The Topic That Won't Go Away

That's right. Another article in the Forward about... metzitzah.

Here is the link. http://forward.com/articles/213364/is-controversial-circumcision-ritual-dangerous/?p=all

Unfortunately, this article is very long and says very little. It may have some or most of its facts straight, but there are too many questions left unanswered.

Of course, much of this is a response to this article I neglected to post last week.
http://hamodia.com/2015/01/13/dna-tests-clear-mohalim-rockland-calls-nyc-shift-course/


The bottom line is that - as I wrote in my article in the Jewish Week - nothing will change based on the outside. The change must come from within. Rabbis must teach their constituents that this practice is no longer acceptable, and they must insist and demand that the mohels stop performing it.

When the internal community pressure brings about a cessation of direct contact metzitzah, these stories will cease to occur.

We will also rid this horrible "chillul Hashem" from our midst (just see the way the obviously not-Jewish media paints the metzitzah ritual).

Denuding the Shaft

I have written about this before, in the context of a discussion about arrogant mohels, and in the context of a bad story I was told by a baby nurse I worked with, and I hinted to it when I recounted a conversation I had with a urologist-grandfather with whom I worked directly. And I mentioned here why I would personally do my research in this regard were I to look for a mohel myself. Alas, being a mohel, I knew who was going to circumcise my sons.

But now I am calling it what it is.

This Type of Thing Should NEVER Happen

At today's bris, as I was changing the bandage post-bris (in the Private Room), I was chatting with the baby nurse. She is relatively new in the field, and so all of her experiences are very clearly etched in her memory.

She told me that the last baby she cared for was brought to the hospital after the bris, because the mohel cut too much. I could not get a sense of the gravity of the details in question, though she indicated that the baby's glans had been seriously nicked. In either case, she said, "There was so much bleeding. It was a horror."

I asked her if she had accompanied the baby to the hospital. She did, with the baby's parents and their other child.

The Balance of the Conflict

Every now and then I'll get more than one call for a bris on the same day. When all people are adament that the bris take place at the exact same time, I obviously can't accomodate everyone - unless I lie and say that "I'll be there" knowing full well I won't be, and that people will have to wait for me.

[I've lost a number of brisses on account of being up front and honest on account of my schedule. I know of a number of mohels who prefer to make people wait, without being up front, so they can get as many jobs as possible.]

The Mistakes Many Parents Make Before Their Son's Bris

I have met parents who had less than an A-1 experience with a mohel, who returned to have a similar experience a second time with their second son. Their reason? (usually one of three)
a. We heard you're not supposed to change mohels;
b. We only know one mohel;
c. We didn't want to hurt his feelings.
[I've also met quite a few parents who have told me, "You were our third mohel, and the only one we would call again, if we have another son."]

Is this about you and your baby? Or about the mohel? [Hint: IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MOHEL]

I want to make clear: If you had a positive experience with a mohel, you should absolutely return to him when you are blessed with another son. But if you didn't have such an experience, why would you want to?

So here it is: The Top Ten List : Mistakes Parents Make When Hiring a Mohel