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Rabbis: Circumcision Death Investigation Could Force Mohels Underground

This week, the Brooklyn district attorney confirmed that prosecutors are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a two-week old infant who died last fall in Brooklyn after he contracted herpes from a religious circumcision at Maimonides Medical Center. Now, rabbis are worried that the investigation may send mohels who perform the metzitzah b’peh ritual into back alley circumcisions: “The worst thing that could happen is if the authorities regulate this practice, then it could go underground,” Rabbi David Zwiebel, the executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America, told the Times.

"I think the practice would continue, but there could be significant difficulty in gathering evidence. I would hope that our government officials take steps in conjunction with the community," he said. The cause of death for the boy, who died last September, was listed as "disseminated herpes simplex virus Type 1, complicating ritual circumcision with oral suction."

The case sounds eerily similar to that of Rabbi Yitzchok Fischer, a Rockland County mohel who was found to have given three babies herpes through the ritual. The Times says authorities have not determined the identity of the mohel in the most recent case, but it is not believed that Rabbi Fischer is under investigation for this death.

Rabbi Zwiebel believes roughly two-thirds of newborn boys in the city’s Orthodox communities are circumcised through metzizah b’ peh, in which a rabbi or mohel removes blood from the wound with his mouth. He added that Orthodox community leader, who are loathe to work with police on these matters, are aware of the risk of herpes from the practice: “We’re not oblivious to what’s going on."

Source: http://gothamist.com/2012/03/08/rabbis_circumcisio...


Scott Lee of The Lower Columbia Diversity Project in Astoria, Oregon was the first to condemn the proposed dick-sucking ban as "intolerant". Mr. Lee continued and was reported to have said "Not allowing men to suck children's dicks is offensive to me and all of my Gay friends at NAMBLA, (the North American Man Boy Love Association).

IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE..NO...IT'S THE JEW MOHEL FORESKIN MAN!!!

KEEP YOUR JEWISH TRADITIONS TO YOURSELF!

The "Monster Mohel" comic book is one of two titles in the "Foreskin Man" comic book series – which was created by the president of the Male Genital Mutilation Bill group and one of the leaders of the anti-circumcision legislation movement, which has succeeded in getting their controversial measure on the November ballot.

"This is a sensitive, serious issue where good people can disagree and which the Jewish community feels is an assault on its values and traditions going back thousands of years and centered in the Hebrew Bible," Appel said in a statement. "It is one thing to debate it, is another thing to degrade it. 'Foreskin Man,' with its grotesque anti-Semitic imagery and themes, reaches a new low and is disrespectful and deeply offensive," she said, adding that " Some of the imagery calls to mind age-old anti-Semitic canards such as the blood libel, the accusation that Jews ritually murder Christian children." Mohels are those who are specially trained to perform the traditional Jewish male circumcision ceremony. Supporters of the ban say male circumcision is a form of genital mutilation that is unnecessary, extremely painful and even dangerous. They say parents should not be able to force the decision on their young child. If the measure passes in November, circumcision would be prohibited among males under the age of 18. The practice would become a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail. There would be no religious exemptions.MORE