Isaac is cradled in his grandfather’s arms. In the space of a few minutes, the Orthodox ritual circumciser, or mohel, separates the foreskin from the head of Isaac’s penis, pulls the skin forward and inserts a metal shield that protects his penis while his foreskin is cut off. No anesthetic is used. Meanwhile, Joseph is…
In this week’s podcast, host Naomi Zeveloff is joined by Forward Washington correspondent Nathan Guttman who is currently in Charlotte, NC, reporting on the Democratic National Convention and the battle over relations with Israel. Then, Forward staff writer Paul Berger drops by to discuss how pain is managed in circumcisions. Finally, is cow tongue making…
One of Germany’s 16 states has declared circumcision legal. Berlin, Germany’s capital and itself a state, is the first to declare the practice legal following Cologne court ruled in June that non-medical circumcisions on children amounted to a criminal offense, according to DPA, a German news wire. National legislation is also pending to legalize circumcision….
Prosecutors in Berlin dismissed a criminal complaint lodged against a rabbi for performing circumcisions. The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday that the complaint for “causing bodily harm” against Rabbi Yitshak Ehrenberg was dropped on August 15 as “unfounded.” An opponent of circumcision lodged the complaint last month after Ehrenberg defended the practice on a television…
A Forward analysis of government data shows that 87% of the baby boys born in West Virginia were circumcised in 2009. Two thousand miles west, in Nevada, the procedure was performed on only 12% of baby boys. It’s a strange disparity in a country where most parents still circumcise their sons. It also stands in…
On September 13, the New York City Board of Health is scheduled to vote on a controversial proposal that would officially define an ancient Jewish ritual practice as dangerous to an infant’s life. It would require parents to agree in writing that the ritual about to be performed on their son could lead to brain…
The American Association of Pediatrics has doubled down on its position that the health benefits of infant male circumcision outweigh the risks. But the AAP’s new policy statement, released today, stops short of recommending routine circumcision of boys. The report did warn against “mouth-to-penis contact during circumcision,” which has been linked to a seldom-performed, ultra-Orthodox…
Germany’s main Jewish body has announced its intention to institutionalize the training of mohels or ritual circumcisors. Amid concerns among Jews and Muslims that their religious practice of circumcision may be outlawed, the Central Council of Jews in Germany is organizing meetings with Rabbi Josh Spinner of the Orthodox Rabbinerseminar zu Berlin and Rabbi Walter…
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