Circumcision Set

Case: wood, l. 8 ½ x w. 1 11/16 x d 5/8 in.; instruments: silver; prepuce holder: l.3 1/16 x w. 5/8 x d. ¼ in.; container: l. 2 ½ x w. 1 1/6 x d. 15/16 in.; spoon: l. 3 ½ x w ½ x d. ¼ in.
Israel, ca. 1950
B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Collection, gift of Joseph B. and Olyn Horwitz, 2015.17.424a-d

Fashioned from a scribe’s box, the case for this circumcision set features animal motifs perhaps representative of the signs of the zodiac. The silver tools from the case reflect the same decoration. Circumcision of a baby boy is the first life cycle celebration in the Jewish tradition. The brit milah, or covenant of circumcision, is the sign of the sacred covenant between God and Abraham established in the book of Genesis. God promises to make Abraham “the father of a multitude of nations” in exchange for a promise from Abraham that “every male among you shall be circumcised at the age of eight days.” The circumcision is performed by a mohel, trained in the ritual and surgical aspects of the procedure. The items on display include a tweezer-like prepuce holder, used to retract the foreskin; a small bottle which contained styptic powder; and a small spoon which may have been used to measure styptic powder.