[beth y.]

My family has been invited to a celebration of circumcision for our neighbors’ newborn baby. I am not sure what to expect. We have two boys ages 11 and 14, and she said they should come, but would not have to watch. Could someone explain what might be involved, and also what an appropriate gift might be for this occasion?

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Name : beth y., Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 38, City : Emporia, State : KS, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Jesse-N]

I presume you are referring to a Jewish cirumcision, called a Brit Mila. There’s some fairly brief ceremonial stuff, some blessings, the baby is passed from his grandfather to father and also to an honored person, vaguely like a “godfather.” The actual circumcision is performed by a specially trained person called a “mohel,” (pronounced moy-el). It is done quite fast; a good mohel can do it so fast that if you don’t pay attention you’ll miss it. It’s all followed by a lot of eating and socializing. The kid tends to scream for a brief moment, and then it’s over. Come to think of it, kids tend to scream anyway. I think you ought to go, and bring your kids, and encourage them to watch. They’re old enough to understand what is being done. I think that you ought to explain the whole thing to them before you go, so they’re not shocked. It’s really cool, and there ought to be no problems. I invited a friend with three kids (from about 12 to 6) to the Brit Mila for my youngest, and they were cool and really enjoyed the experience. Any gift that you give for a newborn would be appropriate, like baby clothing or toys.

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Name : Jesse-N, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Herzliya, State : NA, Country : Israel, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Barbara23472]

I’m Christian and had never been to a bris until my girlfriend’s son was born. I went with much trepidation and a preconceived notion that a bris was “barbaric.” I felt the best place for this procedure was a hospital with a qualified doctor in attendance. I was very surprised to witness a beautiful celebration. I was not in the room when it was done, and I don’t recommend that you or your children be a witness to the act. What I did find very sweet, however, was that when it was done, he was placed in the loving arms of his family, and not put in his cold basinette at a hospital. If the gathering is anything like the one I was at, you can expect a “Christening” kind of atmosphere, along with a naming ceremony. The only people present at the actual circumcision were the immediate family (except for the baby’s mother, who couldn’t watch). As for a gift, I would think anything you would give to welcome a baby into the world would be appropriate and appreciated.

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Name : Barbara23472, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, 

[Megan S.]

My mother once told me a funny story: A mother and daughter are in the kitchen making dinner. The daughter is about to place a roast in the oven and the mother directs her to cut both ends off. ‘But why’ the daughter asks. ‘Well, I really don’t know’ the mother replies. ‘Your grandmother always did it, let’s call her and ask’. They proceed to call the grandmother and she replies ‘We had such a small oven when you were a child, a whole roast couldn’t fit in the oven, so I always had to cut the ends off’. So my point is, we often follow custom and tradition without questioning it…we view female circumcision as brutal and barbaric, what difference does gender make? I myself am the mother of a 5 year old uncircumsized son.

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Name : Megan S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 27, City : Rancho Santa Fe, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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