Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin’s remarks may be the first of their kind, publicly acknowledging the importance of making Jewish families feel welcome in congregational life when they have made a different choice about circumcision. The rabbi’s remarks precede a talk given by Lisa Braver Moss at her synagogue, Temple Sinai, in Oakland California. Following a brief presentation…
By ROSS GLAZIER I believe that we can complain about circumcision until we all pass out (or on) but until we connect circumcision to much larger issues that are poisoning our world we will be unable to end it. I think that rigid religious doctrine and rigid religious ritual are both traps. Rigid religious doctrine…
By NICOLE KATZ-LAHEY I’ve always been an extremely passionate person. When I was a kid my passions were sports and animals. If I did something, I did it with every inch of my being. I’m now a mother of three and, true to my personality, I have to be the best mother I have it…
By LO MARET I grew up in a secular Jewish family. Like many Jewish families where religion is not the focus, we still observed some traditions, like the High Holidays. However, as a young girl, I began questioning all forms of organized religion and this is perhaps the first step I took in choosing to…
The oldest Jewish congregation in the East San Francisco Bay region, founded in 1875, will host a groundbreaking discussion surrounding the choice to skip circumcision by Jewishly observant families. The Reform synagogue, Temple Sinai of Oakland California, has a long history of welcoming Jews of all stripes. They recently added language to their website indicating…
Sean Altman uses satire and melody to spread the message that people of all backgrounds should consider foregoing circumcision for their newborn sons. By REBECCA WALD “Moishe Pipik”—directly translated from the Yiddish this phrase means “Moses Bellybutton.” It’s an illusive, archaic, Jewish expression that might be used to describe a prankster, one…