A bris in San Francisco is celebrated by family members in May 2011.
(AP)
In the wake of the ruling by a regional court in Germany banning circumcision on children too young to consent to the procedure, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles penned the following poem about a decision that some are calling a “frontal attack on Jewish life in Europe.” Those who support the ban agree with the court’s assertion that the “fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents.” The World Health Organization is among groups supporting the practice of circumcision for health reasons.
Writes Wolpe:
In Germany there is a move
To outlaw circumcision.
I take to verse to summarize
This outrage with concision.
The WHO recommends
That no male miss a bris
The snip that saves, WHO raves
Does not diminish bliss.
Far from disfigurement, it is
A sacred, ancient rite.
A covenant crossing untold ages
Father Abraham’s requite.
And yet, today, in Germany
--the ironies abound--
This Jewish practice meets a sanction
Where once indeed was found
Many who were circumcised
And versed in Jewish lore.
Perhaps the Germans have forgotten
For they are there no more.
Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, David Wolpe is the author of seven books including “Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times” and his latest, “Why Faith Matters.” Follow him on Facebook.
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