The Circumcision Episode

This week on Unorthodox, we’ve got a special episode dedicated to circumcision and the Jewish mitzvah known as the brit, or bris, that signifies entry into the tribe for 8-day-old Jewish males.

We talk to Dr. Emily Blake, the mohel who performed Mark’s son’s bris, about why this biblical practice has remained so central to the Jewish experience, even among the nonobservant. The folks at BimBam explain Lech Lecha, the parsha in which Abraham and God enter into the covenant that defines the Jewish people. Hayim Leiter, a rabbi and mohel in Jerusalem, tells us about Safer HaBrit, his organization that provides circumcision resources and advocates against the controversial practice known as metzitzah b’peh. Sara Fredman Aeder tells us about approaching Jewish circumcision from a scholarly perspective and, later, a personal one, and Lizzie Skurnick shares her experience weighing circumcision as a single mother by choice. Producer Noah Levinson talks with Australian medical historian Dr. Robert Darby about the speculation surrounding the British royal family’s possible circumcisions, including the role of the “royal mohel.” And finally, Cristian Uriostegui tells the story of getting circumcised his junior year in college,

The BimBam explainer was read by Emily Shapiro Katz, a Jewish educator in Beer Sheva, Israel; you can watch the animated version at bimbam.com.

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Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.