A Case of Very Poor Judgment
In my last article I brought the anti-circumcision referendum to your attention. Yes, San Francisco has a proposal to make circumcision (on anyone under 18) a crime. I hope you have been following this issue- it is important to us as Jews, in effect making it impossible to practice Brit Millah within the city limits. It is also important to us as Americans- there is great danger is letting a small group of activists turn their agenda into law. I am happy to report that there are two members of Congress, one a Jew and one a Moslem, who are seeking a national law to protect parents’ rights. Such a national ruling would defuse the San Francisco law.
This debate should give us pause about protecting our rights to practice religion- this law is frontal attack on both Judaism and Islam. There is a new issue that gives me even greater reason for concern: the group sponsoring the anti-circumcision legislation (nocirc.org) is promoting their cause through a series of comic books. The hero is “foreskin man” and his “evil” enemy is “monster mohel.” I have seen several excerpts on line- the whole undertaking is very juvenile (no pun intended) but making matters worse is the depiction of “monster mohel.” The black- hated tallis- wearing mohel looks like a demon about to set upon babies to destroy them. “Monster mohel” is an ugly depiction that looks like something out of a piece of Nazi propaganda or an edition of The Elders of Zion. I don’t think any Jew could look at this and not be offended. (If you want to see for yourself, Google “monster mohel.”
The authors of the comic books have stated that they have no anti-Semitic intention in their work but if you look at the pictures a very different impression is revealed. The hero, Foreskin Man, is a blond muscular figure- his enemy is a dark evil looking character who carries a scalpel. (Yes, as I write this I too am stuck by the stupidity of the whole thing- I find it insulting that I even have to be writing about a guy named “Foreskin Man!”)
The legal issues about this city law are important- it is about personal liberty, it is about “big brother” telling you what to do; it is about being able to observe Judaism. These ridiculous comic books now cast Judaism in the role of “the evil mohel” and the pictures in the comic book are classic caricatures of an observant Jew. While the authors can claim that the books are not anti-Semitic all they want the fact remains that they are offensive and show the worst case of judgment I can imagine. To us the mohel is no “monster,” to us he represents the continuity of Jewish life. To those folks in San Francisco I would say “the world is full of real problems- go find another cause!”

Upcoming LChaim Segments, JLTV, Tuesdays at 8pm and 11pm-- Updates

Here are the updates for the coming weeks- be sure to tune in each week on JLTV Comcast 239 in South Florida.

Here is the revised schedule for upcoming June To "Life, L'Chaim" episodes:

6/7/11 - Uri Man discusses his experience on March Of The Living, Rabbi
Yaakov Thompson talks with Eric Stillman of the Jewish Federation of
Broward County and Robert Salomon of USY

6/14/11 - Israeli Deputy Consul Paul Herschenson talks about US/Israel
relations, Sun-Sentinel religion reporter Jim Davis

6/21/11 - Interviews about The Touch A Heart Foundation and two students
who participated in an Israel/US student exchange program

6/28/11 - Coverage of the Yom Ha'Shoah ceremony at Sunrise Jewish Center

Listen to the Audio from the Craig Henne Show