6 Friday, November 25, 1983 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS MIT•S in A MIME? IRYTHIMG! IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IM DIAMONDS, Nobody Sells Diamonds For Less And We Prove It! OUR , 7-5'1' The. Diamond People For Over 50 years Plee iN& CO 30555 SOUTHFIELD RD CONGRESS BLDG .100 (ONE BLOCK SOUTH OF 13 MILE ROAD) PHONE 645-9200 Medieval Circumcision Customs Were Linked to Christian Rites By JOSEPH GUTMANN (Editor's note: This ar- ticle is excerpted from a lengthy book chapter on "Christian Influences on Jewish Customs" written by Dr. Gutmann, who is professor of art and art history at Wayne State University.) Jewish involvement with Catholic German society roughly between the 12th and 15th Centuries, as seen in its life cycle ceremonies, reveals a distinct pattern that inextricably testifies to NOW SHOWING Local Hero Vacation The Survivors The Hunger Pink Floyd THE WALL $35 Membership Fee $2.50 overnight $5 for4 Days VIDEO PLUS VIDEO PLUS AUDIO 19739 W. 12 MILE RD. 6641 ORCHARD LAKE RD. (Old Orchard Mall) WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 855-4070 at EVERGREEN SOUTHFIELD, MI 569-2330 the complex interrelation- ship of Ashkenazi Jews with their medieval German Christian neighbors. Jews shared not only Christian fears and an- xieties, but also Christian folk life, superstitions, and customs which were ingeni- ously adapted and trans- formed for Jewish use. Although circumcision is one of the oldest and most sacred Jewish rites — marking the entry of the male child into the covenant of Abraham on the eighth day after birth — several customs introduced - by medieval German Jews were originally connected with the sacrament of bap- tism. The shifting of the Jewish ceremony from the home to the syna- gogue during the gaonic (post-talmudic) period helped expedite this pro- cess. From the time the Jewish child was born until the cir- cumcision ceremony, it was deemed necessary in medieval Germany to safeguard the child against demons, especially the female demon Lilith, to whom popular belief attri- buted an eagerness to harm the mother and the child. To ward off her evil influence, talismans and amulets were hung on the child and placed around a room of the woman in childbed. Anxiety was at its height on the eve of the circumci- sion day. This night was considered the most dangerous time of all, since MR. & MRS. JOSEPH SPITZER and staff SPITZER'S of Ila HAw rt hYaelir l y iaAlHow Just Off The Press! The Jewish Book Of Why GREAT JEWS IN SPORTS Reg. $11.95 NOW $8 95 by Robert Slater 1 TWEE Viiirdir. FOR EACH Reg. $14.95 NOW $10 79 I PERSON VV — H- 0-65.117E — S—a-S urati - Electric Plastic Menorah. ALL MENORAHS IN STOCK 20% 50 DISCOUNT different styles with bulbs Reg. $19.95 $ 12 95 We Carry a Complete Line of ISRAELI & DOMESTIC KOSHER WINES For Weddings & Bar Mitzvas At Discount Prices Its Chanukah Time at SPITZER'S Hebrew Book & Gift Center 11 Mile & Lahser, Southfield Harvard Row 356-6080 Open All Day Sunday X . t VISA' it was believed that demons and evil spirits would make a final concerted effort to in- jure mother and child. To protect both mother and child, a night vigil was in- stituted in the Middle Ages. This medieval Jewish vigil was popularly known as Wachnacht (night watch). Relatives and friends gathered in the home to study (lernen) and recite prayers during the night so that the child would not be bewitched (be- nommen) or hurt; popular belief held that Brit Mila (the covenant of circumci- sion) ended the power of all evil spirits and demons. A related ceremony was employed by Ger- man Christians the night before baptism, as they too believed that the power of evil spirits and demons held over mother and child was broken only with baptism. Three days prior to cir- cumcision it was customary, expecially in the Rhineland, to call out in the streets "Zu der Judsch Kerz" (to the cir- cumcision candle) in order to summon Jewish women to the house of the woman in childbed. Assembled there, they would usually prepare 12 small candles and one large candle, all to be lit in the synagogue during the circumcision ceremony. The 12 small candles symbolized the 12 tribes of Israel; the large candle was called ner tamid (eternal light). Among Christians, it was also customary to light 12 small candles and one large candle — in connec- tion with Baptism. Here, of course, the 12 symbolized the 12 apostles and the large one stood for Jesus. Similarly, the child was brought into the synagogue through a special door, known as Judsch Tirchen (circumcision door) — while a special church door was also employed for the Chris- tian sacrament of baptism. Reconstructionist Body Issues Guidelines on Intermarriage PHILADELPHIA — Rec- Jewish spouses, especially ognizing that rabbinic and when they express a desire communal condemnations to maintain a Jewish are no longer realistic home." methods of slowing the The guidelines state trend toward intermar- that Reconstructionist riage, the Reconstructionist rabbis should reach out Rabbinical Association to intermarried couples (RRA) passed "Guidelines that families both before on Intermarriage," a docu- and following the mar- ment outlining the RRA's riage. This would en- philosophy on the issue. courage them to pursue The guidelines, which their identification with were approved at the RRA's Judaism, their involve- annual convention this past ment with the Jewish March following almost community and their ob- three years of debate, have servance of Jewish prac- been released publicly and tices. appear in the November The RRA guidelines also 1983 issue of the "Recon- note that when mixed structionist" magazine. couples approach rabbis to According to Rabbi Jacob officiate at wedding cere- Staub, chairperson of the monies, rabbis should be RRA committee on inter- more sensitive to the needs marriage, "Jewish life of such couples, avoiding flourishes best in families short, negative responses to where both parents are such requests. The committed Jews. However, guidelines suggest that a our commitment to this rabbi who is convinced of a ideal should not cause us to couple's sincere commit- alienate the increasingly ment to establishing a significant numbers of Jewish home and to raising Jewish men and women children as Jews should be who are choosing non- as supportive as possible. Photos Depicting Jewish Life in Russia Sought by YIVO NEW YORK — The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research has embarked on a project to collect and catalogue photographs de- picting Russian Jewish life and culture. The institute recently completed a similar project on Jewish history in Poland, which led to a traveling exhibition, book and film, all entitled "Image Before My Eyes: A Photographic History of Jewish Life in Po- land 1864-1939." Organizers of the project say they are seeking mate- rials from the general pub- lic related to all aspects and eras of Russian-Jewish life. Photographs from before and immediately after the Russian Revolution and from World War II are par- ticularly needed, according to Marek Web, chief ar- chivist at the institute. To make a contribution to the project or for informa- tion, contact the YIVO In- stitute, 1048 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10028. The Star of David was first used as an official Jewish symbol by the Jewish community of Prague in the 17th Century. It appeared as the official seal of the community and on printed prayer books.