Ritual circumciser’s often owned their own, personal copies of books (“mohel books”) containing works pertaining to the circumcision ritual and prayers and recitations to accompany the ceremony. In the 17th-18th centuries and beyond, some commissioned the creation of beautiful, decorated manuscript copies for their use over time. These volumes typically included the circumciser’s record of the circumcisions he performed, including the dates of the ritual and the names given to the infants. These lists constitute a valuable record of the lives of specific Jewish communities. 

The page in front of you is one of many on which this mohel (circumciser) recorded the circumcisions he performed. The listings include the date, the name of the father, and the name of the child.