Table of contents
1 . Introduction                                                                                                    1
– 2

2 . What is circumcision?                                                                                                   2

3 . The origin of circumcision                                                           
2 – 4
4 . Jewish circumcision                                                                            4
5. Why is circumcision performed?                                                        5

6 . Reasons for questioning circumcision                                                         5 – 6
6 .1 Pain and trauma                                                               
6 – 7
6 .2 Complications                                                                                   7
6 .3 Lack of presumed medical benefits                                          7
6 .4 Effects on the mother                                                                  7 – 8
7. The laws of circumcision                                                                        
8 – 9
7.1 Rabbinic rules                                                                                   9

8 . The three stages of circumcision                                                                          10
8 .1 The first stage – Milah                                                           10
8 .2 The second stage – Periah                                                      10
8 .3 The third stage – Metzitzah                                                              10 9. People who take place in rite of circumcision                                       10 -11

1 0. The procedure                                                                                                     11 – 12

1 1.  Muslim circumcision                                                                                      12 – 14
1 2. Age of circumcision                                                                         14

1 3. Who performs circumcision?                                                                14 – 15

1 4. Why is circumcision performed?                                               15 – 16
1 5. The Procedure                                                                                     16 – 17

1 6. Advantages of male circumcision                                                                  17

1 7. Disadvantages of male circumcision                                                      17 – 18

1 8. Analysis and discussion                                                                     18 – 20 Bibliography                                                                                    21 – 22

1 . Introduction         According to Gollaher (2000 p. χί), "circumcision is the oldest enigma in the history of surgery. It is far easier to imagine the impulse behind Neolithic cave painting than to guess what inspired the ancients to cut their genitals or the genitals of their young. Yet millennia ago, long before medicine and religion branched into separate streams of wisdom – indeed, long before history itself – cutting the foreskin of the penis was invented as a symbolic wound; thus circumcision became a ritual of extraordinary power.”        In addition, Glass (1999) says that circumcision is one of the earliest surgical procedures to have been performed on human beings.             "In the past, circumcision has been advocated for many reasons: for religious purposes among the Jews and Muslims; for cultural reasons among several African ethnic groups; for reasons of hygiene in the United States, Canada, and Australia and for therapeutic purposes—as the cure for phimosis. Consequently, circumcision is almost universal in some parts of the world (United States and Muslim countries) and rare in others (Europe and South America)." (de Vincenzi and Mertens, 1994, p.153) Not so long ago I thought that Jews are the only people who are being circumcised. I had no idea that Muslims, Christians and more others go through this process rite called circumcision.  After searching and reading about circumcision, I was surprised to read that there are many reasons (which I mentioned before) why people are being circumcised. I was only familiar with one of them (the religious reason). I was also very surprised and sad to find out that not only I didn’t know anything about the Muslim people (in general and about circumcision specifically) but I also didn’t know a lot about circumcision in the Jewish community. I felt uncomfortable living with myself without knowing almost anything about circumcision in my religion and nothing about the Islamic religion. I decided to change it by writing this seminar about circumcision in the Jewish and Islamic communities and maybe this seminar will affect others and make them realize and accept other cultures like it has affected me.
Although my focus here is on men circumcision I am not ignoring that fact that this procedure is also being done on women. Female circumcision exists mainly in Africa and is being done most of the time on young girls. Like male circumcision the same is in female circumcision, many come against this procedure and claim that it is a brutal act and it should be stopped. When it comes to male circumcision almost non of the Jews in Israel come against this act because it part of our religion and we are depending on it. But when people in Israel hear that women are being circumcised they immediately think that this act is barbaric. But these people who circumcise women believe that it’s important and it is part of their culture like male circumcision is part of our (Jews) culture.  What is the meaning of circumcision? In the next section will find out what circumcision means.