Life

The Female Mohel

By Alma Heckman August 16, 2010

Can a woman perform a bris?

Jewish scholars, even the most Orthodox among them, answer with a tentative “why not?” for there is no halachic prohibition against mohelot, or female mohels. While Jewish law states that it’s preferable for a Jewish male to perform the brit milah, or ritual circumcision, if one is present, it is not mandatory. The symbolism of a woman circumcising a man is inherently provocative — touching on questions of spirituality, nurturing mothers and emasculation. Many men, when polled on the subject, reflexively cross their legs.

Alma Heckman writes for the Jewish Women’s Archive’s Jewesses With Attitude, blog, which crossposts regularly with The Sisterhood.

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