Over the last hundred years or so, a remarkably strong movement against circumcision among Jewish people has emerged. This development may surprise people, but it is a logical development of the modernisation and integration that began in the early nineteenth century, as European Jews were freed from the ghettos and joined the mainstream of modern life. In the process they naturally questioned many ancient observances and practices. Such questioning is also an expression of commitment to human rights, going back to the European Enlightenment of the eighteenth century (the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen), strengthened by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights just after the Second World War. The principles developed here asserted an individual’s right to freedom, autonomy, and personal rights, of which the most basic was control over his or her own body. Given their own sad history of discrimination and persecution Jewish people have naturally been at the forefront of campaigns for human rights in many areas other than freedom of religion. This critical trend also derives from new historical information about the origin of circumcision (male and female) in Egypt and Africa, scientific discoveries about the damage caused by circumcision, and a desire on the part of individuals to observe a higher level of spiritual ethics.
This movement to question and often reject circumcision includes Jewish Rabbis, scholars, parents, intellectuals and educators, both in the United States and in Israel itself. In the United States, especially, Jewish people are so prominent in the general anti-circumcision and child protection movements that the controversy over circumcision is sometimes seen as a debate internal to the Jewish community. That would be a mistake: human rights are enjoyed by all humans, simply by virtue of their birth. The Jewish people’s long experience of, and heroic resistance to, persecution and discrimination has naturally made them particularly sensitive to human rights issues, so it comes as no surprise to see the most thoughtful members of the community having doubts about a practice that is increasingly seen as unconscionable denial of individual autonomy and personal choice - in short, a violation of those same rights that Jewish people invoke when defending their own religious freedom and cultural/personal identity.
On this page we list a remarkable range of web-based Jewish voices that question, criticise, doubt and reject circumcision.
Jewish Voices – Many Jews Question Circumcision
Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 1
http://intactnews.org/node/104/1311886091/jewish-voices-current-judaic-movement-end-circumcision-part-1
Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 2
http://intactnews.org/node/105/1311886372/jewish-voices-current-judaic-movement-end-circumcision-part-2
Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 3
http://intactnews.org/node/112/1313862929/jewish-voices-current-judaic-movement-end-circumcision-part-3
Jewish Parents are Trading Circumcision for Peaceful Covenant Ceremonies
http://salem-news.com/articles/august212011/jewish-circumcision-nw.php
Jews Speak Out in Favor of Banning Circumcision on Minors
http://intactnews.org/node/103/1311885181/jews-speak-out-favor-banning-circumcision-minors
Peaceful Ceremonies: Brit B’lee Milah, Bris Shalom, Brit Hyiam, Brit Chayim, Brit Ben
Brit B’lee Milah (Covenant Without Cutting) Ceremony
http://www.nocirc.org/religion/Naming_ceremony.php
Bris Shalom Ceremony by Norm Cohen
http://www.nocircofmi.org/BrisShalom.htm
Sample Non-Cutting Naming Ceremony #1
http://www.interfaithfamily.com/life_cycle/pregnancy_and_birth_ceremonies/Sample_Non-Cutting_Naming_Ceremony_1.shtml
Sample Non-Cutting Naming Ceremony #2
http://www.interfaithfamily.com/life_cycle/pregnancy_and_birth_ceremonies/Sample_Non-Cutting_Naming_Ceremony_2.shtml
The Naming at Very, Very Fine
http://www.veryveryfine.com/imported-20101215221410/2010/12/29/the-naming.html
Brit Shalom: An Alternative Naming Ceremony by Mark D. Reiss, MD
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/07/brit-shalom-alternative-naming-ceremony.html
Jewish Religious and Historical Perspectives
Being rational about circumcision and Jewish observance by Moshe Rothenberg, MSW
http://www.noharmm.org/rationaljew.htm
Defying Convention: An Interview With Miriam Pollack
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/07/defying-convention-interview-with_27.html
One Rabbis’ Thoughts on Circumcision by Rabbi Nathan Segal
http://www.rabbinathan.com/writings/circum.shtml
Eli Ungar-Sargon Debates Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on the Moral Problems of Circumcision
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/07/eli-ungar-sargon-debates-kosher-sex.html
Israeli Linguist Vadim Cherny: How Judaic is circumcision?
http://vadimcherny.org/judaism/how_judaic_circumcision.htm
Brit Milah : Inconsistent with Jewish Ethics? By D.A. Huffman-Parent
http://hyphen.bravehost.com/QuestioningMilah.htm
A Case for Bris without Milah
http://www.circumstitions.com/Jewish.html
An Alternative Perspective by Jenny Goodman, MD
http://www.cirp.org/library/cultural/goodman1999/
Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision – A Film by Eli Ungar-Sargon
http://www.cutthefilm.com/Cut_Website/Home.html
Jerusalem Post: Challenging the Circumcision Myth by Jan Jaben-Eilon [PDF]
http://lisabravermoss.com/uploads/Challenging_the_Circumcision_Myth.pdf
Jewish Parents – Mothers Voices
Laura Shanley: A Jewish Woman Rejects Circumcision
http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/miscarticles/circarticle.html
My Son: The Little Jew with a Foreskin by Stacey Greenberg, Mothering Magazine
http://mothering.com/health/my-son-the-little-jew-with-a-foreskin
Lucking Into Bris Shalom by Sarah Rockwell
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/04/lucking-into-bris-shalom.html
How “Cut” Saved My Son’s Foreskin: A Movie Review by Diane Targovnik
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/05/how-cut-saved-my-sons-foreskin-movie.html
Jewish mom: Circumcision spiritually wounds, breaks bonds and trust
http://blogs.evtrib.com/spirituallife/2006/08/31/jewish-mom-circumcision-spiritually-wounds-breaks-bonds-and-trust/
Jewish Parents – Fathers Voices
The Kindest Un-Cut Feminism, Judaism, and My Son’s Foreskin, by Professor Michael S. Kimmel
http://www.cirp.org/pages/cultural/kimmel1/
Ending Circumcision in the Jewish Community? by Moshe Rothenberg, MSW
http://www.nocirc.org/symposia/second/rothenberg.html
Men’s Voices
To the Mohel Who Cut Me by Shea Levy
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/06/to-mohel-who-cut-me.html
On Circumcision, Authority, and the Perpetuation of Abuse by Jonathan Friedman
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/06/on-circumcision-authority-and.html
Howard Stern: Jewish Intactivist by Rebecca Wald, JD
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/03/howard-stern-jewish-intactivist.html
Women’s Voices
Circumcision: A Jewish Feminist Perspective by Miriam Pollack
http://www.noharmm.org/pollack.htm
Circumcision: Identity, Gender, and Power by Miriam Pollack
http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/circumcision-identity-gender-and-power
Circumcision Referendums and Legal Issues
Outlawing Circumcision: Good for the Jews? by Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon
http://www.forward.com/articles/137577/
Jews Speak in Favor of Banning Circumcision on Minors
http://intactnews.org/node/103/1311885181/jews-speak-out-favor-banning-circumcision-minors
Questioning Circumcision: Op/Ed by Rebecca Wald, JD., The Jewish Reporter
http://thejewishreporter.com/2011/06/02/questioning-circumcision/
The Circumcision Referendum: A Liberal Jewish Perspective by Sandford Borins, PhD
http://www.sandfordborins.com/2011/06/09/the-circumcision-referendum-a-liberal-jewish-perspective/
Jewish Journal: Circumcision critic has Board links
http://www.rebeccasteinfeld.com/publications
Jewish Groups for Genital Integrity
Beyond the Bris: Jewish Parenting Blog
http://www.beyondthebris.com/
Jews Against Circumcision
http://www.jewsagainstcircumcision.org/
Jews for the Rights of the Child
http://www.jewsfortherightsofthechild.org/
Bris Shalom Officiants by Mark D. Reiss, MD
http://www.circumstitions.com/Jewish-shalom.html
Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective by Ron Goldman, PhD
http://www.jewishcircumcision.org
Israeli Groups for Genital Integrity
Kahal: Giving Up Brit Milah
http://www.kahal.org/
Intact Son: the Israeli Association Against Genital Mutilation
http://www.britmila.org.il/
Gonnen: Protect the Child
http://www.gonnen.org/
Af-Mila: Israeli Intactivist
http://www.beofen-tv.co.il/circumcision/main.html