
♡  Officiants of Bris Shalom / Brit B'lee Milah by Mark D. Reiss, M.D. (50+ Rabbis and Jewish Leaders)
♡  Brit Shalom: An Alternative Naming Ceremony by Mark D. Reiss, M.D.
♡  Jewish, and uncircumcised by Hayley Mick, The Globe and Mail (Canada)
♡  Bris Shalom Officiants by Mark D. Reiss, M.D.♡  The Measure of His Grief by Lisa Braver Moss

Peaceful Covenant/Naming Texts for Intactivist Jewish Parents.
♡  Our Son's Bris Shalom, or Welcoming Covenant By Brenda Platt
♡  Bris Shalom Ceremony by Norm Cohen
♡  The Bris Shalom Ceremony
♡  Brit Shalom-Covenant of Wholeness
♡  Brit B'lee Milah Ceremony Text #1
♡  Brit B'lee Milah Ceremony Text #2

“Genital Integrity is a Human Right” – Intactivist Protest by Jews for the Rights of the Child

Voices of Intactivist Jewish Parents – Mothers
♡  My Son: The Little Jew with a Foreskin by Stacey Greenberg
♡  Lucking Into Bris Shalom by Sarah Rockwell
♡  Open Letter from Dr. Jenny Goodman.
♡  A Jewish Woman Denounces Circumcision by Laura Shanley
♡  Intact and Jewish on Natural Parents Network
♡  How "Cut" Saved My Son's Foreskin: A Movie Review by Diane Targovnik
♡  Circumcision: A Jewish Mother Has a Change of Heart

Voices of Intactivist Jewish Parents – Fathers
♡  The Kindest Un-Cut Feminism, Judaism, and My Son's Foreskin by Professor Michael S. Kimmel
♡  Ending Circumcision in the Jewish Community? by Moshe Rothenberg, MSW

Intactivist Jewish Voices - Many Jews Question Circumcision
♡  Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 1
♡  Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 2
♡  Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 3
♡  Jews Speak Out in Favor of Banning Circumcision on Minors

Intellectual and Moral Foundations of Jewish Intactivism
♡  Israeli Linguist Vadim Cherny: How Judaic is circumcision?
♡  Being rational about circumcision and Jewish observance by Moshe Rothenberg
♡  Brit Milah : Inconsistent with Jewish Ethics? By D.A. Huffman-Parent,
♡  One Rabbis' Thoughts on Circumcision by Rabbi Nathan Segal
♡  Intactivist of the Month: Leonard Glick, MD, PhD.
♡  Eli Ungar-Sargon Debates Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on the Ethical Problems of Circumcision
♡  An Alternative Perspective by Jenny Goodman, MD.
♡  Defying Convention: An Interview With Miriam Pollack
♡  A Case for Bris without Milah.
♡  Jerusalem Post: Challenging the Circumcision Myth by Jan Jaben-Eilon [PDF]

Jewish mother and childbirth educator Kathryn Mora who Testified in Support of the MGM Bill at the Massachusetts State House.

Voices of Intactivist Jews - Men
♡  On Circumcision, Authority, and the Perpetuation of Abuse by Jonathan Friedman
♡  Howard Stern: Jewish Intactivist by Rebecca Wald, J.D.
♡  To the Mohel Who Cut Me by Shea Levy

Voices of Intactivist Jews – Women
♡  Circumcision: Identity, Gender, and Power by Miriam Pollack
♡  Circumcision: A Jewish Feminist Perspective by Miriam Pollack
♡  Jewish mom: Circumcision spiritually wounds, breaks bonds and trust

Intactivist Groups in Israel
♡  Kahal - Giving Up Brit Milah [In Hebrew] [In English]
♡  Af-Mila - Israeli Intactivist Magazine [In Hebrew] [In English]
♡  Intact Son - the Israeli Association Against Genital Mutilation (In Hebrew)
♡  Protect the Child (In Hebrew)

An email that was sent to the mohel who performed a young man's circumcision 21 years ago.
                                                                               Written by Shea Levy 
(Read original article here)
Posted with Permission from Author

This is an email I just sent to the mohel who performed my circumcision 21 years ago today. My goal in sending this was to show him the perspective of someone who wished he hadn’t been circumcised, so that he would understand what his profession could do and maybe so he would question his continued participation in the field. I’ve chosen to publish this openly for two reasons: So that my friends and family can understand how I feel personally about my circumcision (rather than just my intellectual position on circumcision in the abstract), and so that anyone out there who is considering performing a circumcision or having one performed might change their minds.

Before I get to the email, a few notes:

• The account includes personal descriptions involving my genitalia. While there is nothing graphically sexual and no pictures or anything, this may make some uncomfortable.
• I’m well aware that my parents had a significant role to play in my circumcision as well. I do not mean this letter to be construed as faulting only Rabbi Henesch. I am still not sure how to discuss this topic with my parents, or even if I should considering that they will not be in the position to circumcise another boy in the future.
• In the email, I used some transliterated Hebrew phrases that I can be sure Rabbi Henesch knows and that some of my readership doesn’t. Such phrases will be explained in square brackets; these brackets were not included in the original email.

Dear Rabbi Henesch,

You wouldn’t remember me, but 21 years ago you changed my life. Like most of your clients, I was eight days old at the time, so I doubt I was able to articulate my thoughts on the procedure. But now I’ve had a fair amount of time living with the effects of your work, and I’d like to share with you my perspective on what you did to me.

If you haven’t guessed by my tone, I wish I hadn’t been circumcised. I could show you studies that I believe demonstrate the deleterious effects of the procedure on infants, the costs to the adults that had the procedure done earlier in life, and the falsity of the supposed health benefits of circumcision, but I won’t. There are dedicated organizations that can convey that information far better than I could. What I have to offer you is my personal experience, the costs I believe your action has lead me to bear, in the hope that you might understand on a personal level the potential for harm that comes with your profession, and perhaps even consider leaving it. This account will be both physically and spiritually personal, but as someone who has had a permanent impact on my genitals I think we’re past those types of boundaries.

Almost every single day, for as long as I can remember, I have at one point or another felt discomfort in the tip of my penis. It doesn’t matter what type of undergarments I wear, if I wear pants or shorts, or whether I’m sedentary at a desk all day or out playing a sport: eventually, my penis will brush against something in an unpleasant way. It’s not a major discomfort or pain, but it’s there and it’s noticeable, and it doesn’t feel natural. It makes me feel like something is wrong, like something is somewhere it doesn’t belong, and there’s nothing at all like it for any other parts of my body that are covered in clothing all day. I can’t verify this personally, but apparently this is a problem that only happens to some circumcised men, and not to any intact ones. In fact, it is my understanding that intact men experience significantly less genital chafing in any circumstances. Regardless of the cause, the fact remains that most days I get a physical reminder of a fact of my biology that I strongly wish wasn’t so.

The permanently uncovered portions of my glans are calloused. They aren’t big callouses like might form on your hands, but the skin is thicker, tougher, and less sensitive than the skin of the glans still partially covered.

I have a scar around my penis, a visual reminder of what used to be there that I never knew. It’s not nearly as bad as some of the extreme examples of circumcisions gone wrong that I’ve seen, but it’s there and noticeable. It certainly doesn’t make me look more attractive than I otherwise would.

The area underneath the folded shaft skin that remains regularly collects dust, lint, and other foreign particles. Though I wash daily, it is fairly sticky and catches occasionally on my pubic hair or the cloth of my underwear, resulting in an unpleasant sensation when it becomes uncaught.

Sex and masturbation are less enjoyable than they could have been. I have good reason to believe, given the callouses I can feel and the physical sensitivity studies that I’ve read, that I am not capable of the same level and variety of physical pleasure that would have been available to me had I been left intact. I lose out on the sensation of loose skin sliding up and down my penis during intercourse or masturbation. My penis has less natural lubrication than it should. Sexual activity causes more friction than it should. Sexual activity is more likely to leave my penis feeling raw and sensitive for some time after the fact than it should. I am more likely to require supplemental lubrication for intercourse than I should. In particular, masturbation is more abrasive, less pleasurable, and overall more difficult than it should be (which, not incidentally, was one of the leading arguments that led to the rise in circumcision rates among non-Jewish Americans).

These physical problems are not insignificant, and I think they alone would be enough for me to regret what happened to me, but they pale in comparison to the spiritual problems. You see, Rabbi Henesch, I do not consider myself a religious Jew. Culturally, I still maintain some of the familial values and some practices, especially those that bring me closer to my family, but I do not believe in God and do not find spiritual or moral guidance from the Tanach [The Old Testament, including the Torah] or the Rabbis. I grew up going to shul [synagogue], celebrating the holidays, going to Sunday School, having a Bar Mitzvah [the Jewish coming-of-age, at 13 for boys], and even going to a Jewish Day School, yet today I am in almost complete control over the extent to which Jewish culture and Jewish religion play a role in my daily life. The exception is circumcision: For the rest of my life, I will have to live with a penis that was cut in the name of a covenant I did not agree to with a being I do not believe exists. I expect you are a civilized man and that you would balk at the idea of adults being forced to express belief in a system they have not personally chosen, whether that expression comes in the form of a requirement to wear a cross around your neck or even a requirement that all who were born Jewish wear the tallit katan [a four-cornered garment with long fringes that is worn under everyday clothing]. Yet that is what the circumcision ritual does: it forces one participant, someone who has just barely opened his eyes to see the world, to bear a permanent, irreversible mark of the religion of the other participant. The Jewish cultural practices I’ve chosen to keep remind me of the goodness and greatness that comes from some aspects of Judaism. The physical modification I cannot change reminds me of all of the bad that helped lead me to reject it as a whole.

At one point, not too long ago, I hated you. I wanted to rage at you, to extract justice from you, to make you explain yourself. But I understand now. I understand how you could have chosen your profession, how you could have chosen to do this to me. Circumcision is viewed as a badge of honor in Judaism, is seen as fundamental to many aspects of the religion, and has a history of being a symbol for the autonomy that the Jews have held on to in the face of tyrannical governments and cultures that have conquered them in the past. I do not condone it, but I can understand why someone raised in that culture might view your job as holy and celebrated, and never even question the possible downsides. But now, you don’t have that luxury. You’ve seen the other side of the issue and now you have a choice to make.

Out of the hundreds or thousands of circumcisions you’ve done, it’s possible I’m the only one who regrets it. But next time you stand over a baby boy, ready to cut, ask yourself: Can I be sure that this boy won’t be the same? Can I be sure that I’m not dooming this child to a life of physical discomfort and inconvenience? Can I be sure that this child will embrace my faith and this symbol of it for the rest of his life? Can I be sure that I have the right to make this decision for him?

You might respond: what about the majority, those who never have any physical problems and remain religious Jews their whole life? Well, my question to you would be: What would they lose? Do Jewish daughters have a less joyous start to their life due to the simchat bat [the female celebration of birth ceremony, with no analogue to circumcision] not including any permanent physical modification? Do Jewish women who retain their faith into adulthood have any less of a role in God’s covenant with Abraham as a result of their lack of a bodily symbol of the contract? And could not a Jewish man who was left intact, upon reaching adulthood, decide that he would like to be circumcised? Given that half of the Jewish population manage to be celebrated members of the community without circumcision and that the other half could choose circumcision when they are more aware of what Judaism means to them, can you justify your next cut?

Regards,
Shea Levy