Emily Blake
A mohel finds modern meaning in
an ancient rite.
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When Emily Blake tells people about her
professional sideline, the reactions divide neatly along gender lines. Women
are surprised and sometimes pleased, she says, and men cross their legs.
Blake, an obstetrician-gynecologist who
specializes in treating infertility, is also a certified mohel (rhymes with oil)
- someone who performs ritual circumcisions on Jewish male infants.
There's no prohibition against female
mohels in Jewish law. But until recently it's been an all-male club. Blake
received her training at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, a
Reform seminary that has certified 237 mohels since 1984. Fifty-four of them
are women.
While Blake can be wry about her role
("I tell people that I toil as a goil mohel," she says with a grin),
she turns solemn when she talks about the ritual's meaning.
"It's one of the primary
commandments about being Jewish," she says. "To have a son and not
circumcise him is like being in the closet, like not saying out loud that
you're Jewish. ... The real purpose of bringing all these people together is to
say, 'This is an unfinished person; it's your job to teach him morals, love and
safety.' "
Blake offers a few modern tweaks to the
ancient ceremony. She performs the circumcision early in the service, so
anxious parents can relax and squeamish guests can sidle back into the room.
Along with the traditional drop of wine, she gives the baby a sugar ball
"to release beta-endorphins" that help counter pain. And, she says,
"I try to do a really careful, aesthetically pleasing circumcision."
Some Jewish feminists oppose the rite,
contending that it is both medically unnecessary and sexist, since it honors
boys and implicitly devalues girls.
"As a woman, as a feminist, there's
part of me that struggles with it," Blake says. "I think we need to
do more to honor girls," such as the naming rituals that are becoming more
popular among liberal Jewish families. "I'm really moved when I [perform
the ceremony]. What usually goes through my mind is how much love there is in
the room."