Could Jews pass off as gentiles in antiquity?

J

JVHawai'i

New member
There is an old joke, dating to at least 1910 - - - two middle aged men taking in a steam bath, one starts up a conversation, "Say, do you come from Brooklyn, around 45th Street?" "Yea, how ya know that?" Tossing a glance at his own penis and directing gaze to the man, "Eh, I recognize Rabbi Jacobowitz's cut."
In other words, everyone has their talent, some cut one way, some another, there is in crasser words no Chief Inspector of Foreskin cutting in ancient times as well as modern, and a boy circumcised at birth might vary from one clipped as a teenager. Actually Jews (jokesters one an all, gotta get a chuckle even on the way to the gas ovens), Jews have joked about pulling on their foreskins most likely since the earliest times than an enemy figured out that one could ferret out a Jew by their habit of circumcision Who knows, maybe it has worked, but as a rule in the ancient Middle East 85 % of the time anyone 'clipped' was likely a Jew and so if someone wanted to truly be nit-picky one could pick out a Jew.
But yes it has been a subject since the Phoenicians.

http://www.noharmm.org/pollack.htm

http://www.cirp.org/library/history/dunsmuir1/

Peace///////\\\\\\\
 
Yes, circumcision in biblical times was only the removal of the very tip of the foreskin.

In about the late 1800s a Rabbi changed the procedure so that it removed the entire foreskin, because it was thought that without a foreskin men wouldn't masturbate (and that was apparently a good thing).
The whole "circumcision prevents masturbation" hysteria was actually the original reason for non-religious circumcision.
 
I heard/read somewhere that the way circumcision was done in the past (in biblical times - only the tip of the foreskin was cut off so that the glans were still mostly covered), some jews pulled their (remaining) foreskin forward and could pass off as gentiles. Is there any truth to this? Sources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Yes, circumcision in biblical times was only the removal of the very tip of the foreskin.

In about the late 1800s a Rabbi changed the procedure so that it removed the entire foreskin, because it was thought that without a foreskin men wouldn't masturbate (and that was apparently a good thing).
The whole "circumcision prevents masturbation" hysteria was actually the original reason for non-religious circumcision.
 
There is an old joke, dating to at least 1910 - - - two middle aged men taking in a steam bath, one starts up a conversation, "Say, do you come from Brooklyn, around 45th Street?" "Yea, how ya know that?" Tossing a glance at his own penis and directing gaze to the man, "Eh, I recognize Rabbi Jacobowitz's cut."
In other words, everyone has their talent, some cut one way, some another, there is in crasser words no Chief Inspector of Foreskin cutting in ancient times as well as modern, and a boy circumcised at birth might vary from one clipped as a teenager. Actually Jews (jokesters one an all, gotta get a chuckle even on the way to the gas ovens), Jews have joked about pulling on their foreskins most likely since the earliest times than an enemy figured out that one could ferret out a Jew by their habit of circumcision Who knows, maybe it has worked, but as a rule in the ancient Middle East 85 % of the time anyone 'clipped' was likely a Jew and so if someone wanted to truly be nit-picky one could pick out a Jew.
But yes it has been a subject since the Phoenicians.

http://www.noharmm.org/pollack.htm

http://www.cirp.org/library/history/dunsmuir1/

Peace///////\\\\\\\
 
Your question assumes that someone went around looking at men's penises.... That's a bit of a stretch (pardon the pun). You are probably talking about the Roman era, and people were definitely clothed in those days.

Jews were distinguishable not for their anatomy but for their religious customs. By the time of the Roman empire, the imperial cult was a state religion that more or less everyone followed (at least publicly). Those who did not follow it would have been obvious.
 
Back
Top