Brit Shalom

From the English Wikipedia:

Brit shalom (ברית שלום ("covenant of peace"), also called alternative brit (or bris in Yiddish and Ashkenazi Hebrew), brit ben, brit chayim or brit tikkun is a naming ceremony for newborn Jewish boys that does not involve circumcision. It is intended to replace the traditional brit milah, and is promoted by groups such as Beyond the Bris and Jews Against Circumcision. The term is generally not used for girls, since their naming ceremony does not involve genital cutting.

Brit shalom is recognized by the Society for Humanistic Judaism, but not by any group generally considered to be a part of mainstream Judaism.

The first brit shalom ceremony was conducted by Rabbi Sherwin Wine, the founder of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, around 1970.

There are different forms of brit shalom ceremonies. Some of them involve the washing of the baby's feet, called Brit rechitzah. Brit shalom ceremonies are performed by a rabbi or a lay person; in this context, "rabbi" does not necessarily imply belief in God, as many celebrants belong to Humanistic Judaism.

The website Celebrants of Brit Shalom offers a good overview about rabbis etc. all over the world, who already celebrate Brit Shalom.

See also

• Celebrating Brit Shalom
• Victor Van de Rosieren

External links

English:

• Little-known non-cutting ritual appeals to some who oppose circumcision, article in the Jewish Journal
• http://www.jewsagainstcircumcision.org/brisshalom.htm, site of intactivists with further information and links to Brit Shalom

German:

• Auch in Israel gibt es Kritik an der Beschneidung (Even in Israel, there is criticism of the circumcision), article in the SouthWest Press
• Interview with Jérôme Segal - Universitätsdozent in Wien und Assistenzprofessor an der Pariser Sorbonne, Jude, Atheist und Beschneidungsgegner. (University lecturer in Vienna and Assistant Professor at the Sorbonne, Jew, atheist and opponent of circumcision)