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My name is Ronit Tamir and I’m one of the founding members of [[KAHAL]], an organization that has been active in Israel for the last 20 years. Our goals are to help parents and parents-to-be with support and advice as well as making the information about circumcision accessible, public and easy to understand.

I don’t know if you are aware, but in Israel it is not very easy to be against circumcision. [[Circumcision ]] is an ancient ritual with religious roots and it is very significant for both [[Judaism ]] and [[Islam]]. Despite the religious connotations I’ve mentioned, the majority of the people in Israel are not religious, yet nonetheless still do circumcise their baby boys.

Circumcision is presented as an easy procedure that involves no, or very insignificant [[pain]], no risks and no disadvantages. People are taught from young age that the [[foreskin ]] is unclean. Statistics and objective information about circumcisions that were poorly performed are not collected, advertised or investigated.

In Israel, in most cases, circumcisions are performed by [[mohel| MOHALIM]], who are traditional circumcisers, and are religious people, not doctors. They don’t have any medical education and training, are not committed to any hygienic standards, cannot professionally diagnose the baby’s condition and are not allowed to use effective pain relief with local anesthesia.

Instead, they tend to claim that the baby doesn’t feel much pain (if any) and the baby’s screams are quieted by giving him a bit of wine during the ceremony. An obligatory part of this ritual is when the circumciser sucks the blood from the wound with is his mouth or with a tube exposing the baby to many, some deadly infections.

(I know you might be thinking that I made this up, but it is totally true. This is the way the traditional Jewish ritual is performed when it is not done by a doctor). Although the medical training and education in Israel is in very high standards, medical students don’t even have one hour of education about the [[foreskin ]] during their studies. It is very common that parents would go to the doctor, often on completely unrelated issue, and are given a recommendation to have their child circumcised immediately – as if they are endangering his life otherwise.

In the past 20 years [[KAHAL ]] has helped many thousands of people get information, answers and support – to enable them to make an informed decision as to what should be done to their newborn baby. Our main activity is holding a monthly meeting, which anyone interested can join, to meet and talk with parents who have [[intact ]] children in a variety of ages.

All our activity is run by volunteers and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them.Despite the taboo on this subject in Israel and among the Jewish community in general, the phenomenon of parents choosing not to circumcise their sons in Israel has expanded greatly in recent decades. Once there were perhaps only a few dozen [[uncircumcised]] Jewish men in the whole country, but today masses of mothers and fathers who are ready to overcome their family’s pressure and the fear of being different give their children the right to their bodies and lives.