Moyl

Moti Krauthamer's Moyl examines the practice of the bris through a portrait of David Bolnick, a moyl (or ritual circumciser) who travels widely to perform the ceremony in strict accordance with Jewish tradition. Bolnick is an engaging fellow, a software worker who performs the bris as an avocation, offers his services without charge, and courteously puts up with hearing the same jokes over and over again. In addition to following Bolnick on his rounds, so to speak, Moyl explains the place of the bris--an ancient ceremony of welcome through which a boy is made a part of the larger community--in Jewish culture, and allows parents the opportunity to express their feelings regarding the importance of the practice (viewers will also see the care with which the ritual is performed: a segment on how Bolnick handles the situation when some physical abnormality is detected--a circumstance that a family might understandably find quite distressing--provides a perfect example). A modest production that serves up an interesting overview of the subject, Moyl is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)