Dr. Goldman – Not Fighting the Fundamentalists

It can’t always be pleasant to be in Dr. Goldman’s shoes. As the leader of the Jewish intactivists, he is surely the target of some rather unpleasant vitriolics. And yet, he keeps his cool. I admit I find him quite reasonable.

This was in a recent interview in the Boston Globe:

Q. The Bible says circumcision originated as part of God’s covenant with Abraham. Forgive the flippancy, but what’s your beef with Abraham?

A. I have no argument with religious Jews. They’re not part of our audience. They’re going to interpret that [text] literally and do exactly what it says. Taking on the fundamentalists - in Christian religion or Muslim fundamentalists - I don’t think there’s much chance of them changing their views.

It should be noted that while many intactivists believe underage circumcision should ultimately be outlawed, Dr. Goldman does not advocate such measures.