After a Cologne court ruled that circumcision was illegal, there were those who argued that the decision would not impact Jewish life in Germany. We were cautioned not to jump to conclusions since it was just one court, whose jurisdiction was limited. The reaction of Germany’s political leadership, particularly Chancellor Angela Merkel, was exemplary as the parliament voted to take up a bill legalizing the ritual in the fall. But, as today’s news reveals, the optimists did not count on the willingness of many Germans to support the court.
As the Times of Israel reports, criminal charges have been filed against a rabbi in Northern Bavaria for performing circumcisions. According to the Juedische Allgemeine, a Jewish weekly, the state prosecutor of Hof confirmed that charges had been filed against Rabbi David Goldberg, who serves the community of Upper Franconia for “harming” infants by performing the rite of brit milah, the covenantal ritual at the heart of Judaism. A Hessian doctor that cited the Cologne court’s ruling brought the charges against the rabbi. While the rabbi has not yet been tried, let alone convicted, the spectacle of German courts prosecuting a Jew for practicing Judaism doesn’t just awaken echoes of the Holocaust. It also sounds a warning that the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Western Europe is not a passing phase.
In recent decades, Jewish life in Germany has thrived as immigrants in the prosperous nation have revived communities that were long dormant. But this episode unfolding in the one country where awareness of the consequences of anti-Semitism are so well known should send chills down the spine of Jews around the world.
Circumcision opponents may claim they are not anti-Semitic, especially since their campaign also targets Muslims. But there is little doubt that the driving force behind this movement is resentment toward Jews and a willingness to go public with sentiments that long simmered beneath the surface in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Just last week, French scholar Michel Gurfinkiel wrote on his blog that anti-Semitism has increased in France since the Toulouse massacre in March. Since then violence has grown, fed by what he calls a rejection of Jews and Judaism. In France, these sentiments are fed by the Jew hatred openly expressed by the expanding Muslim population. Throughout Europe, the demonization of Israel hasn’t just increased hostility to the Jewish state; it has served as an excuse for anti-Semitism to go mainstream for the first time since World War Two. Just as some claim circumcision critics aren’t intrinsically anti-Semitic, there are those who blame anti-Semitism on Israeli policies. But when you add all these factors together what you get is an undeniable upsurge in Jew-hatred.
While we trust that Chancellor Merkel and the Berlin government will find a way to quash this latest disgraceful attack on Judaism, we need to realize that this won’t be the last such episode. The strength of Europe’s traditional pastime of Jew-hatred should never be underestimated.
Circumcision is a barbaric and Bronze Age custom. n nIt is inexcusable when imposed upon male infants who cannot possibly grant informed consent. n nIf circumcision is willingly chosen by an adult, as an adult, so be it. Performed upon helpless children? It is an offense to righteousness. n nThe practice is barbaric. The issue is consent. The principle is self-determination.
n nGood thing you came along to set us straight. n nConsent. Of course! n n
You are most welcome, Michael.
Mr. Charles Fiddaboll, You are an atheist or you are a Jew hater,we know one when we see one. You best go your own way. In this country we allow all citizens to practice their own religion, or fight we will !!!!
In fairness, he may simply be seriously misinformed. Or he may know something that legitimate medical science, including Johns Hopkins, has yet to discover.
The pagans did not circumcise themselves! It is a religious rite done in Judaism for the male child and covenant. Just as simple as that, and this is "their" self-determination Thanks be to God I am a circumcised Irish Gentile!
It is forgotten by the infants, and it has unmistakable benefits in reducing HIV transmission, penile CA, and cervical CA. Charles, try to avoid being a bit thick.
So, when we shove needles into babies an toddlers for inoculation purposes, without their informed consent, but only the consent of parents, is it an offense to righteousness? Is it not a barbaric practice? The issue is consent isn't it? The principle of self-determination.
My thoughts — but you beat me to it. Parents must be the ones to decide for their babies and infants.
the motivation is Jew hatred.
I also had my kids endure needles. 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 12 months. did not ask them and i know they did not like it, they cried.
It's about time someone stood up to these wackos who still believe that the genital mutilation of baby boys is an acceptable practice in the 21st century. If they want to chop off parts of their own let them. But doing it to a defenseless baby is, or should be, a crime. n nThose saying that preventing the cutting off of penis parts of a baby boy violates the cutter's freedom of religion, are way out there in irrational land. One's religion ends where their knife touches another human's body. The idea that another human's ritual (rite) trumps ones right to body parts is insane and creepy. Baby boy penis parts removal cuts off about 20000 thousand fine touch and stretch nerve endingss (this is more than twice the nerves the entire clitoris has). This is like disconnecting the fingertips, nipples or lips from the brain. No human should be subjected to sensory system harm as well as a forced decrease of sexual function and PLEASURE for life!
Perhaps male circumcision was God's way of equalizing the pleasure men and women get out of sex. n nSeems like it is female circumcision (clitoris castration) that you should be agitating about. Take it up with the Muslim Bortherhood. 80-90% of Egyptian women are so mutilated. n nOf course, that will get you beheaded. n nThe most Jews will do to you (unless you try and kill) is debate you to death.
"Equalize the pleasure"? That is the sort of nonsense Todd Akin would offer. n nIf God wanted to "equalize the pleasure", he would have designed us that way. You seem to believe that God made a mistake when he designed the foreskin. Such a view constitutes a strange arrogance. n nThe concomitant abuse of young women is an equal disgrace. Once again, the issue is consent. If an adult woman actually chose such a barbaric mutilation, it would be sad — but undeniably her right. I am not aware that there is a female equivalent of phimosis that would medically justify such an act. n nFrom infant foot-binding to circumcision to female genital mutilation, the issue remains consent. It is a fundamental value in our democracy. Perhaps you have heard of this. Perhaps not.
I'm glad you know so much more about it than G-d does. Yes, He designed man with a foreskin, and He commanded the Jews to remove it. If you think that's contradictory, take it up with Him. n n"The concomitant abuse of young women is an equal disgrace. Once again, the issue is consent." The mere fact that you think the two are even remotely comparable is nothing short of astounding, and that's putting it as politely as I can.
aha! playing the Todd Akin card. (if you bring up the USS Liberty I'm signing off.) n nguys, "Charles" is probably a Media Matters troll. who else could manage to bring up a disgraced Republican candidate on a thread about circumcision in Europe?
I know a number of men who were circucised as adults. Some have mentioned the pain of having it done as an adult. Not one has mentioned any decrease in sexual sensation. Most of the talk about reduced sensation seems to be coming from ignorant and bigoted uncirumcised non-Jews, or from maladjusted men who were circumcised as infants and are positive that they are missing out on something.
Circumcision has unmistakable health benefits, says this UTMB MD graduate. Try knowing something. As a circumcised male, I can say that it had nothing to do with my pleasure as a man in his 20s going through my three score or so. n nIt is not barbaric, it is forgotten by the infants, it reduces the risk of AIDs transmission, it reduces the risk of Penile and Cervical Cancer. It is completely unlike female genital mutiliation, which serves NO health purpose.
i love the 'debate you to death'
You and like-minded humanitarians are clearly made of a finer mettle than Jewish parents who thoughtlessly and deliberately deprive, out of barbaric fanaticism, their sons of so much sensual pleasure for life. n nActually, trimming the foreskin does not desensitize the penis. n nThe fact is, parents with your bias, by denying their sons a benign way to keep the penis clean, are depriving them of a substantial barrier against infections like AIDS, among others.
I don't think it protects against AIDS. If it did, there wouldn't be any sexually transmitted AIDS among heterosexual Jewish men. Circumcision may protect against some other STD's to a point, mainly by facilitating cleansing, but that is not the reason we do it. We circumcise our boys on the eighth day after birth because G-d commanded us to do so as a sign of our covenant with him. nIt's interesting that the body's vitamin K reserves peak on that day, which speeds healing. And as has been pointed out, the baby will forget the pain quicker than an adult would. So why should it be considered better to wait til the man can worry and suffer more from the operation? n
Field research in Africa has established that HIV/AIDS among sexually active heterosexual circumcised males is significantly less than amongst uncircumcised males. The World Health Organization strongly advises that males in Africa where HIV is endemic be circumcised, even as adults. n nThe evidence is in, the verdict is out, circumcision helps prevent AIDS and other STDs. Case closed. The religious practice of male circumcision has the ringing endorsement of science, OK?
Also, Jackno1, don't be so greedy! You don't need all those nerve endings to have a good time! n n
You're the wacko. You're the one obsessed with foreskins. n nAs for "decrease in sexual function and pleasure," you have no idea what you're talking about. There is something very creepy about you and your fellow male circumcision obsessives.
Among other things that this event demonstrates is that anti-Semitism is a prejudice that does not have any necessary relationship with Christian religious affiliation. To the contrary, committed Christians are familiar with Genesis and the narrative of Abraham and understand the importance of circumcision to Abraham's descendants. It is utterly secular socieites that fail to give any respect to religious motives for this minor surgery of almost four thousand years standing. It also is based on a secular assumption that the family has no special status and authority over its members above the interests of the anonymous state. It is a denial of the basic rights of families and religious affiliations to define appropriate behavior, especially when it does no harm to people outside the affiliation. When any minor flunky in the state can intervene in the most fundamental of life actions, and override the families and the congregation's determination of what is good, totalitarianism has already arrived in principle.
The modern day euro atheists are in fact pagans, worshiping the body and their own self centeredness.
Don't live here. Don't live there. Don't live. All painfully familiar. n nThank God for Israel. n n n n
I can never understand why some people hate Jews. I grew up in Scotland and went to a high school that had quite a large number of Jewish pupils, mainly because there were a lot living in the area and it was one of the few schools which taught Hebrew. My best friend was Jewish and I thought no more of that than if she had been any other religion, it never crossed my mind and this was in the late 50s. In the late 70s early 80s I lived in then West Germany and was rather surprised at the open racism to anyone not Northern European, France was much the same. In Scotland too there were quite a few Pakistani immigrants coming in, my sons best friend was from Pakistan and again we never thought anything about it, just glad they opened shops late! They settled in local areas, not ghettos, and integrated pretty well but there were not so many then and they adapted to their new country. It seems to me we have gone backwards in the past 40 years.
The only question you need ask yourself is that when they pass a law specifically against Islamic practice, will they simply ignore the law and allow everyone to ignore it or will they make a token effort and fold after 10 minutes of grumbling. Because say what you will, Muslims in Europe have fear on their side. The liberals call their fear tolerance but it's fear.
Tolerance is the most facile of virtues. It's often used by liberals to cloak intellectual dishonesty or moral sloth.
Forget to subscribe to replies!
For what it’s worth
” Declining rates of circumcision among infants will translate into billions of dollars’ worth of unnecessary medical costs in the United States as the boys grow up and become sexually active men, researchers at Johns Hopkins University said. ”
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0812/circumcision_health_costs.php3
It seems that from environmentalists to greens to what ever the latest ism is they all want to go back in time to less health and greater hardships.
Among other things, the decision of some Jews to give "Jewish life in Germany" another shot has given rise to the comments above, which make it sound as though Jews torture their male infants. Jew hatred has many forms, and one of them is to insinuate that our ancient ways and customs are cruel and/or primitive. Let the evidence speak for itself—Jewish men make great fathers and husbands, we make a good living, and Israel is second only to the US in its level of patent-filings and military capability. We Jews have nothing whatsoever to apologize for. n nWe do, however, have to wonder what can be in the minds of those Jews who think Germany's a great place to raise their families. What about the last1600 years of history don't they get? The Germans, and perhaps most of Europe, has been sending out the words: We don't want Jews" for over a millennium, and some of us still don't get it! Do the Europeans have a right not to want Jews in their neighborhoods and towns? You bet they do, just as Israel wants as few Christians as possible in its neighborhoods and towns. So get with it, guys, go where you're wanted and let the beast sleep for another 1000 years—or die, if that's what Europe has in mind for itself. n n nAs for brit milah, it's nobody's business but ours. When it can be shown that what we do harms our children, no matter what that is, we'll be forced to look at it and make a change. But so far, all we see is that old-fashioned European Jew hatred rearing its ugly head once more.
Brace yourself, it isn't just Germany. It's all of the West which is falling under the Mohammedan Supremacists' caliphate.
Someone said something to the effect of "Religion ends where your knife touches another." n nBut I bet that same person freaks out in hysterical frothings at the thought there should be restraints against allowing knives to mutilate, dismember, and kill that same baby boy ten days before he would be circumcised.
Jesus of Nazareth was a circumcized Jew, and the Catholic Church celebrates that circumcision as fulfillment of Godu2019s covenant with the people of Israel. Paul asserted that gentiles did not have to be circumcized, but he wore his own nationality proudly.
Soon the animal rights movement will make a statement about Torah scrolls.
I think the tone of this article is really off, and I feel as though it's trying to sell me the story that this is all about anti-Semitism, and how it is snowballing in Europe among Europeans. I know there are people who are not anti-Semitic who oppose circumcision. I am Jewish and I am OK with circumcision of male children as infants, so it's not that I am in the anti-circumcision camp. If this is aimed at anyone it is aimed at Muslims. Yes, of course there is native European anti-Semitism, but let's not confuse the issue with anti-Semitic incidents in Europe which are perpetrated by Muslims, which are the preponderance of them. n nI think a German Federal court will overturn the lower court on religious circumcisions. Germany is still keenly mindful of the horrific crimes committed by the Nazi government, and I believe they care about relations with the worldwide Jewish community. Clearly this local doctor and lower court are insensitive to the Jewish community. I cannot speculate on their motivations, but I do not believe this rabbi-mohel will suffer any penalties.
"I think a German Federal court will overturn the lower court on religious circumcisions." n nThen someone in the German government needs to move on this, regardless of that saying about how slowly and deliberately the wheels of justice turn. Here comes a story out of Germany about a rabbi being arrested for practicing Judaism. Not good for Germany's PR. n nThe judge's ruling was bad enough, but now some of the local idiots are starting to take him seriously. it's the kind of thing that's best nipped in the bud, like the bit of skin around the glans penis.
Why are Jews the most optimistic people?!… They cut of a piece before they know how long "it" will be… n nJokes aside, to all those people who decry the "alleged" cruelty of circumcision, supposedly seeking our welfare – I'm a Jewish (circumcised) male, I'm a father of 2 (circumcised) male sons as well as the father of 2 (uncircumcised) females (all with the same spouse)… Neither I nor my sons have any problem with being circumcised… If it actually does reduce male sensitivity then I'm glad I'm circumcised… And so are my wife and all the lady friends I knew (in the Biblical sense) before I got married… n nMale circumcision does not hamper sexual enjoyment… Female circumcision does preclude sexual enjoyment… Considering all of this I suggest to all the "do gooders" that there are more pressing subjects claiming their interest… But no, the vast majority of these "do gooders" that claim to be concerned solely with the well being of underage kids can't be bothered with them… The fact that they can't be bothered with ear piercing, other piercings or tattooing of youngsters makes it crystal clear that their professed concerns are just a paper thin veneer of what they're really about…
"Jokes aside" Let's skip straight to the punch lines. There's the ever popular "Special today – 50% off." n nAnd the somewhat longer lead-in to "Okay, Mrs. Schwartz, what SHOULD I put in my window?" n
While we're at it: n n"So, let me get this straight. Those guys get all that oil, and I have to give you my what?"
Or "Well, it won't be long now."
A lot of Americans are circumcised, and aren’t Jews. Germany is saying their parents were wrong to so do. The German ambassador thus needs to be expelled, we being most likely an abhorrent nation in their pristine eyes.
Of course, we never boiled anyone down to soap.
Exactly. All of a sudden, in the early 21st Century, the Germans discover the humanity of children. n nJust 65 years ago, they were dashing the brains of Jewish children out against lamposts and the sides of trucks. n nThey think they have something to teach the Jews about humanity? n nWhat colossal, hateful, deceitful arrogance. n nF them. Damn them to hell.
"Yes, Inge, look how barbaric the Jews are to their own children. 600 upstanding German doctors think so! We were not so wrong to try and wipe them out a few years ago!"
Ah yes, those German doctors, so eager to become National Socialist doctors, so at last they could be free to perform their eugenics experiments unfettered by scruples. I'm sure the doctors who support the crypto-Nazi judge who has banned male circumcision, lovingly preserve, in the back of their closets, their fathers' and grandfathers' old uniforms.
The Catholic Church celebrates the circumcision of Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s covenant with the Lord. Indeed, as we believe that Jesus was divine, the shedding of his blood at that time is also a sign of God’s faithfulness to Israel.
We are familiar with these findings. As many have observed, in sum they lead to two wise injunctions: 1) always wear a condom; and, 2) always wash carefully. n nThe study does not refer to botched circumcisions that have led to grave infection and, in extreme cases, gender re-assignment. n nConsider: if circumcision were demonstrated to prevent — uniquely — the spread of certain STDs, would you have us force the surgery upon ALL male infants? Of course not. n nRather, you would say, it is an individual choice. So do we. n nThe difference is that you would pretend that an infant can make such a "choice". The rest of us would wait until adulthood, and give the young man the opportunity to exercise an authentic personal choice. It's the American way.
I would think abortion, which most atheistic folks strongly support, as you might, deprives the child or more than just a foreskin and whatever extra enjoyment that may bring.
"We are familiar with these things" n nHmm, sounds like you're part of some crackpot anti-male-circumcision movement. n nMale circumcision is about hygiene and health. The first is obvious, the second has been repeatedly established and strongly endorsed by all credible research. n nIndividual choice? Like vaccinating children over their often loud objections? Like forcing them to brush their teeth and take baths and eat right? We make decisions for infants all the time, so enough of your bogus "choice" rubbish. n nYour diatribe can be accounted for on three and only three accounts: you are stupid, you have a foreskin fetish, you are an anti-Semite. Which of these are you?
If he is 1 and 2, or 1 and 3, or all three, he won't realize that these categories are not mutually exclusive.
as a matter of fact, circumcision is a factor favoring the health of boys and men. This is because dirt and bacteria tend to accumulate inside the foreskin of those not circumcised. That is why many educated non-Jews in the USA have their sons circumcised, thus eliminating a focus of infection and disease. That’s what those Johns Hopkins doctors were referring to as reported by Cynic above. Of course, in Europe, still wallowing in its old bigotry and prejudices, a supposedly educated judge reaches an opinion contrary to the truth about health.
Try bathing, that will keep it clean. Seriously all this research is from from guys trying to justify their position. The irony is that God created Man in his own image but Man says God is wrong. "Hey God you forgot to remove this bit"
So you believe the part of the Scripture that says G-d created man in G-d's image, but you don't believe the part where He commanded Jews to circumcise their sons? That's the real irony. n nG-d also created wheat, grapes, fish and cattle. We can assume that you eat the wheat and grapes while it is still attached to the ground, and that you would consider it going against the Creator's will to actually harvest and thresh the wheat, grind it into flour and bake it into bread, or to cut and crush the grapes, let them ferment and drink wine. Let alone to catch and eat a fish, or to slaugher and butcher a cow, and cook and eat the beef.
"Try bathing" yeah, it's only those dirty Jews who think circumcision is hygenic.
I am very to repudiating my German and French heritage for a number of reasons. The French have become lazy socialist fools who will, if nothing is done, along with other European countries become Muslim controlled nations. This circumcision thing is another thing that pisses me off, the judge that made this ruling should be disbarred and the ruling pitched. Then the Chancellor should decree that Germany will not ban circumcision as it is a personal and/or religious freedom that will not be taken from them. So to people on either side of the subject "shut the "F" up" and go on with your life "Quietly"
if you don't think there's anything anti-Semitic about circumcision bans, take a look at "Foreskin Man," a comic book that came out around the time San Francisco was voting on criminalizing the practice. (they didn't.) n nan evil hooknosed man in a long black coat is trying to steal the Aryan baby away to torture (circumcise) him. the hero is a strapping blond god straight from Valhalla. n nnah, nothing anti-Semitic there. n n
But it wasn't for lack of trying. The ballot measure had to be thrown out by a judge.
Jonathan makes an excellent point of drawing a parallel between enemies of male-circumcision and enemies of Israel. Theoretically, neither makes them Jew-haters, though emprically they usually are. n nHere's another parallel: enemies of male circumcision and enemies of Darwin. (Which is ironic, since enemies of Darwin are probably supporters of male circumcision for scriptural reasons.) What binds these two, and binds them in-turn to the enemies of Israel and to anti-Semites is that all of them use bogus science and specious logic and proxy issues to cloak the true basis for their enmity — their resentment of other people. The enemies of Darwinism resent the assault of science — read atheist intellectuals — on their faith. The anti-Semites resent the assault of Jews on their turf, i.e. "their" share of the pie, "their" success," "their" space, "their" culture," despite the strenuous efforts of Jews through the ages to play by the rules and to assimilate. At the extremes of politics and culture, the animosities are visceral and not amenable to rational persuasion. n nYes, the campaign against males circumcision — would you believe there's actually a campaign? — where do these people come from??? — is ignorant and perverse, just like that movement in 1920-30s Germany was also ignorant and perverse. Yes, these are just festering moles, but ignoring a festering mole means ignoring the malignancy underneath it, with fatal consequences.
As a Jewish mama who chose to keep her Jewish son intact, I think it is about time we as Jews stop hiding behind "tradition" in order to justify the genital mutilation of our boys. We, as Jews, are generally a smart people that understand that traditions change. And that the more we know, the better we do. For example, we no longer stone to death the masturbator though the Torah tells us to. We no longer kill the adulterer though the Torah commands it. Now we know the foreskin has 20,000 sexual nerve endings of a type NOT found on the penis ( the same type of nerve endings as found on the palm of your hand – go on tickle the palm of your hand!). We also know that circumcision has changed from a "tribal nick" where the goal was to get some drops of blood to the full- fledged removal of the whole foreskin that started in Roman times as a response from rabbis angry at Jews trying to "pass." It is unfortunate that Germany was the country to do this but that does not mean that Brit Milah should continue.
I think you posted your reply to the wrong comment.
no, I think he was talking about Wacky Jew-hater Charles Football. and it's an excellent question. Charles, you do seem to have rather an obsession with male babies' naughty bits. why is that?
I think so, too, but from the indents, it looks like he's replying to Cherie79, which I don't think he meant to do. Or maybe it's just the way the layout looks on my screwed-up browser. Anyway, no biggie.