Cut

Slicing Through the Myths of CircumcisionSunday, February 10 from 2-4 pm Free, but reservations are recommended. Call 312.322.1743 The filmmaker with his father Dr. Julian Ungar-Sargon. Produced and directed by Eli Ungar-Sargon, Cut traces the journey of a man struggling to come to terms with his Jewish identity in the 21st century. Through the lens of the ancient Jewish ritual of male circumcision, Cut asks what happens when Jewish tradition collides with modern values of autonomy and individuality. Using the latest in scientific research, as well as conversations with rabbis, historians, and activists, Cut asks difficult questions and provides a rare emotional and intellectual experience. Following the screening, hear an esteemed panel discuss its provo

The Panel

Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation received his ordination from Yeshiva University. A Rhodes scholar and Wexner fellow, his doctoral work in Islamic fundamentalist attitudes toward Jews includes an essay titled "The Uncircumcised Jewish Heart (in Islamic and Qur'anic Thought)." Rabbi Lopatin is on the executive committee of the Rabbinical Council of America and the Conversion Commission of the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

Eli Ungar-Sargon grew up in an Orthodox home in Brookline, MA. When he was 13, his family moved to Israel, where his rigorous religious and secular education included a year studying Jewish philosophy, theology, and sociology at Jerusalem’s prestigious Beit Morasha Academy. He enrolled in medical school in the UK, but three years into his degree decided to follow his dream of becoming a filmmaker. He holds degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in film and the new field of cognitive film theory. Cut is his first feature-length film.

William H. Barrows, MD, is a pediatrician who has practiced in Chicago for 25 years. He is a Senior Clinical Instructor at Rush College of Medicine and serves on the staffs of Rush University Medical Center and Children's Memorial Hospital. In 1990, Dr. Barrows was installed as a Mohel by the Berit Milah Board of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and he has performed the circumcision ceremony for over 750 families. He has taught classes on the subject and been interviewed on television and in print on the medical pros and cons of circumcision.