Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective [Paperback]

Ronald Goldman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

Endorsed by five rabbis, Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective is the first critical examination of the growing controversy of male infant circumcision with special attention to contemporary concerns of Jews.

Consider these facts:

Circumcision is not universal among Jews.

Jewish press articles have questioned circumcision.

A male child born of a Jewish mother is a Jew, whether he is circumcised or not.

Jewish circumcision has never had anything to do with health concerns.

Circumcision conflicts with significant Jewish laws and values.

An Israeli organization publicly opposes circumcision.

The circumcision debate in the Jewish community is visible and growing. An increasing number of Jews are choosing not to circumcise their sons. Yet for those Jews who are expecting a child and who want to explore their options, support for not circumcising their son can still be relatively hard to find.

The purpose of this book is to offer a clear understanding of what circumcision involves, to raise awareness about various concerns, to encourage Jews to take another look at our assumptions and feelings about circumcision, and to help resolve deep ethical, intellectual, and emotional conflicts. Though many readers will probably be expecting a child, the larger Jewish community may also recognize a need for considering some of the questions raised here. The practice of circumcision really concerns all of us.

According to the Council of Jewish Federations 1990 National (American) Jewish Population Survey, "ninety percent define being Jewish as being a member of a cultural or ethnic group." Less than half associated their Jewish identity with religion. Only 13 percent believe "the Torah is the actual word of God." According to the survey, the general trend is away from traditional Judaism and toward a nontraditional approach.

Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective is written from a nontraditional viewpoint and is intended particularly for nontraditional Jews. It addresses the main concerns that nontraditional Jews are examining. This book is intended to stimulate further discussion on this important subject. We owe it to our children to educate ourselves and do what is best for them.

(For those who choose not to circumcise their son, the Appendix includes examples of alternative rituals.)

FOREWORD

Generally, we circumcise our sons without really knowing the effects of what we are doing. We prefer to think of circumcision as a trivial matter. We believe that because it has been done for so many years by so many, that it must be harmless. This book eloquently and effectively questions these assumptions. For the first time, Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective provides the Jewish community with a clear, rational, and sensitive examination of this practice. Dr. Goldman discusses all the aspects of Jewish circumcision that would be of interest to most Jews.

I learned a lot from reading this book. In recent years researchers have discovered much about infants and the effects of surgical procedures on them. (Whether there is a religious ritual or not, circumcision is a surgical procedure.) There is also evidence that infant circumcision can have long-term effects lasting even into adulthood. Dr. Goldman presents this new information in a lucid, well-documented discussion.

Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective is not just the view of one person. It contains the words of dozens of Jews, including rabbis past and present, who question circumcision. There are many compelling statements made by those who have witnessed circumcisions and have been circumcised. Their words and feelings give us reason to pause and reflect.

The author's psychological approach to the topic is especially valuable. It is exactly what we need to take a close look not only at ritual circumcision, but also at ourselves. With insight, understanding, and compassion, this book answers questions we have been afraid to ask, and asks questions that have not yet occurred to us.

For some readers, the contents of this book will confirm what you have felt for decades. For others, this book will challenge much of what you believe. Whatever your feelings are regarding circumcision, this book can affect you profoundly.

Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective speaks for many more of us than we are willing to admit. It performs a great service to Jews because it opens a long overdue discussion. I agree with Dr. Goldman that questioning circumcision will ultimately benefit and strengthen the Jewish community.

I highly recommend Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective particularly to expectant mothers and fathers early in their pregnancy so that they may have ample time to ponder its contents. I also recommend it to rabbis who counsel on the merits of circumcision, so they can offer a more informed perspective on this ritual.

Rabbi Raymond Singer, Ph.D. Neuropsychologist

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A bold, compassionate, and powerful critique of Jewish circumcision. With revealing new research, Goldman calls attention to the unrecognized physical and psychological effects connected with this procedure." -- MYRON SHARAF, Ph.D., lecturer and author, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Dr. Goldman has written a thoughtful, provocative book on a difficult subject. He challenges us to reexamine long-held assumptions and to reconsider the practice of milah (ritual circumcision) in light of contemporary evidence. By giving us an insightful and carefully documented exploration of a controversial perspective, Dr. Goldman helps to foster a healthy and valuable dialogue within the Jewish community." -- RABBI JONATHAN KRAUS, Beth El Temple Center

"For thousands of years we have ceremoniously circumcised our sons without knowing or honestly considering how this practice affects the child. In this book, Ronald Goldman presents us with compelling new information that we can't ignore." -- RABBI BEVERLY LERNER, psychotherapist

"Goldman's analysis of Jewish reluctance to discuss circumcision is right on the mark. The collective Jewish psyche will benefit from confronting circumcision anxieties and myths. This book will facilitate that process and should lead to more than a few changes of heart and mind." -- DR. RICHARD SCHWARTZMAN, psychiatrist

"If you are a liberal Jew, whether you see circumcision as the sanctification of the covenant, as a ceremony marking you as a Jew, or otherwise, this book stimulates deeper reflection about the practice. As an aware, concerned, and introspective people, Jews must examine whether our rites are right. We must determine if our ceremonies, traditions, and practices reflect our innermost beliefs. Asking ourselves and each other the question 'Why?' is one of the most sacred tasks to which a modern Jew can dedicate himself or herself." -- RABBI DONALD POLLOCK, pastoral psychotherapist, writer, and lecturer

"Jewish circumcision has traditionally been the province of males. This groundbreaking book sheds new light on the issue by also including women's views and feelings about circumcision." -- RABBI LYNN GOTTLIEB, Nahalat Shalom Congregation

"The information in this book was the most comprehensive we found. It was very useful in our decision not to circumcise. And after my father read it, he said he could really understand our feelings. I am certain that we made the right decision." -- AVIVA FURMAN, mother of uncircumcised son

"Thorough, moving, convincing, and of staggering importance. I believe this book will change Judaism for the better." -- MICHAEL KORAN, Jewish educator

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Vanguard Pubns (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964489562
• ISBN-13: 978-0964489561
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Goldman gives voice to suppressed feelings June 18, 1999

By A Customer

As a Jewish mother of a circumcised son, I didn't dare question the unquestionable. At the time I didn't know there were any Jews who did? However, the doubts were there, lurking under the surface but I was embarrassed to speak about them. I heard about Dr. Goldman's book and after reading it, I had the courage to acknowledge that we as a people are being violated on many levels by this ritual.

Dr. Goldman points out in his book that there are many Jewish rituals outlined in the Bible which have been abandoned in the course of history. We are not a fundamentalist religion. We have an oral and living tradition and our beliefs have constantly evolved. Indeed there is cause to question performing uneccessary surgery on infants in the name of religion or social custom. Part of coming to this realization is also understanding that our American culture notwithstanding, it is not a pathological condition to be born male. Immediate surgical correction is not medically neccessary. Many might find it appalling to compare ritual female circumcision in Africa to Jewish male circumision but we are blinded to the similarities due to widespread ignorance of the normal male anatomy.

Dr. Goldman touches on the religious, medical, social and psychological aspects of this prodecure in a way that has never been attempted before. I highly recommend the book to those willing to have an open mind on something they may have always thought was a non-issue.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking, Insightful, Courageous Book January 18, 2000

By A Customer

Ronald Goldman's second book, Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective, follows on the heels of his masterpiece Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma. While the earlier book provided a stunning, magisterial overview of the entire subject of circumcision, this slimmer volume focuses on a more specialized analysis of the procedure from a Jewish point of view. Goldman again succeeds at integrating emotional, psychological,scientific, and humanistic considerations while surveying the great diversity of attitudes held toward this procedure among Jews. He reveals and meticulously documents a number of surprising facts which contravene widely held beliefs about the subject. Far from enjoying a consensus within the Jewish community, circumcision has not always been practiced by all Jews. As early as the 1840's, leaders of the Reform movement tried to stop circumcision. In the 1860's, a group of sixty-six Jewish physicians opposed the practice. The procedure as performed today in the United States is much more extensive than the original circumcisions, which merely removed the very tip of the foreskin. These changes and conflicts suggest that the supposed Jewish mandate for circumcision may be suspect.

Goldman discusses and questions a number of suggested benefits to Jewish males of the procedure. Although many believe circumcision necessary for Jewish survival and identity, under Jewish law, any child born of a Jewish mother is a Jew, whether circumcised or not.

While the procedure is often suggested to promote connection with other Jews, Goldman notes that the extreme discomfort and anxiety often provoked by circumcision may actually inhibit connection.... Crisply summarizing some of the highlights from his earlier book, Goldman notes that health claims are highly speculative at best, and pain research has proven the extreme trauma suffered by the infant boy. Behavioral changes have been documented to follow most circumcisions, as boys become very irritable and interruption occurs to parent-infant bonding and feeding schedules.

Goldman writes that unrecognized consequences of the procedure may include promotion of a negative attitude to male sexuality. The personal stories by circumcised men and by mothers and fathers are quite moving. Some parents came to deeply regret their decision to circumcise while others feel gratified that they reached eleventh-hour determinations not to carry out the procedure.

Goldman takes the offensive later in the book, suggestion that the Torah's commandment against assaulting another person actually forbids circumcision. He notes that blind conformance to authority is antithetical to Jewish values, and many potential benefits of foregoing circumcision exist. An appendix contains Goldman's response to traditionalist supporters of the procedure, which is drawn entirely from passages in the Torah.

Future research needs to be carried out in accordance with his insightful suggestion that many Jewish men may harbor anger toward Jewish women due to their circumcisions, for which they may subconsciously hold their mothers primarily responsible. From the infant's perspective, Goldman notes, he is experiencing betrayal by his mother at a most vulnerable time in his life.

Goldman includes several useful appendices including two mothers' stories, a discussion of circumcision and anti-Semitism, and sample alternative rituals in which the baby's foreskin is not touched.

Ronald Goldman has gifted us with his second tightly reasoned, impeccably documented, and heartfully written book about a procedure which should be of concern to all men and women who care about children or society, whatever your faith may be. Read more ›

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive discourse on a sensitive subject. February 24, 1999

By A Customer

With endorsements from five rabbis Ronald Goldman effectively champions a minority position in "Questioning Circumcision A Jewish Perspective. He uses psychology, sociology, anthropology, logic, compassion and the Torah to support the concept that it is wrong to hurt babies. The fact that this idea needs an introduction let alone a proponent illustrates the reason for this book. Until the decision how a person treats their own genitals is left solely to the the individual not the parents, doctors, or the community, expect to see more of this type of examination of circumcision. It is unlikely that you will ever see a more compelling one then Dr. Goldman's contribution to the Jewish populatio

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent eye-opener February 22, 2000

By A Customer

Having chosen not to circumcise my son, and being an observant Reform Jew, I found Doctor Goldman's book to be incredibly instructional. He opens the door to a thoughtful introspection on the question of circumcision in the Jewish world. A difficult, almost taboo subject, we find that Jews, as a constantly evolving and forever questioning people, need to look circumcision in the face and sincerely question its validity. Circumcision continues to be performed even if there are many reasons for one not to practice it. Goldman's precise examination of circumcision brings us to question not only the Historical and religious aspects of this tradition, but also to look at the medical and sexual facts. Finally, the author exposes the psychological and ethical consequences of such an act. For example: are we ethically entitled to alter the genitals of our infant sons? Have they given us permission to do so? What psychological consequences can circumcision have on these infants? How about their mothers? What do men who were circumcised as adults have to say about the psychological and sexual changes they experienced? A professional and thorought examination, "Questioning Circumcision, a Jewish Perspective" is a brilliant analysis that one will find extremely educational and...easy to read!