Protect Newborns, Not an Ancient Ritual

By Julie Schonfeld

Originally posted in The Daily News

This year’s mayoral race has a canary in the mine — an issue affecting a small number of people that can determine whether the character of the mayoral candidates will be toxic to the city’s health.

The controversy concerns metzitzah b’peh, an obscure ritual practiced by a small segment of the Orthodox Jewish community. It is conducted at the time of ritual circumcision, but is a separate practice involving the removal of a drop of blood from the circumcised penis b’peh, or by mouth... [read more]