What My Father Taught Me About Babies, Trauma, and the Ethics of Circumcision
Many men say they’re fine with being circumcised. What if that’s beside the point? In this essay, I use “men” to refer to those with anatomically male bodies. I acknowledge that some people with male or intersex anatomy do not identify as men. Out of concern for readability and coherence, I have opted not to…
“Look at My Penis!”—The Shocking Refrain at the Heart of Gary Shteyngart’s New Novel
Last week, People highlighted Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart in its “31 Books That Made TIME’s 100 Best Books of the Year” list, underscoring how the novel’s timely themes of identity and belonging are resonating broadly. Set in a near-future New York, the novel follows ten-year-old Vera Bradford-Shmulkin, a half-Korean, half-Jewish fifth-grader with an…
The Cost of Not Seeing Boys
At Beyond the Bris, we’ve long sought to give space to Jewish voices questioning circumcision—not in spite of their Jewish identity, but because of it. Fred is one of those voices: a deeply committed Jew, a critic of circumcision, and a men’s rights advocate with a unique perspective shaped by decades of activism. In this…
From Regret to Renewal: Lisa Braver Moss on Redefining Jewish Belonging
In the third episode of The Bruchim Podcast, host Eli Ungar-Sargon engages in a heartfelt conversation with Bruchim’s Co-Founder and President, Lisa Braver Moss, exploring her personal journey from regret to activism regarding Jewish circumcision. Moss recounts her initial discomfort with the tradition, her feelings of coercion, and the subsequent realization that led her to…
Jews Opposed to Circumcision? Bruchim’s New Podcast Says Yes—and Proudly So
“Isn’t being a Jew against circumcision like being a Catholic opposed to communion?” In the inaugural episode of The Bruchim Podcast, Bruchim co-founder and podcast host Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon and guest Max Buckler, Bruchim’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, tackle one of the most misunderstood ideas in Jewish life today: that one can be both Jewish and…
Religious Freedom Doesn’t Include Risking Infant Lives
By REBECCA WALD The recent raids in Belgium targeting illegal ritual circumcisions—including the practice of metzitzah b’peh—have understandably raised fears of antisemitism, and it’s essential to take those concerns seriously. But we must also be willing to confront uncomfortable truths that exist within the broader Jewish community. A slew of alarmist articles have been appearing…
My Jewish Foreskin Restoration Journey
By JOE WOLF A Jewish foreskin is a wonderful thing. There are those that signify loving parents who eschewed a barbaric and outdated tradition to leave their son whole in the face of vast social pressure. These are those that the brit shalom movement has helped to protect. And there are those, like mine, that…
An Arctic Blast from the Past: Northern Exposure’s Jewish Anti-Circumcision Doctor
“In medical school, they try to prepare you for this. They do. They tell you there’ll be tough decisions, times when you have to hold someone’s fate in your hand, times when you are forced to play God. But nothing really prepares you for times like this. Nothing. — Dr. Joel Fleishman on circumcision …
Undermining the Cause of Genital Autonomy through Jewish Scapegoating & Antisemitic Tropes
Editor’s Note: The following article appeared on David’ Balashinsky’s blog on March 28, 2022, and was recently updated, making this the first long-form article addressing the most recent concerns of antisemitism in the genital autonomy community. By DAVID BALASHINSKY — I got involved in “intactivism” (the name by which the cause of eradicating male genital mutilation…