Do all Jewish boys get circumcised?

Answer 1

There are some anti-circumcision Jewish organizations (Brit Shalom and Jews Against Circumcision), and there are SOME synagogues - mostly Reform - that "allow" this.

Another example is in the former Communist Soviet Union, the practice of all religions - including Judaism - was banned, so no boys and men could be circumcised. After the end of Communism, most Jews returned to practicing the faith, and many of these boys and men were uncircumcised.

However, the answer to the Question is Yes. The vast majority of Jewish male babies get circumcised.

The origin of Jewish circumcision is in the Torah. God told Abraham "every male among you shall be circumcised" (Gen. 17) as part of the covenant between God and the Jewish people.

Since that time, virtually all Jews have observed the command of circumcision (Genesis ch.17) for close to four millennia, even in times of religious persecution under the Greeks, Romans, Spaniards, Soviets and others. Circumcision is the indelible sign of God's covenant with Abraham and is just as important as Yom Kippur in terms of the stringency which the Torah places upon it. And similar to Yom Kippur, it is one of the observances which are common to Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews alike.

While we do not keep God's commands because of physical benefits, it is still interesting to note that:

Circumcision has been known to offer virtually complete protection from penile cancer. According to a recent review article in the New England Journal of Medicine, none of the over 1,600 persons studied with this cancer had been circumcised in infancy. In the words of researchers Cochen and McCurdy, the incidence of penile cancer in the U.S. is "essentially zero" among circumcised men.

Also, research at Johns Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore have shown that circumcised men are six to eight times less likely to become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Researchers believe that protection is due to the removal of the foreskin, which contains cells that have HIV receptors which scientists suspect are the primary entry point for the HIV virus. (Reuters, March 25, 2004)

Several studies reported that circumcised boys were between 10-to-39 times less likely to develop urinary tract infections during infancy than uncircumcised boys. In addition, circumcision protects against bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections and a variety of other conditions related to hygiene. The extremely low rate of Cervical cancer in Jewish women (9-to-22 times less than among non-Jewish women) is thought to be related to the practice of circumcision.

As a result of studies like these, a number of prestigious medical organizations such as the California Medical Association have recognized the benefits of circumcision.

As an operation, circumcision has an extremely small complication rate. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine (1990) reported a complication rate of 0.19 percent when circumcision is performed by a physician. When performed by a trained mohel, the rate falls to 0.13 percent or about 1 in 800. When a complication occurs, it is usually due to the bleeding, which is easily correctable. No other surgical procedure can boast such figures for complication-free operations.

One reason why there are so few complications involving bleeding may be that the major clotting agents, prothrombin and vitamin K, do not reach peak levels in the blood until the eighth day of life. Prothrombin levels are normal at birth, drop to very low levels in the next few days, and return to normal at the end of the first week. One study showed that by the eighth day, prothrombin levels reach 110 percent of normal. In the words of Dr. Armand J. Quick, author of several works on the control of bleeding, "It hardly seems accidental that the rite of circumcision was postponed until the eighth day by the Mosaic law."

Answer 2

The males do (Genesis ch.17). They get circumcised in a religious ceremony when they're eight days old, health permitting. Some less-religious Jews have their sons circumcised in the hospital in a secular procedure.

Answer 3

No, circumcision is not necessary in order to be Jewish if the male in question was born to a Jewish woman. However, if a Jewish male is not circumcised, he is considered cut off from the Nation of Israel and is prohibited from participating in most of the Jewish holidays and rituals.

In regard to conversion, both Orthodox and Conservative groups require male circumcision as part of the conversion process. In the past, the Reform movement did not require circumcision but today most Reform communities do make it a requirement.

Answer 4

Yes, approximately 90% of Jewish men worldwide are circumcised.

Answer 5

This is the Mitzva that is observed more than any other. About 98% of Jewish males are circumcised.

Answer 6

No, there is no concept or practice of female circumcision in Judaism.

Answer 7

No. In Judaism, circumcision applies to males (Genesis 17).

Answer 8

MOST of them are.