What was believed to be the first circumcision of a Jewish baby in an English prison took place this morning in Brixton Jail, where Shalom Shtarkas, who is currently being detained pending extradition proceedings requested by the Israel Government, witnessed the performance of the rite on his infant son, who was brought to the jail for the ceremony.
Shtarkes is charged by Israeli authorities with complicity in the abduction in Israel and subsequent removal to England of his nephew, nine-year-old Yossele Schumacher. The boy’s grandfather, Nachman Shtarkas, is being held in an Israeli prison for having taken his grandson from the boy’s parents because he believed Yossele was not being given a proper orthodox upbringing.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
