MIGHTN’T THIS STATEMENT BY JUDGE KIMBA WOOD ON A BRIS BE CONSIDERED almost anti-semitic? Would she have said something similar to a Muslim lawyer?

UPDATE: Readers email: What Wood said is not so bad as the groveling by attorney Epstein. But I repeat: Would she have said something similar to a Muslim lawyer? I’m guessing not.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader — and Rabbi — Zvi Hollander writes:

I’m a daily reader of instapundit (yes, even when I recently was in Israel for the wedding of my son . . .) and had to comment on tonite’s post and link on Judge Wood’s response on the bris issue.

So sad when Jews, illiterate in their own tradition, defame it so. Would that lawyer Epstein should know that Jewish tradition revels in the birth of a girl, and a festive celebratory meal, known as a “kiddush”— meal of sanctification– is held the Sabbath after a girl’s birth, usually in synagogue after the morning services. If the mom is too weak to attend then, it may be pushed off, til she can share in the joyous occasion, too.

Sorry, no such meal is held for a the birth of a boy. Reverse discrimination? I think not. But now is not the time or place for long explanations . . .

Well, happy to help dispel ignorance.

MORE: Reader Ronnie Schreiber emails:

To expand on Rabbi Hollander’s email, a brit milah [covenant of circumcision] is a private family celebration. Girls are named in public, in the synagogue, at the climax of the service, the Torah reading.

Attorney Epstein is an ignoramus who, in his ignorance is defaming traditional Judaism. I live in the heart of the Orthodox community here in Detroit, many of my friends are Chareidim, what the MSM would call “ultra orthodox”, and while Orthodox Jews accept the concept of differing gender roles, I’ve never once heard an orthodox father or mother express ‘disappointment’ at the birth of a daughter. I’ve only heard the phrase “as long as it’s a healthy baby” in the context of parents expressing a lack of preference over an impending baby’s gender.

The reality is that for all the patriarchal image of traditional Judaism, women rule the orthodox community. They determine who is accepted as a member of the community by virtue of who gets invited for Shabbat and holiday meals and rigidly enforce community standards.

Meanwhile, I’ll just note that I still think we’d have been better off with Kimba Wood as Attorney General than we were with Janet Reno.