Moyl: The Story of a Traveling Jewish Ritual Circumciser

Moyl: The Story of a Traveling Jewish Ritual Circumciser
Directed by	Moti Krauthamer
Release date(s)	2004
Running time	50 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

Moyl: The Story of a Traveling Jewish Ritual Circumciser, is a documentary made in 2004 by Emmy Award-winning director Moti Krauthamer.^[1] It profiles David Bolnick, a man thousands of Jewish parents have trusted to make the cut that welcomes their child into the Jewish community.

Summary

The film follows Bolnick as he journeys across North America, conducting bris ceremonies, which are held eight days after a Jewish boy is born. Amid the ceremony, the child is officially introduced to relatives and associates, his name is announced, and, as a sign of the continued covenant between God and Abraham, he is circumcised. The picture explores the importance of Jewish circumcision on a theoretical and personal level, and demonstrates how the practice has been adapted for today's modern world. Bolnick speaks openly about related subject matter from pain, to errors, to old and tired circumcision jokes, while parents explain the meaning behind the tradition that dates back hundreds of years.

The documentary has interviews with fathers and they reflect on how it changed their relationships with their sons as they try to convey the feeling of bringing another person into a community.

The circumcision is a sacred act, a symbol of the covenant that has been passed down for thousands of years. Bolnick suggests that the custom is special because it is the only occasion Jews are allowed to modify their bodies. It distinguishes the infant as a Jew and suggests that he will proceed to abide by the covenant for a lifetime.

Notes

1. ^ "About Us features Moti Krauthamer's Moyl". KCTS Television. September 2005. http://www.kcts.org/inside/news/archive/release_150.htm. Retrieved March 18. 

References

• "About Us features Moti Krauthamer's Moyl, Shannon Gee's Seattle Transportation". KCTS Television/Seattle: The Public Network. September 2005. http://www.kcts.org/inside/news/archive/release_150.htm. Retrieved March 18. 

• "Documentary "Moyl" to be Shown on Whitman Campus". Whitman College News Service. November 2005. http://www.whitman.edu/content/news/Moyl. Retrieved March 18. 

External links

• "Moyl" reviewed by The Jewish Channel
• "Moyl" synopsis by KCTS/Seattle: The Public Network