By REBECCA WALD The question of whether to circumcise is front and center in the new film “What to Expect When You’re Expecting ” which has an all-star cast that includes Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison, Chris Rock, and Dennis Quaid. The comedy-drama (heavier on the comedy) follows five expectant couples as they prepare…
By NATALIE BIVAS Twenty-five years ago my husband and I did something few Jewish parents had. We held a brit shalom ceremony for our son as opposed to a brit milah. We invited guests without saying there would be no circumcision. Dr. Dean Edell (who is Jewish and opposed to circumcision) sent a camera crew…
Social activist and New Yorker Jonathan Friedman has recently published a “zine” on male infant circumcision titled “Genital Autonomy: Why Circumcision Must Be Stopped.” This is a significant project because it is introducing a wide audience to the harms of circumcision in an innovative way—and also in a way that is, at the same time,…
Some young Jewish men thinking ahead to fatherhood have decided theywill reject circumcision for their sons while also embracing their Jewishness. By AL RUBENSTEIN I am 21 years old, Jewish, and opposed to circumcision. I attend college in Indiana. I grew up in a small Southern town where my family was one of a handful…
By MOSHE ROTHENBERG Using his voice for good: In additionto performing brit shalom celebrations,Moshe Rothenberg sings to benefitsocial causes. Above he performs in aNYC benefit for the people of Darfur. The Jewish opposition to circumcision was just beginning 24 years ago when my wife Yehudit and I decided to leave our newborn son intact. We were not the…
By REBECCA WALD Jewish mother and actress Mayim Bialik has just released her new book on attachment parenting titled Beyond the Sling. I applaud her work in bringing sound natural parenting principles to a broad audience. Mayim’s down-to-earth and straightforward exposition of attachment parenting will resonate with many of today’s parents, and parents-to-be, who are…
Couples in crisis: whether to circumcise a child can become a contentiousissue, regardless of religion. If it is important to you, discuss your circumcision stance before getting into a serious relationship. By SAMARA COLLE The birth of my twin sons two years ago changed me forever. I discovered a passion and an intense female power that I had no…
Rabbi Steven Blane By REBECCA WALDHeads up on a new Intact News article that quotes five rabbis who perform peaceful Jewish welcoming ceremonies and also believe the time has come for Jews to abolish circumcision. These Rabbis represent a range of Jewish movements and include influential Jewish Studies scholar Howard Eilberg-Schwartz and Rabbi Steven Blane,…
No-circ book signed by Stern. By REBECCA WALDAn anti-circumcision satire book, autographed on its cover by Jewish circumcision critic Howard Stern, is being auctioned off on eBay in time for holiday gift giving. The book, I Want My Foreskin For Giftmas, was brought to Stern’s studio by guest Ron Low back in March. Low, who…
Left to right: Jonathon Conte, Eli Ungar-Sargon, Lisa Braver Moss, Mark Reiss and Rebecca Wald. Photo / David Wilton By REBECCA WALDThis weekend I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Eli Ungar-Sargon’s documentary Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision in San Francisco. The event was hosted by the Bay Area Intactivists and event…
Lisa Moss: Proud to be Jewishand against circumcision. San Francisco Bay Area author Lisa Braver Moss sensed that circumcision was wrong when she first learned of the ritual as a child. Yet when Lisa’s sons were born in the 1980s she agreed to have them circumcised, adhering to Jewish tradition and widely embraced American convention.…
The below testimony was given on Tuesday in Sacramento opposing proposed California law, AB-768, seeking to declare the benefits of male circumcision and to prevent local governments from restricting its practice in any way. By BRIAN LEVITT Levitt to legislators: I washarmed by circumcision. Good afternoon. My name is Brian Levitt and I live in San Francisco. I’ve…
Will Murray won’t cut his boy. By REBECCA WALDIt looks like Howard Stern’s denouncement of infant circumcision on his radio show over the years has left a big impression on the show’s researcher and segment producer, Will Murray. Yesterday, Murray spoke on Howard 100 News about the birth of his son, Owen. Murray was proud to…
Miriam Pollack is widely recognized within the anti-circumcision community as both a proud Jew and a dedicated opponent of genital cutting. She boldly, yet gently, speaks her mind, which has at times put her at odds with the two communities she holds most dear: the Jewish community and the community of intactivists. Miriam aligned herself…
Introductory remarks from a July 18 debate at The Manhattan Jewish Experience a debate between documentary filmmaker Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of the book “Kosher Sex.” By ELI UNGAR-SARGON Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Eli Ungar-Sargon and I’m an independent filmmaker. My first feature-length documentary, “Cut” is an exploration…