By John Kelly
One hundred Soviet Jewish refugees who were denied the rite of circumcision on the eight day of birth, but who underwent the ritual when they came to the United States as grownups were honored yesterday at the grand ballroom of the Brooklyn Jewish Center, 667 Eastern Parkway.
Circumcision as an Infant is not painful but circumcision for teenagers and adults requires “personal courage, commitment and sacrifice,” center officials said.
During the past three months, these Jews, who were born and raised in Russia, had the ritual performed at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital.
They Helped
The ritual was made possible through the aid of Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe and was conducted by the Rev. Eliyahu Shain (Mohel) and supervised and aided by Dr. A. Pagovich.
The Soviet Jews were honored yesterday at a ceremony attended by hundreds of relatives and friends. The 100 men accepted certificates acknowledging their “willingness to sacrifice for what they believed in.” At the ceremonies, several teenagers and adults, speaking in Russian and English, described what this accomplishment meant to those who were circumcised.