Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Jewish Childrearing Related Questions (12/12) Previous Document: Question 21.1.14: Entering the Covenant: Does Judaism have a tradition of Godparents? Next Document: Question 21.2.1: Naming: What are the Ashkenazi customs regarding the naming of children? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Answer: Technically, no. It is not a bris that makes a child Jewish, it is the circumstances of birth. In traditional Judaism, if the child is born of a Jewish mother, the child is nominally Jewish. For religious reasons, both Conservative and Orthodox Jews view it as a terrible mistake to avoid giving your Jewish child a brit milah (hebrew) (Note that a medical circumcision does not count in halakha (Jewish law) as a brit). Nonetheless, a Jew is a Jew, and he can join a synagogue and participate just as fully as any other Jew. Note that adults can choose to have a circumcision later in life (although medical involvement is necessary, along with religious involvement). Should a medical circumcision take place, your son could always get the full religious benefit of a second circumcision: the procedure is called hatafat dam brit, "the drawing of a tiny drop of blood in the name of the covenant". This action and ceremony can be done by a mohel (Hebrew)/moyel (Yiddish) nearly painlessly (surprise!) either when your child is still an infant, a child or even as an adult. Lastly, note that in Reform Judaism, under the Patrilineal Descent decision, either parent being Jewish gives the presumption of the child being Jewish. However, Reform Judaism requires that this presumption be confirmed by the child being raised with appropriate Jewish lifecycle and yearcycle events (i.e., observing holidays, home pratices, religious education)... and one of the specifically recommended events is a circumcision! User Contributions:Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Jewish Childrearing Related Questions (12/12) Previous Document: Question 21.1.14: Entering the Covenant: Does Judaism have a tradition of Godparents? Next Document: Question 21.2.1: Naming: What are the Ashkenazi customs regarding the naming of children? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: SCJ FAQ Maintainer <maintainer@scjfaq.org>
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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