required a Brit Milah, or ritual circumcision. Today, with increased medical
evidence demonstrating that there are no essential medical or hygienic benefits
derived from circumcision, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about
subjecting their newborns to this painful and sometimes dangerous practice.
Humanistic Judaism offers alternative methods for welcoming new baby boys and
girls into their family and as a member of the Jewish people:
- Brit Shalom is a ceremony designed for male Jewish babies who are not
circumcised. It can be scheduled either for the 8th day following birth, or
another date that is more convenient for the family
- Simchat Bat is a ceremony designed to welcome a baby girl into her family
and as a member of the Jewish people
- Simchat Ben is a ceremony designed to welcome a baby boy who has
been non-ritually circumcised (i.e., by a doctor) into the family and as a
member of the Jewish people.
Each service is individual planned.
Humanistic Jews believe that: male and female children should be treated
equally; that children of intermarried couples should have equal status, no matter
which parent is Jewish; that the decision about circumcision is a personal one, and
any procedures should be done privately; and that the purpose of the birth
celebration is to name the baby and publicly welcome it into the Jewish
community.
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