Briss
Birth ceremonies for boys and girls are different in the Jewish tradition. Both boys and girls have a "naming ceremony" but the boys also have a more formal rite called circumcision.
Girls: Traditionally the father of a Jewish baby girl would announce the name of his daughter in the synagogue about a month after she was born. The girl and her mother could be present although they often were not. Nowadays it is more common for the service to take place in the synagogue a few days rather than a month after the baby is born.
Boys: The ritual for boys is much more complicated and elaborate. After a boy child has been born a blessing is said and eight days later the child will be presented for the ceremony of circumcision. This may take place in the synagogue or in the home, or at the hospital. This is a very important ceremony and the only reason for delaying it is if the child is ill. The boy will be placed on the lap of the sandek (the counterpart of a Christian godparent). It is a great honor to be asked to perform this service. The circumcision is performed by the mohel, who may be a doctor but does not have to be. The circumcision of boys is a sign of the covenant that God agreed with Abraham.
What does circumcision mean?
A baby becomes a Jew because he has a Jewish mother and not because he is circumcised. There are two important things that circumcision means:
- The baby receives his father's blessing, and since the time of Abraham this has always been very important
- The baby become "religiously" clean and is welcomed into membership of God's chosen race.
The 'sign' in his flesh will constantly remind him of this.
Staten Island is the most rural of the five boroughs of New York City. Although still predominantly residential in nature, the borough has changed significantly since the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in 1964.
If you are using a car or limousine service, Staten Island can be reached by bridge from Brooklyn and New Jersey, and by ferry from Manhattan. The ferry is the best option, as it passes by Liberty Island and offers stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and New York Harbor. The ferry is free and operates 24 hours a day out of Battery Park in Manhattan and St. George Terminal in Staten Island. If you are seasick or otherwise uncomfortable on ferries, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects Staten Island with Brooklyn, but you will incur a high toll (US$9.00). A more moderately priced option is to take an express bus from Manhattan to Staten Island. The fare payable with MetroCard is US$5.00. Change is also accepted, but carrying $5.00 in change (fare boxes ONLY accept change) is not a really good idea. The X1 and X10 routes run along Broadway in Manhattan. There is frequent service (about every 6-30 minutes) daily from early morning to past midnight.
The Staten Island Railway (operated by the MTA, which also runs the subways and the majority of buses) is somewhat a hybrid of a railroad and a subway line. While it uses subway-type equipment, it is legally a railroad, as defined by an FRA waiver. Fares are the same as a subway ride (US$2.00), and it runs 24 hours. Unlike the subway, it runs on a set schedule, from every 15 minutes during weekdays, to every hour overnight. Fares are collected only at St. George Ferry Terminal, leading many to exit at the penultimate stop, Tompkinsville, and walk up Bay Street a short distance to the ferry.
Source: Wikitravel.org - Staten Island, New York
*****
Why use a limousine service in New York?
A limousine service can easily be substituted for a car service. The comfort and safety of having a chauffeur-driven limousine service is more valuable when traveling in and around New York. There are practically hundreds of limousine services in New York.
Look up other areas covered by New York NY Limo limousine services:
Limousine Service (Bronx) – Limousine Service (Brooklyn) – Limousine Service (Long Island) - Limousine Service (Manhattan) – Limousine Service (Queens) – Limousine Service (Staten Island) – Limousine Service (New York)
