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He was trained in the Jewish religious practice of brit milah — a profession generally spelled “mohel” in English and pronounced “moil.”

Some have quit their day jobs to perform the brit milah full time.

When she can, she conducts brit milahs for local families — at most “a few a month,” she said.

“I’m glad I came,” she said, and she thought in desolation how brit- de he was now and how easy to shatter, and how she would have to protect him.

For a brit milah, it is customary for family and friends to gather to celebrate the ushering of a child into the community of Israel.