The Bruchim Podcast

Many Jewish males are circumcised in the hospital without any Jewish ritual, but how did this become the case? Eli and Max are joined by the historian Prof. Elizabeth Reis (CUNY), who has studied the medicalization of circumcision in mid-century New York. While rabbis were glad to see mainstream support for circumcision, they worried about a shift away from the religious component of circumcision, which is exactly what happened. We explore this tension, and we discuss a fascinating historical moment in which a mohel could perform a brit milah in the hospital, and how shorter hospital stays for women giving birth changed the practice of Jewish circumcision and provided opportunities for rabbis to criticize mothers. Plus, we discuss how circumcision might relate to medical and Jewish responses to intersex conditions.

Elizabeth Reis, “Medicalization and the Mainstreaming of Circumcision in Mid-twentieth-century America”

Elizabeth Reis, Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex

How might childhood trauma relate to some of the big problems in our relationships and our world? Eli is joined by the psychologist Dr. Ronald Goldman, a longtime Jewish opponent of circumcision, to talk about Ron’s new book about empathy. Eli and Ron discuss mother-infant bonding and the effects it can have on adults, the systemic issues that prevent optimal mother-infant bonding, the psychology of trauma, and Ron’s journey as a writer and activist.

Audrey-Ann Deneault, Stuart I. Hammond, and Sheri Madigan, “A Meta-analysis of Child–Parent Attachment in Early Childhood and Prosociality” 

Saul McLeod, “Attachment Theory in Psychology” 

Ronald Goldman, The Empathy Evolution: Preventing Violence, Racism, Political Corruption, and Mental Illness by Creating More Caring People

Circumcision Resource Center 

How do you make decisions about whether to circumcise your future kid? For feminist filmmaker Jessie Kahnweiler, the answer is by making a movie! Jessie joins Eli to discuss what it’s like to make a film about the sensitive subject of Jewish circumcision, how to balance different perspectives on a controversial topic, and the position of women in conversations about male circumcision. Eli and Jessie further explore how Jessie’s Jewish identity and the Jewish value of questioning relate to her work, and the importance of intentionality with regard to circumcision.

Watch Just the Tip here. 
 

Interested in the ethics of circumcision? You’ve come to the right place! Eli and Max are joined by the bioethicist Prof. Brian Earp (National University of Singapore and Oxford University), a leading scholar of genital cutting and bodily integrity. Brian walks us through recent developments in the ethics of bodily integrity, and then we discuss the pros and cons of focusing on harm in ethical debates about circumcision. We raise and critique three prominent defenses of circumcision, by Joseph Mazor, Richard Shweder, and Michael and David Benatar. Then Eli, Max, and Brian each offer the best argument they can in favor of circumcision before critiquing these arguments.

Brian Earp, “Male or Female Genital Cutting: Why ‘Health Benefits’ Are Morally Irrelevant” 

Michael Benatar and David Benatar, “Between Prophylaxis and Child Abuse: The Ethics of Neonatal Male Circumcision” 

Joseph Mazor, "The Child’s Interests and the Case for the Permissibility of Male Infant Circumcision”   

Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon, “On the Impermissibility of Infant Male Circumcision: A Response to Mazor "

Richard Shweder, “Permitting Gender Equality in Abrahamic Circumcision: The Central Argument – In Retrospect and Reply”

Siobhan E. Alexander, Douglas W. Storm, and Christopher S. Cooper: “Teasing in school locker rooms regarding penile appearance”  

Buckle up! Season 2 is about to begin.

In this episode, Eli and Max are joined by Dr. Na’ama Carlin to discuss her book Morality, Violence, and Ritual Circumcision. They talk about Dr. Carlin’s distinction between two types of violence: Manichaen violence, which is done by and to people; and generative violence, which helps to create identities." They discuss the contemporary circumcision debate and how Jewish circumcision resists its logic. Further, they talk about Derrida’s book Circumfession and how Na’ama leans on it for her understanding of Jewish circumcision.

Show Notes

Dr. Carlin’s book  Morality, Violence, and Ritual Circumcision

https://www.routledge.com/Morality-Violence-and-Ritual-Circumcision-Writing-with-Blood/Carlin/p/book/9780367551957

Between Prophylaxis and Child Abuse: The Ethics of Neonatal Male Circumcision by Michael Benatar and David Benatar

https://philpapers.org/rec/BENBPA-2

Rachel Bloom’s Foreskin Angels

https://youtu.be/LyqutExm-jw?si=M7XVraz3Fz3HLXuE

Derrida’s Circumfession

https://a.co/d/e6Isf8P

In his second appearance on The Bruchim Podcast, Jeff presents his view on the ethics of circumcision, and Max and Eli respond with their own views on the matter. They discuss the right to bodily integrity, the right to self-determination, the differences and similarities between male and female genital cutting practices, and the possibility that circumcision wrongs people without harming them.

Show Notes

Eli’s Text Study Video:

https://youtu.be/w_7xv6V68b8?si=YVdN3Jv53JTuOKv1

Eli’s Essay on the ethics of neonatal circumcision:

https://www.eliungar.com/circumcision/2013/9/8/on-the-impermissibility-of-infant-male-circumcision.html

Eruvin 13b

https://www.sefaria.org/Eruvin.13b.1?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en

In the third part of this  series, Eli and Max are joined by the moral philosopher Jeff Helmreich. After Jeff gets up to speed on the conversation, he complicates matters by introducing a fifth option for the relationship between ethics and Jewish law. The group digs into the "Oven of Akhnai," a famous story from the Babylonian Talmud. Jeff then talks about the process he went through when deciding to circumcise his son and articulates his position, followed by discussion of how his position relates to the other options discussed.

Show Notes:

Eli’s film, Cut:

https://www.cutthefilm.com

Sam Lebens book The Principles of Judaism:

https://a.co/d/7HCrWzx

Jeff’s Review of the Lebens book:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/religious-studies/article/abs/samuel-lebens-the-principles-of-judaism-oxford-oxford-university-press-2020-pp-xviii-352-750010000-hbk-isbn-9780198843252/80958BDE0851BCC4A63E7EE50E9E3693?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=bookmark

Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein’s Essay:

https://www.etzion.org.il/en/philosophy/great-thinkers/harav-aharon-lichtenstein/does-jewish-tradition-recognize-ethic

The Oven of Akhnai Story:

https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.59b.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

In the second part of this series, Eli is joined by Bruchim’s Director of Education, Max DuBoff, to look at an essay by Rabbi Ethan Tucker that is directly relevant to the relationship between Ethics and Jewish law. After a brief introduction to Rabbi Tucker’s place in the Jewish world, they try to understand how Rabbi Tucker's view fits into the categories delineated in the first part of the series. They conclude by discussing Tucker’s comments in this essay on the topic of circumcision.

Show Notes:

Rabbi Ethan Tucker on Parshat Vaetchanan:

https://www.hadar.org/torah-tefillah/resources/ethical-norms-foundation-torah

Are Jewish law and ethics in conflict? Eli is joined by Max DuBoff, Bruchim's Director of Education, to explore this question. They begin by defining their terms and explaining what they mean by ethics and what they mean by halakha, Jewish law. Max then proposes four possible positions that one might take regarding the relationship between the two, based on two questions: 1) Can ethics and Jewish law conflict?; and 2) If they can, what should we do about it? Max and Eli each explain which position appeals most to them, and why. Finally, they talk about whether circumcision can be considered an example of a conflict between Ethics and Jewish law.

Show Notes:

Conservative Halacha and LGBT Issues:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/conservative-halakhah-and-homosexuality/

Plato’s Euthyphro Dialogue:

https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html

Covenant of Blood by Lawrence Hoffman:

https://books.google.com/books/about/Covenant_of_Blood.html?id=YtAwXlnNyMgC