JULY 2 • 2020 | 23

TRADITION
Mendel Moshe was officially 
named at his bris, given his 
first name in memory of 
Emily’
s paternal grandfather, 
Marvin Kanefield, who lived 
in St. Louis. His middle 
name was in memory of 
Neil’
s paternal grandfather, 
Detroiter Milt Silverman.
“It was a great way to 
honor my father,” Howard 
said.

One bris custom that 
was impossible to share via 
cyberspace was the festive 
meal that typically follows 
the ceremony. Guests were 
on their own, but Mendy’
s 
immediate family sat down 
afterwards to lox, eggs and 
bagels. 
Being part of the comput-
er-gathering allowed Debbie 
and Howard not only to 
participate in Mendy’
s bris, 
but it also gave them a 
chance to share the day with 
others who don’
t live close 
by. 
“I would have been very 
sad not be able to see the 
actual bris,” Debbie said. 
“We were very happy that 
today, in 2020, there is 
Zoom available, and we 
could see the bris, along 
with our children in the 
other states where they live.”

Neil, too, saw a bright side 
in the connection of family 
through video conferencing.
“Under normal circum-
stances, siblings understand-
ably may have had difficul-
ties justifying the expenses 
associated with traveling to 
this event. Zoom permit-
ted all immediate family 
members to virtually expe-
rience our simchah. Once 
life normalizes, I would 

recommend that mothers 
and fathers do consider pro-
viding a Zoom option for 
people that may be unable 
to travel to the simchah.”
Comparing the bris of 
each of his sons, Neil said, 
“Davi’
s was held at shul on 
Shabbos followed by a kid-
dush that was attended by 
hundreds of people. Family 
from both sides were in 
attendance, including both 
sets of parents and siblings. 
It was traditional in every 
sense of the word.”
Mendy’
s bris, too, was 
deep-seated in tradition. 
The close-knit family found 
a way to be together to 
observe every Jewish law 
and custom associated with 
it. And they discovered it 
could be done with the infu-
sion of a modern-day, unex-
pected twist. 

“We were very happy that today, 
in 2020, there is Zoom avail-
able, and we could see the bris, 
along with our children in the 
other states where they live.”

— DEBBIE SILVERMAN

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