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Apr 15, 2026, 8:01 AM

Microplastics and Israel

I’m watching C-SPAN, where a panel of so-called experts is discussing the dangers of microplastics. I say “so-called” because one of the panelists is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Yes, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—our Secretary of Health and Human Services. Yes, the...

Reuven Chaim Klein

Apr 12, 2026, 4:30 PM

Doctor Circumcisor – mohel, gozer, rofeh and umana

The Torah commands that when a Jewish boy is born, he should be circumcised on the eighth day (Lev. 12:3). The verb used in that passage to denote “circumcising” the child is yimol, and similar words for the act of...

Andy Blumenthal

Apr 12, 2026, 7:30 AM

Holy Math: Why the Number 8 Changes Everything

Rarely does the synagogue calendar align with such poetic precision. This past Shabbat, our congregation witnessed a Brit Milah (circumcision) during the morning service—a ceremony many of us realized we hadn’t seen performed on the Sabbath in years. The event...

Mar 25, 2026, 2:42 AM

The prophet at the door

'Elijah in the Desert,' by Washington Allston, in 1870. (public domain)

The biblical Elijah gave up on the Jews, but God knew better. He told him, sent him back, and made him witness to Jewish stamina and resolve forever (Passover)

Feb 8, 2026, 11:54 PM

The Bagel Guillotine

I studied Anita’s ring finger, wrapped in a blood-soaked brown paper towel. Then I glanced at her face, twisted into a grimace. “Do you want to go to urgent care?” I asked. “No thanks. It’ll coagulate and stop bleeding.” As she spoke,...

Sam Lehman-Wilzig

Dec 19, 2025, 11:25 AM

Judaism (and Hanukkah) in Light of History

I attended a modern Orthodox Jewish Day School from 1st through 8th grade, and then a similar high school. The secular education was quite good, and the Jewish part – at least from the standpoint of “dos and don’ts”...

Sep 25, 2025, 7:44 AM

The New Yorker’s Botched Circumcision Video

Everyone’s favorite anti-circumcision duo is back — The New Yorker and Gary Shteyngart. Their latest collaboration is a video version of the author’s botched circumcision article from October 2021. If you thought it was difficult to read his graphic...

Jonathan Feldstein

Sep 15, 2025, 10:09 PM

Why My Grandson’s Circumcision Cut Short My US Trip

After days of juggling, explaining, and cutting short my travel plans, I was privileged to make it home in time last week for my newest grandson’s circumcision ceremony, brit mila. While he’s my fifth grandson, he’s the first Feldstein...

Sep 11, 2025, 10:40 AM

The Bris I never wanted

When I first met Cantor Phil Sherman, New York’s mohel to the stars, I didn’t know what was in store. While learning to be a mohel myself, my in-laws suggested I shadow him for the day. As it turned...

Jul 22, 2025, 12:14 AM

Docs Cite Benefits After Belgium Targets Mohels—That Misses the Point

AI-generated image via Shutterstock.

Who should shape a child’s body and soul—the parent, the community, or the individual? This question sits at the heart of ongoing tensions between religious communities that see child circumcision as imperative, and liberal democracies that prioritize individual rights over...

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