B'rit shalom: a Jewish ritual alternative to newborn male circumcision.

Abstract

This paper focuses on the ritual b'rit shalom (also brit shalom), Hebrew for "covenant of peace," which is intentionally positioned as an alternative to b'rit milah, the covenant of circumcision, for infant males. Although b'rit shalom is currently not common in the Jewish community, it might well become more popular. The first section discusses some of the history and practices of b'rit milah, so that the second section can better show the development and potential of b'rit shalom. Since many Americans, including Jews, no longer view circumcision as a cultural necessity, and there is long-running ethical debate about infant male genital cutting, there is reason to explore Jewish infant rituals which do not include circumcision.