I am waiting for your next article in which you will denounce mothers who breast feed as commiting sexual harrasment, assault, or even incest. How dare they put their newborn to their teet without asking them first. I suppose with your memory of your Brit (circumcision) you also have painful memories of having to see both your parents naked at varying points throughout your infanthood. They should both be locked up. So should the doctor who cut your ambilical cord, and the nurse who slapped your bottom to make you cry. All these must be painful memories for you.

The article is so ridiculous I don't know where to begin. I will just say this: Circumcision becomes more dangerous with age, and by the time you reach adulthood it's best not to perform it at all for safety reasons. In infants it is harmless, and if harm does come then it's no different than if someone is hurt in a hospital—a bad thing to be sure, but it's a problem with the mohel, not a problem with the ritual. In addition circumcision has well-known medical benefits. Read the countless literature on it and educate yourself. In light of these two facts it is irresponsible not to circumcise an infant—you're either condemning them to a less healthy life without circumcision, or a much more dangerous procedure later in life.

Hi Yigal, allthough I agree with you that circumsition is painful, I do not agree with your point out facts against circumsition. You can not compaire rituals like the chicken around the head, or female mutilation to circumsition, those are compelitely diffrent facts that I see of total irrelevancie to this circumsition ritual. Shai

The only pain the newborn Jewish male will feel is the stupidity of the writer who obviously is turning a blind eye toward the historical antisemitic behaviour of the Europeans. All the need that some misguided Jews help the antisemites to achieve their goals. Who needs an enemy with so called friends.

for not using birth control. Reading your stupidity violated my human rights.

Why you use the latin word "penis" instead of canaanean word "zain"? Some thouths: 1. Advantages of Brit : - increased resistance to sexual transmisible deseases, incl. HIV; - reduced risk of infections. 2. Disavantages : - scratches; - reduced resistance to cold, frost; - some jews were identified by the nazis after this sign - there were also errors, some goyms were taken as jews because they had this intervention for medical reasons.

Maybe this idiot can tell us how many Female circumcisions take place in EU? This ban just like that of ritual slaughter is only directed Judaism and Islam, while it does not really affect anyone else. Funny how bull fighting is still legal...or horse racing or Polo...ah the hypocrites as usual! These are dictatorial laws trying to make everyone else assimilate into their culture by force! Very sad how some people will throw their heritage away at the drop of a hat. Dont worry, just like those foolish Jews during 1940's who said Hitler is a our friend and perished, so too will these idiots who do not learn from history. All the EU council is doing is imposing Christian beliefs on everyone by force...now how is that different from al queida terrorists who tell people to convert or be killed? As if the EU will stop there...next it will be illegal to dress like a Muslim or Jew...illegal to have places of worship...no freedom of religion....

Some of my relatives also elected not to circumcise their sons.

Mr Sarna You dislodged yourself from Jewishness ! if you ever were jewish?! while reading your article I doubt you ever were. If you have apostatised from judaism, go away for ever and let us alone , but don´t stay with us as a rotten apple harming us. I want my kids to be circumcised and jewish, if anyone try to prohibit that he is an antisemite and a clear enemy.

People . It was a religious act years or centuries ago , now it make you belong to US , seculars and religious alike . Pain ? at 18 it's painfull and i would not like that a man touches my organe . It's also a psychological problem at 18 i think . My own experience is that girls prefere circumcised boys above the non circumcised ones

With your mindset, your kids will eat on Yom Kippur, your grandkids will marry non-Jews and move to Europe, and your great grandkids will call to boycott Israel over still allowing circumcision in 2060. Your memory will be a great blessing to them.

Just as Europe is mostly pro-choice when it comes to abortion laws, it should also be the same when it comes to circumcision. It is true that a lot of Jewish families are choosing not to circumsise their children. However, that is their choice. And the rest of us also have our choice. However, circumcision has been around for thousands of years. It has come to the point where you need to get a medical degree in most places to perform it. That is a completely reasonable thing to ask for. I wouldn't let someone without a medical license perform a circumcision with my children, just being a rabbi doesn't cut it (ha ha).

If someone try to prohibit ONLY Jewish Brith Mila , you can call him antisemite [ anti Jewish ] . If he try to prohibit ALL the circumcisions , as the EU want to do , he's not antisemite but against freedom of religion . In Germany there is a law allowing circumcision .

1. Do you remember your circumcision? Does anyone? So much for excruciating pain. 2. Less pleasure? Men usually do reach a climax when younger. How could pleasure be any less? 3. Circumcision and female mutilation are the same in name only. It is a false addition to your argument. 4. Et cetera.....

self hatred is alive and well-I wish you a speedy recovery

Well the EU should now also ban vaccinations of polio and triple vaccination to innocent babies because that also hurts the baby and there might be a chance of side effects also.

To paraphrase Rabbi Israel Meir Lau of Tel Aviv, a child survivor of Buchenwald, how nice it is that Europeans are so concerned and compassionate about pain caused to Jewish baby boys! When Jewish parents will be forbidden to have their infant sons circumcised, Europe will be Juedenrein and the humane Europeans can be so proud of themselves.But then their birthrate is so low that their pride may not last long. I am happy to have shared in the joy of the brit milah (circumcision covenant ceremony) of my sons and grandsons, like my ancestors did-- to some, it is barbarism, but to those of us who are observant Jews, it is a divine commandment. And there were medical personnel present and it was sanitary. And, I, like many Jews, do not swing chickens before Yom Kippur, but use money instead and donate it to charity (another commandment). But in Europe, the big nanny welfare state takes care of everyone, doesn't it? Long live hypocrisy! Why don't you move there, Mr. Sarna.

You live in Bet Shemesh, must be an expert of sectarian war and hate

Royal sons which dates back to Queen Victoria's days. So the British Monarchs need to give up the title of King or Queen of Israel since they no longer reflect the values and commandments of the Yah of Israel.

When parents let the "choice"for their newborn to decide when older if he wants to have a brit mila is only that they are evitating to assume an adult decision and putting it on the back of a baby wich is non sense.his baby will come to the real world loaded with decisions not taken by the adults, enter in a much more complicated situation .The reality shows that when evitating mila, the family also find logical to evitate other halahot. The taking away of the new generation from their people will be quite sure complete in not much time. this family will be loosed for the jewish people.

it looks that you're upset with European jews. FYI Germany today is a major supplier of military equipment to Israel unlike the SA running by African tribe and rabid antesemites supporting boycot of jewish state. So, who's the fool then?

I really don't get the juxtaposition of infant circumcision and FGM. Those who connect the two appear to lack any knowledge of the latter.

You're defending Germany? Aren't they supplying Iran with nuclear equipment? A South African citizen and his government are two separate entities - are Arab Israeli MKs and Jewish Israeli citizens identical? As a member of the SA Jewish community myself, you'd be hard pressed to find a community that is more pro-Israeli. Europeans as ever are to be treated with suspicion. I'm also Israeli by the way...if

I'm a Jewish woman 60+ years old, whose enjoyed relationships and marriage ONLY to Jewish men, males who ARE NOT LACKING in the sexual/sensual/ performance and satisfaction departments. Your own inability to perform or to satisfy, must "come" (if you'll pardon the pun) from another psychological barrier (like self-hatred) and NOT a 2-second ritual that was performed on your foreskin when you were EIGHT DAYS OLD. Jewish men are earthy, sexy, and a joy to be with!

Circumsition. The mutilation of a young boy's penis by religious zealots who see it as a "sacred covenant" between their ilk and their God. And or the mutilation of a young boy's penis by medical professionals charging a hefty fee to perform a medically unwarranted and unnecessary procedure, except in the not so frequent cases of fimosis. And or the mutilation of a young boy's penis by snake charmers under the pretence of eliminating imaginary hygienic issues to which girls are immune to. Regards

I would agree with Sarna where it not for the medical benefits of male circumcision as acknowledged by the Center for Disease Control ans the American Pediatric Society. Otherwise, it would be a primitive ritual, and - if not performed properly and includes the Mohel's sucking of the infants penis (with documented cases of Herpes transmission) - it still is. The problem is that the European Council's decision is prejudiced and unbalanced as it does not consider the health benefits, and ridiculous in its comparison to female genital mutilation. So it's not antisemitism, but ignorance and prejudices rooted in castration fear. By putting clitoridectomy on the same level, it belittles the fate of genitally truly mutilated women.

Stop it, or wait until the age of 15. The same with abortion. Actually circumcision is an element of Judaism that many have died for. Actually I like to see the whole affair as a push to make Jews move home - I am not Jewish otherwise I had lived in Israel since the 70's. Being born and have a circumcision a week later is the same trauma in the memory, and the nerves are pretty numb the whole time those first troublesome days.

The arguments are ridiculous. You can anesthetize if you believe the 8Day old infant feels pain, adults who have been circumcised invariably report no difference in physical sensation. And you dramatically reduce transmission of HIV, although gays sneer at those scientific findings. You want your kids to come complete with smegma and an elephant trunk, fine with me. Just don't impose your crazy ideas, using the full force of government, on me and mine! Keep the government OUT of the bedroom and your hands off my kids and my decisions.