I picked up a copy of Ronald Goldman's book "Questioning
Circumcision" today at the NO CIRC booth at Pride Day street fair in
downtown SF.

he's a psychologist who chairs the Circumcision Respurce Center in
Boston. the book is relatively short (134 pages in a paperback
including an index and some great addpeices, including alternative
rites for baby blessing for boys AND girls) but quite thorough and
very readable. chapters include origins and background of jewish
ritual circumcision, asumed benefits and understated risks, ,
unrecognized (or underrecognized) consequences, , many types of
personal experience, and s chapter onconflicts and questions. many
interviews and quotes appear in the bok, including those from several
thoughtful rabis who have serious midgivings about the tradition of
ritual circumcision. another appendix includes transcipts from
Tikkun Jewish Renewal conference in New York in 1994, where several
conference participants joined a discussion following a presentation
about circumcision and reasons against it by the book's author.

this book as a valuable addition to any health activist'slibrary,
especailly one woh is working with his/her own jewish roots or who
wants to communicate well and compassionately with those who ARE
jewish and feel conflicted about "the covenant" as they understand
it.

in my own experience, there is a real need for something FROm someone
who is proud of his or her jewish heritage who can speak hnestly and
clearly about why not to circumcise. Dr. Goldman fills this niche
wonderfully, and I'm grateful for his book wonder if an update is in
the works? pubication date was 1998..)

to contact them directly: Circumcision Resource Center
Box 232
Boston MA 02133
(617)523 0088