clueless shiksa questions

So we have a new baby boy in the family -- my brother in law's wife gave birth on Thursday. Since she's (not particularly observant) Jewish, but he's (even less observant) Lutheran, they're doing the traditional thing and having his bris this Friday.

Steve and I don't really have a clue about the conventions for this event. Do we take a card? A gift? If so, what is considered an appropriate gift -- anything new-baby (which we would give anyway), or are there items of religious significance that are specific and appropriate to this day?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer us. :)

This sounds like the kind of family that I'm used to dealing with. A gift is not mandatory and if you get one, just make it a new baby gift.

The fun part is watching the men when they are actually doing the cutting, they tend to squirm. I'm pretty sure that I squirm too.

You are not a clueless shiksa, as shiksas go you are pretty clueful.
Of course i'm a bad jew so what do I know?

more than THIS bad jew, aparantly, because i hadn't a clue how to answer the question :D

heh. :)

It's perfectly appropriate to bring a gift to the bris, although not everybody does.� There's nothing specific for a bris (like, say, a cigar cutter... sorry).� Since you'll be getting something new-baby anyway, you might as well bring it.��

Jewish baby gifting thing to keep in mind - traditionally, Jews don't give gifts before the baby is born or before the bris / baby naming (for a girl).� Any�Jewish ritual items are things that�will be used throughout the child's life, and not just specific to the occasion.� If you're not Jewish, you're really not expected to get them something like that.

Hope it helps!� -Melissa������

that helps a lot, actually. especially since i'm coming from a Catholic tradition where there are religiously significant gift items unique to each sacrament that can be given (as well as that old useful staple, money. :) )

and the tradition about no gifts before baby-naming or bris explains my sister-in-law's mother's uneasiness with the idea of a baby shower. my own mother-in-law thought it was because of some "superstition" about bad luck during delivery, but this makes more sense. maybe i'll mention it to the rest of the non-Jewish family, so they understand a little more.

(as well as that old useful staple, money. :) )

oh honey... money *always* works...

I think the John Wayne Bobbitt porno would be inappropriate. Highly funny, however.

Wait. I briss is where they throw a psrty to trim a penis, right?

No, I don't think you want to bob it. A tapered look is better.

Just as long as it's not layered, that's kind of gay.

Did they mention that it's tradition that all uncircumcised males undergo forced circumcision during the ceremony? Then, a nice deli platter.

with a bris-ket?

*ducks*

That pun made me bris-tle.

OK, enough of the cutting remarks.

why? no one's foreskin you to listen.

Take a tip from me... give them an inch and they'll take a mohel.

Don't you mean give them a mohel and he'll take an inch?