Preserving Jewish Traditions and Culture


Abraham Hains circumcision kit, Waterville, ca. 1930

Abraham Hains circumcision kit, Waterville, ca. 1930
Item 53712   info
Colby College Special Collections

Religious rituals play a major role in emphasizing a person's Jewishness and establishing his or her place and role within the religious community.

The ritual of circumcision leaves a permanent mark on the body of a Jewish male that fulfills his covenant with God. The circumcision equipment shown here made that mark on many of the Jewish men of Maine.

Rabbi Abraham Hains, who served as Waterville's kosher butcher, owned this equipment.

The handle of the knife broke during its last use, only months before Rabbi Hains passed away in 1953.

This bris, or circumcison ritual, welcomed many of Maine's Jewish infants into the Jewish community and established their relationship with God.

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