穿过加州大学伯克利分校斯普劳尔广场的政治和文化大餐，去上课是一场视觉盛宴。有，of course,the Ralph Nader-loving table teeming with activity and the ever-desolate Berkeley College Republicans station.但一直吸引我注意的是“男性割礼=生殖器切割”表。And yes,they had pictures.
我记得有一次，一个愤怒的部落成员拿着一块牌子，上面写着：“为了上帝的缘故，我的阴茎被毁坏了“告诉我包皮环切术的创伤经历在身体和情感上都给他留下了创伤。永远。At the time,I was all like "伙计，奇勒克斯抽个碗什么的“然后我就去上下一节课了。
闪速前进
但是现在，10年后，一次超声波显示，我一直在想这个人，his sign,他的tsurus.因为据我所知，我现在称之为小home的胎儿确实是个男孩，当我和丈夫在精神上为我们的孩子做好准备，准备迎接生命的第八天时，不可避免的深呼吸来临：小家伙被割伤了。
我对此不高兴。
自从我在谷歌上踢屁股，我知道，尽管医学界普遍认为包皮环切术在医学上是不必要的，有统计数据支持这样一种理论，即这种做法实际上是相当健ios下载beplay康和卫生的。And while some argue that circumcised men experience less sexual pleasure than their non-circumcised counterparts,我还没有听到任何抱怨。
而且，除了这些事实和数字，I have been raised to believe that circumcision symbolizes a profound covenant with God.这是一个已经存在了数千年的仪式，and I always believed that if I had a son,I would want him to take part in this time-honored tradition.
母性恐惧
但这是我在看到小霍米的男孩部分之前的感受。
现在，even though we're shopping around for the bestmohelin town (think Benihana chef with ayarmulke),我有很多预约。
I'm afraid that themohel会在刀刃碰到我孩子的包皮前几秒钟出现瘫痪。我害怕小家伙会感染那些极为罕见的传染病，他的阴茎会变成坏疽并脱落，and he'll never give me grandchildren–oy vey iz mir.而且，I'm terrified that one day,Little Homie–for whatever reason‑‑will grow up to resent our decision to have him circumcised.
好啊，好啊，好啊，before you tear my "Member of the Tribe Card" into a million pieces,please know that I love being a Jew.虽然我没有，我也从来没有，从字面上看圣经的叙述，我为我的传统感到骄傲。但我也相信犹太人的本性-地狱，作为一个人——就是质疑长期持有的假设和信仰，不管他们看起来多么神圣不可侵犯。And in the end,it is Little Homie's penis.So,最终，他不应该决定对它做什么（或不做什么）吗？
一系列传统
但是，我丈夫感觉不一样。毕竟，he was circumcised on his eighth day of life,so why shouldn't his son be too?我怀疑我的丈夫是被自我驱使的，当他和他的儿子比其他任何事都更爱撒尿的时候，他渴望看到一个混蛋。But during a fight late one night he set me straight.
“我希望他接受割礼，因为我祖母逃离纳粹时失去了大部分家人，and I think it would break her heart if we didn't circumcise her great grandson," he said.“此外，this is a tradition,我也不会是那个打破链环的人。”
I could see his point.但我坚持。Why couldn't we wait until Little Homie was old enough to make the decision himself?
“看，parents make choices for their children all the time," my husband said."We're Jewish,否认英国人is to deny our people.So he's getting circumcised.时期。”
Great.从不去犹太教堂的人，谁吃意大利辣香肠披萨逾越节，who can barely name the摩西五经从Fiddler on the Roof.
It's Just Skin
I've read the literature on both sides of the circumcision debate and while it seems that the peer-pressure within the Jewish community is to make the cut,我知道有一个小，但是越来越多的犹太人国际原子能机构和阿巴斯在那里，他们走着革命的道路，拒绝割礼他们的孩子。The question is,do I dare join them?And if I do,and my husband doesn't,这对我们家来说意味着什么?The kid only has one penis,那么，我们如何才能在现有或不存在的问题上妥协呢？Ah,where's King Solomon when you need him.
但是，I know that regardless of what we do,a foreskin–or lack thereof–will not define the person Little Homie becomes.而且，包皮与否，我们将在一个充满犹太价值观的家庭中抚养我们的儿子，包括提坤，吉米洛特哈萨迪，和泽达卡.我们将尽最大努力确保我们的宝宝在一个被爱的世界里长大，养育，荣幸so that he,反过来，可以爱，nurture,尊重他人。That is the best we can do.而且，if one day Little Homie ends up holding a sign that reads,"For God's Sake My Penis Was Ruined," we will pay for his therapy bills.
