Norway wants to kick out its Jews

Norway’s Health Ministry is considering a proposal to regulate the circumcision of boys. Some political parties are calling for a complete ban of the practice on minors.Two years ago, the ministry was tasked with reviewing circumcision and how it should be practiced in Norway. It has yet to finalize its stance, but it promises a proposed bill by Easter 2014, Health Minister Bent Hoie told Aftenposten, Norway’s largest newspaper.

Their timing was impeccable. The circumcision story became headline news in November, which this year hosts Chanukah. Part of the story of Chanukah revolves around the Syrian-Greek invaders banning Jewish practices, including circumcision. The Greeks saw circumcision as damaging the perfect “human form.”

The issue was brought to public attention after the recent call by Norway Children’s Ombudswoman Anne Lindboe to ban circumcision of boys before age 16, unless the procedure is warranted by medical needs.

Lindboe, who last year advised Jews and Muslims to replace circumcision with “a symbolic ritual,” also told the paper that non-medical circumcision of pre-teen boys should be outlawed and those performing it should be punished in a similar fashion to people who use violence against children.

“If 15 years is set as the minimum age, we expect Norwegian parents to follow and respect the law,” said Lindboe, a longtime advocate of the criminalization of ritual circumcision, which she considers a form of abuse and infringement of children’s rights to “physical integrity.”

Physical integrity — that sounds awfully like what the Syrian-Greeks said about circumcision just before Mattathias started his revolt 2,200 years ago.

As for violence against children, whether intended or not, Lindboe’s words reference the anti-Semitic blood libels — Jews using the blood of children to make matzo, etc.

Is Norway really saying they do not wish to have Jews or Muslims in their country? Historically, movements to ban circumcision are centered on attempts to move the Jewish commitment from G-d and refocus it on man. Almost every campaign to destroy the Jewish people started with a ban on circumcision, followed by a ban on kosher slaughter and finally a ban on teaching Torah.

Norway is doing it backwards; they banned kosher slaughter of animals in 1930. The Simon Wiesenthal Center has asked Norway to remove the ban on Jewish ritual slaughter, justifiably calling the prohibition anti-Semitic.

Whether they were meant to be anti-Jewish or not, a bill to ban circumcision is fundamentally anti-Semitic. Even if you give them the benefit of the doubt and believe their intent to be humanist or Hellenistic, the end result is banning key Jewish rituals.

The brit milah (covenant of circumcision) is one of the most central practices of Judaism. The Rabbis tell us that males are not born perfect on purpose. Circumcision gives fathers (the parent who is ordered to conduct the ritual) a chance to participate in the act of creation. We believe that G-d has a huge role, and mothers obviously have the role of developing the baby within her body, but only through the act of brit milah do fathers get to participate. And their role of performing the circumcision adds the final touch, making the boy perfect.

Circumcision is not something some ancient rabbis dreamed up. Circumcision is directly commanded in the Torah:

“You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, as a sign of the covenant between Me and you. At the age of eight days, you shall circumcise every male child born to you throughout the generations.” (Bereisheet 17:11-1)

Circumcision is not an interpretation of what G-d wants, but according to Jews (and Muslims as well) it is a direct order — right there in ink and parchment. From what I understand from my Christian friends, they too believe that the Torah is the word of G-d (but circumcision applies only to Jews).

There is also a medical reason for circumcision; it is an established scientific fact that circumcision helps prevent HIV.

This new effort by Norway to ban circumcision sends a clear message to Jews, Muslims and all people of faith, “Get The Hell Out!” Especially when you consider it on top of the 80-year old prohibition of kosher slaughter.

It’s not just Jews who are in danger because today it’s circumcision, tomorrow they can claim communion encourages alcoholism and ban that Catholic ritual.