ווער פארטרעט כלל ישראל און מיט וועלכע קהלה שמועסט מען דורך בנוגע די לעצטע געשענישן איבער די ברית ליינט די פאלגענדע ארטיקל
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/021005/b0110mohelrock.html
Rockland halts rabbi's circumcisions
By STEVE LIEBERMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: February 10, 2005)
The Rockland health commissioner has ordered a Monsey rabbi to stop performing oral-suction circumcisions and to take a herpes test.
Rabbi Yitzchok Fischer's ritual method also has come under scrutiny from the New York state and Orange County health departments, officials said yesterday. The rabbi's techniques are not illegal, but pose a potential health hazard, officials said.
The New York City Health Department has said three infants circumcised by Fischer contracted herpes and that one died.
Fischer uses his mouth to suction blood from the wound after he removes the foreskin. The centuries-old ritual, called metzizah bi peh, is used predominantly by Hasidic Jews. Many rabbis say Jewish law does not mandate mouth suction; defenders contend the spread of disease is rare.
New York City health officials have prohibited Fischer from performing circumcisions and ordered him to take a blood test for herpes simplex virus type 1. Lawyers for the city and Fischer have declined to discuss whether the rabbi took the test and the results if he did.
Dr. Joan Facelle, the Rockland health commissioner, issued the same prohibition this week and ordered the rabbi to take a blood test Monday.
"We're trying to ascertain if he carries the virus, which would make him capable of transmitting it to the population," Facelle said.
Facelle said she hoped the rabbi would comply and take the blood test. If not, she said, the county would take him to court.
Hillel M. Kurzmann, who represents Fischer with his father, Mark J. Kurzmann, said yesterday that the county's order was similar to New York City's.
"We are eager to learn the true source of the infection," Hillel Kurzmann said. "He is cooperating with the city. He will cooperate as much as possible with the county."
Mark Kurzmann has said the rabbi performed the traditional circumcision at the parents' request. He uses sterilized instruments and antiseptic mouthwash, Kurzmann said.
Most mohelim who perform that part of the ritual use a medical tube to suction the blood.
Fischer's methods came under scrutiny when a Manhattan newborn died of herpes in November and his twin was diagnosed with the virus a little more than two weeks after the rabbi performed their circumcisions in October. A Staten Island newborn also circumcised by Fischer was diagnosed with herpes in November.
The state Health Department is working with New York City, Rockland and other counties, spokesman Robert Kenney said yesterday.
"We're interviewing the two families," Kenney said. "One of our priorities is to ensure the infants and the families get appropriate medical attention."
Herpes is not a reportable disease in New Jersey, a state Health Department spokeswoman there said yesterday. There is no inquiry there involving the rabbi.
County health departments in New York state don't license mohelim or oversee circumcision because it's a religious ritual.
Fischer, 66, is a respected mohel in the region and in Israel and was trained in circumcisions by the British Milah Society, a rabbinical group.
.
"We're preparing to alert the Hasidic community," she said, "that this circumcision practice is not hygienic and has potential risks."
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/021005/b0110mohelrock.html
Rockland halts rabbi's circumcisions
By STEVE LIEBERMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: February 10, 2005)
The Rockland health commissioner has ordered a Monsey rabbi to stop performing oral-suction circumcisions and to take a herpes test.
Rabbi Yitzchok Fischer's ritual method also has come under scrutiny from the New York state and Orange County health departments, officials said yesterday. The rabbi's techniques are not illegal, but pose a potential health hazard, officials said.
The New York City Health Department has said three infants circumcised by Fischer contracted herpes and that one died.
Fischer uses his mouth to suction blood from the wound after he removes the foreskin. The centuries-old ritual, called metzizah bi peh, is used predominantly by Hasidic Jews. Many rabbis say Jewish law does not mandate mouth suction; defenders contend the spread of disease is rare.
New York City health officials have prohibited Fischer from performing circumcisions and ordered him to take a blood test for herpes simplex virus type 1. Lawyers for the city and Fischer have declined to discuss whether the rabbi took the test and the results if he did.
Dr. Joan Facelle, the Rockland health commissioner, issued the same prohibition this week and ordered the rabbi to take a blood test Monday.
"We're trying to ascertain if he carries the virus, which would make him capable of transmitting it to the population," Facelle said.
Facelle said she hoped the rabbi would comply and take the blood test. If not, she said, the county would take him to court.
Hillel M. Kurzmann, who represents Fischer with his father, Mark J. Kurzmann, said yesterday that the county's order was similar to New York City's.
"We are eager to learn the true source of the infection," Hillel Kurzmann said. "He is cooperating with the city. He will cooperate as much as possible with the county."
Mark Kurzmann has said the rabbi performed the traditional circumcision at the parents' request. He uses sterilized instruments and antiseptic mouthwash, Kurzmann said.
Most mohelim who perform that part of the ritual use a medical tube to suction the blood.
Fischer's methods came under scrutiny when a Manhattan newborn died of herpes in November and his twin was diagnosed with the virus a little more than two weeks after the rabbi performed their circumcisions in October. A Staten Island newborn also circumcised by Fischer was diagnosed with herpes in November.
The state Health Department is working with New York City, Rockland and other counties, spokesman Robert Kenney said yesterday.
"We're interviewing the two families," Kenney said. "One of our priorities is to ensure the infants and the families get appropriate medical attention."
Herpes is not a reportable disease in New Jersey, a state Health Department spokeswoman there said yesterday. There is no inquiry there involving the rabbi.
County health departments in New York state don't license mohelim or oversee circumcision because it's a religious ritual.
Fischer, 66, is a respected mohel in the region and in Israel and was trained in circumcisions by the British Milah Society, a rabbinical group.
The Orange County health commissioner, Dr. Jean M. Hudson, said yesterday that her department would meet with the Jewish community, specifically the Satmar Hasidic community of Kiryas Joel in Monroe
"We're preparing to alert the Hasidic community," she said, "that this circumcision practice is not hygienic and has potential risks."