European Circumcision Debate Will Include Jewish American

Psychologist and Author Ronald Goldman Criticizes the Practice.

Ronald Goldman, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Circumcision Resource Center,

(BOSTON) - Ronald Goldman, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Circumcision Resource Center, a nonprofit educational organization in Boston, has been invited by the Council of Europe to participate in an interdisciplinary dialogue about circumcision at a meeting in France on January 28.

There is a growing European debate about circumcision. In October the Council of Europe, an organization of 47 member States, overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution that called circumcision, among other procedures, a violation of the physical integrity of children according to established human rights standards. Circumcision is uncommon in Europe except among Jews and Muslims.

As the only non-European invited to this meeting, Dr. Goldman said, “I look forward to contributing to the effort to raise awareness about circumcision in Europe in light of its physical, sexual, and psychological harm.” He is the author of Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma and Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective.

Information from the Circumcision Resource Center and the Jewish Circumcision Resource Center (a section of the CRC) was used to support the Council’s report on the resolution. The resolution, which received international media attention, urges member States to raise awareness, provide training, initiate public debate, and promote an interdisciplinary dialogue about the procedures.

Other invited guests to the meeting include an official representative of the French Jewish community, a representative of the Muslim community from Turkey, and a medical professional from Germany.

About CRC

The Circumcision Resource Center has the purpose of informing the public and professionals about the practice of male circumcision. Its mission is to raise awareness and facilitate healing. Since 1991, the Center has been a valuable source of male circumcision information for parents and children's advocates; childbirth educators and allied professionals; medical, mental health, and academic people; Jews; and others. Dr. Goldman has participated in over 200 media interviews with local and national radio and television programs, newspapers, and periodicals. He also gives lectures and seminars on circumcision and counsels parents and circumcised men.

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