Circumcision (And Alternatives to It)

Talking about circumcision is hard! There are all sorts of debates about it — among Jews and among non-Jews — and it’s also just…a challenge in our society to talk about our bodies. But it’s important to talk about circumcision, both in and of itself, and as it relates to broader questions of Jewish taboo-subjects, inherited traditions, and the future of Judaism. Listen in to any or all of the episodes in our unit on circumcision by clicking the links above, or the play-buttons below.

Lisa Braver Moss, Rebecca Wald, and Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon are the founding members of Bruchim's executive board. So what's Bruchim? It's a recently-launched organization that seeks to foster welcoming spaces for Jewish families who have opted out of the ritual of circumcision. In this episode, the three co-founders join Dan and Lex for a conversation about why their organization exists, how opposition to circumcision can come from a deeply Jewish place, and what it might look like for Jewish communities to explicitly welcome people into their communities independent of their circumcision status.

Max Buckler, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Bruchim, and Charlene Thrope, a member of its extended team, join Dan and Lex for a conversation that explores alternatives to circumcision as the primary way to welcome amab (assigned-male-at-birth) babies into the Jewish community.

Shaye Cohen, the Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard University, joins Dan and Lex for the 3rd conversation in a unit of episodes exploring Jewish circumcision. This discussion, on the history of Jewish circumcision, from the Hebrew Bible till today, builds on "A Canonical History of Jewish Circumcision," a chapter in Cohen's 2005 book Why Aren't Jewish Women Circumcised: Gender and Covenant in Judaism.

Dan and Lex close out Judaism Unbound's 4-episode mini-series on Jewish circumcision. They explore, in particular, the treatment by Jewish institutions of families, who have opted not to circumcise their children, and of those children themselves.

Talking Through Taboos: A Gemara (Commentary) on Judaism Unbound Episode 303 - "Bris" means "Covenant," not "Circumcision"

By Eli Hurwitz, New Voices/Judaism Unbound Fellow (2021-22)

This piece is the FIRST EVER Judaism Unbound “Gemara” (commentary). It is a reflection, written by Eli Hurwitz, on a Judaism Unbound podcast episode (Episode 303: "Bris" Means "Covenant," Not Circumcision). It explores the idea of kavanah (spiritual intent), as applied to difficult Jewish conversations.

I’ve always liked reading essays about films I’ve never watched, and watching people make recipes I’ll never cook; there’s something appealing to me about filtering one media object through another medium, viewing one piece through the eyes of another. The rabbis who created the Gemara (the second part of the Talmud – which commentates on the earlier part, called Mishnah) understood the value of filtering the traditions of Jewish law through their own perspectives. So through this post I’m bringing a form of Judaism Unbound Gemara – which can be read “on the margins” of a podcast episode, as commentary, to help readers/listeners process it.

So let’s talk about Episode 303: “Bris” Means “Covenant,” Not “Circumcision,” featuring Lisa Braver Moss, Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, and Rebecca Wald. In this episode, Dan and Lex talk with members of the executive board of Bruchim, an organization which seeks to advocate for the full inclusion of non-circumcised Jews in Jewish spaces. Near the start of the episode, co-founder and president of Bruchim, Lisa Braver Moss, discusses her choice to circumcise her now-adult sons: “I looked upon [circumcision] as something almost transactional, as the price of Jewish belonging…this is not quite the covenant that Genesis 17 describes.” Braver Moss continues to discuss the reservations she had, saying “You know, traditions are meant to bring us together, but I didn’t feel more Jewish because of circumcising my sons… I certainly didn’t circumcise with the required kavanah – spiritual intent.”

Let’s flash to some classical Jewish sources. The rabbis of the Mishnah generally agree that spiritual intent – the performance of mitzvot with focus and dedication, instead of as a rote or accidental action – is an essential part of Jewish practice. Later, Maimonides (12th Century CE) lists kavanah as one of the five essential elements of proper prayer. 

Braver Moss makes a really important point here. A bris is a life cycle ritual, a way of welcoming a child into a Jewish world. Many Jews might feel that their bris, or their child’s ceremony, does connect them to their ancestors and tradition in a way that is meaningful. But for Jews who don’t, it’s often taboo to talk about any reservations that they might have. One reason for this is that we are taught to see circumcision as ubiquitous – an always-observed practice, even when it’s not. Another reason is the trickiness (read: prevalence of antisemitism) of conversations about circumcision that occur in non-Jewish spaces. But if we are looking to our ancestors to find ways to deepen our Jewish practices, kavanah has to be a part of the conversation; the choice to circumcise, then, must be individually and communally meaningful.

Discussing and centering intent – asking “what is this practice bringing?” and “why are you choosing it?” – requires us to oppose a common attitude surrounding circumcision. Or, at least, requires me to switch up the attitude I held around conversations about circumcision – a sense that I needed to enter a role where I’d be a protector, or defender, of a Jewish ritual that is regularly dismissed or criticized by non-Jewish voices. This defensive impulse usually resulted in me avoiding these conversations altogether. But that impulse – towards, basically, a one-dimensional endorsement of all ways that a bris could be practiced – is focused on non-Jewish criticism. It turns me away from the Jewish tradition of wrestling with our traditions, in favor of an orientation where I’d merely be lobbying for their right to exist.

Questioning this impulse, after listening to this episode, got me to do something new, which, in a stronger Jewish future, would be more common. I spoke – in real conversations with loved ones – about circumcision! It’s hard to build community out of silently-imposed traditions. And more than that, it isn’t particularly fun. On controversial issues, like circumcision – but others as well – it’s time to put aside our instinct toward muffling ourselves, and instead break out some microphones. Or even megaphones! The conversations I had, while slightly uncomfortable at times, were productive and meaningful ones. I hope that all of us can have more of them, even and especially about the Jewish topics that we feel some instinct to avoid.

Eli Hurwitz (they/them) was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently a junior at Vassar College, where they are pursuing a degree in Media Studies. In their free time, Eli helps put on shadowcasted screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, works at a coffee shop, and draws comics. As the 2021 New Voices / Judaism Unbound Fellow, Eli is excited to work within orgs that are imagining a radical, joyful, and liberating Jewish future.