Many enlightened parents and pediatricians question the medical necessity of routine infant circumcision. Among Jews, however, the issues are much more complicated. The Jewish religion says nothing about circumcising for any feigned health benefits; rather, it is an ancient tribal practice that dates back to Abraham's almost sacrifice of his son, Isaac. According to Torah, G-d told Abraham to sacrifice his "only son," Isaac. (Abraham had another son, Ishmael, who was banished with his mother.) Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, and at the last minute G-d stopped him. Jewish faith teaches that G-d was so impressed with Abraham's devotion and love for G-d that He offered Abraham the covenant that is still held between G-d and the Jewish people. Circumcision is a sign of that covenant.
While the strict definition of circumcision has changed, for three thousand years Jewish male babies have been subjected to a ritual in which they are cut to make a sign of the covenant on their bodies. Brit Milah (or Bris Milah) is the covenant of circumcision.
Miriam Pollack
Miriam Pollack is a Jewish historian, scholar, and mother of two sons. She has spent years studying the history of circumcision in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. She has also read and educated herself about this surgical technique.
It seems clear in Ms. Pollack's videos that her conclusions are painful and difficult. Regardless of any observer's agreement or disagreement with Ms. Pollack, it is obvious that she has courage, integrity, and intelligence.
Miriam Pollack on YouTube:
Ms. Pollack speaks with eloquence and controlled emotion. Over the course of two videos, she covers:
- History of Jewish Circumcision
- Male anatomy
- Myths about circumcision
- Facts about circumcision
- Jewish values
- Jewish motherhood.
Listen to Miriam Pollack:
Miriam Pollack Speaks Out Against Circumcision Part One
Part Two
Interesting Facts About the History of Brit Milah
Jewish ritual circumcision did not always require the complete removal of the foreskin. Abraham, the first Jew, circumcised himself by cutting the very tip of the his foreskin off. While this must have been painful and did scar the penis so that it looked different from an uncircumcised penis, it caused much less damage than modern circumcision.
During the Hellenistic period Jews lived among the Greeks; Greeks placed a high value on the foreskin. Some Jewish men attempted to assimilate by pulling their foreskins over the tip of the glans and tying them to look uncircumcised. The Rabbis responded with "Periah." Periah was a radical procedure at the time; Periah is the method of unfusing the foreskin from the glans (which is extremely painful) and cutting off the foreskin. In modern circumcisions, the foreskin is unfused and completely cut off.
It is interesting to note that Michelangelo's David has most of his foreskin. David would have been circumcised before Periah was developed and enforced by the Rabbis of the Hellenistic period.
