Mohel

A trained mohel performs the circumcision; some Reform communities also have female practitioners, known as mohalot. A person chosen by the parents, called the sandek, holds the baby, often as a special honour for a grandfather. Blessings accompany the circumcision, and the father, or in some communities both parents, acknowledges the child’s entry into Abraham’s covenant.

For Jewish boys, the ceremony normally takes place at eight days old and is carried out by a trained mohel. Some Reform communities also use a female practitioner, called a mohelet.