Eugene & Maria Applebaum Jewish Parenting Center Congregation Shaarey Zedek Presents Internationally renowned expert on child development and parenting s The Rite Wrong? t ULIE WIENER 1Staff Writer orget what the American Academy of Pediatrics says. Circumcision is a com- mandment that Jews will keep. And besides, we've already got the pain thing solved. That was the message this week from Detroit area rabbis and mohels following the academy's decision to stop recommending the routine cir- cumcision of newborn boys. Citing the procedure's cost and lack of compelling" benefits, the academy - printed a report in its journal, Pediatrics, questioning circumcision's medical value and urging effective pain relief when the procedure is done. According to the Detroit Free Press, \ z '.)out 1.2-million American baby boys are circumcised each year, at a cost of $150 million to $200 million. Most are not Jewish and undergo the proce- dure in a hospital, within days after their birth. Without medical endorsement, that may change. But whatever the fate of the average American foreskin, Jews will continue With circumcision, the religion's old- est, and many consider most sacred, ritual. The removal of the foreskin covering the glans of the penis as a sign of a covenant with God, dates back, according to the biblical [ account, to when Abraham, at divine behest, circumcised himself at age 99. That day later became known as the Day of Atonement, when God for- gives those who are repentant for their sins. Abraham also circumcised his son Ishmael and all the males of his house- hold. His son Isaac was born the next year and was circumcised on the eighth day. So eight days after birth, Jewish boys undergo the procedure in a cere- mony called the brit milah (covenant of circumcision). Traditionally, the babies were given sweet wine to numb the pain; nowadays, they also receive such anesthetics as topical creams, sprays and baby Tylenol. "What's important is the quickness with which you do the bris," said .„ CC Dr. David Elkind Absolutely not, local rabbis say after report on routine circumcision. Cantor Samuel Greenbaum, who per- forms about eight circumcisions each week, in cities throughout Michigan. "The whole procedure takes about a minute." Rabbis stress the centrality of cir- cumcision to Judaism. "We did it before anyone else was doing it, in the best and worst of con- ditions. A Jew is a Jew is a Jew, and one of the signs of that is the circum- cision," said Rabbi Leo Goldman of Shaarey Shomayim in Southfield. Circumcision is the most important of Jewish commandments, said Rabbi Daniel Nevins of Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills. "Judaism wants to remind us that our bodies are meant to be vessels of God's holiness," said Nevins. "Often, it is sexuality and sexual desire that lead people astray," he said. "The significance of brit milah is in that its location serves as a reminder to men not to be led astray by their desires." For Americans, circumcision became a health-related matter in the late 19th century and was endorsed without question until 1949, writes Dr. Bernard Gonik, chief of obstetrics and gynecology for the Detroit Medical Center's northwest region, in a 1995 article in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Circumcision slightly reduces the risk of urinary tract infections and penile cancer, a very rare form of cancer. Gonik, who is Jewish and has per- formed circumcisions both in the hos- pital and in ritual brit milah cere- monies, said that currently about 70 percent of the male babies born in Sinai and Grace hospitals are circum- cised, at the choice of their parents. Gonik noted in his article that the overwhelming majority of parents request circumcision because they want their son to physically resemble his circumcised father. The American Academy of Pediatrics has waffled over the years on its circum- cision views. In the 1970s, it said there was no "medical indication" for circum- cision, but then in 1989, it reported "potential medical benefits." PI Staff writer Lonny Goldsmith con- tributed to this story. The Post-Modern Family (Ties That Stress) Join us for a lively talk about the joys and challenges of parenting children of all ages in today's world. Wednesday, March 10, 1999 7:30 p.m. Congregation Shaarey Zedek B'nai Israel Center 4200 Walnut Lake Rd • West Bloomfield For reservations please call 248-681-5353 Afterglow following program A gift from The Morris 6 Beverly Baker Foundation in memory of Morris D. Baker Reflect Beauty & Dimension with ,Decorative Beveled Mirrors With 1/2" Beveled Edges for Vanities, Doors and More! 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