New York – NYC Mayor: ME Confirms ‘Bris Milah’ Death Caused By Herpes Contracted Via ‘Metzitzah B’peh’

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    New York – Just days after Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes opened a criminal investigation into the death of a two week old baby boy who contracted the herpes simplex virus type 1 following his bris as previously reported on VIN News, Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke out about the infant’s tragic death.

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    According to the Jewish Week, Bloomberg delivered his remarks at an event in the Bronx on Tuesday, saying that all evidence proves that the infant contracted the virus as a direct result of metzitzah b’peh performed at this bris.

    “Because of the specific way that the herpes presented itself on his body,” the mayor explained, “the physicians at the Medical Examiner’s Office have determined that the herpes was not transmitted by a parent. The evidence demonstrates that it came from oral suction during circumcision.

    The doctors who found this are object and independent and scientists don’t answer anyone other than the truth, including the mayor. Nobody in public life fights harder for the separation of church and state like I do but I just wanted to remind everybody religious liberty does not simply extend to injuring others or putting children at risk.”


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    85 Comments
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    12 years ago

    What’s his point?

    Buchwalter
    Buchwalter
    12 years ago

    This “minhag ” should be better controlled and the person performing the “minhag” should be examined or prove that he is not a carrier. We live in an open society and this will have repercussion on those who do not perform this minhag but use a pipette.

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    12 years ago

    Religious liberty does not simply extend to injuring others or putting children at risk.

    I agree!!
    but what’s the difference between this & any other tragic death (MVA, Fall,SIDS & other sickness),what are the odds of it happening?

    Its not an epidemic!!!!

    Weeee
    Weeee
    12 years ago

    Please. I find it hard to believe a true yid would have any form of herpes.

    iib001
    iib001
    12 years ago

    That being the case it is “high noon’ that this industry is regulated. A Mohal should pass medical test and be able to prove to parents that he is disease free and should be tested regularly. The regulating party can be a Governmnet body or a religioues part. No Mohal can practice without being tested and given a “clean bill of health.”

    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    12 years ago

    I guess no automobiles anymore. They have a tendency to kill a lot of people.

    frum-doctor
    frum-doctor
    12 years ago

    This is an important part of Bris Mila and fathers should do it themselves.Do not leave it to a stranger who will share everyone’s germs with your newborn. Fathers have to learn early to do anything that will protect their child.

    qazxc
    qazxc
    12 years ago

    Should have used a tube.

    DavidCohen
    DavidCohen
    12 years ago

    1: All mohelim need to have regular health screenings and the results need to be published and be searchable.

    2: Mohelim should be required to present a clean bill of health before performing a bris.

    3: Mohelim must give parents a choice of metzizah b’peh or using a pipette.

    4: Parents need to be informed that they have a choice here, and should not be harassed over the choice they make..

    Unfortunately though, this will never happen.

    itzik18
    itzik18
    12 years ago

    No where does it say the mohel must perform the metzitzah – the father can do it himself. The Arizal teaches this is very important for the baby for many reasons – it makes the child holy.

    DRSLZ
    DRSLZ
    12 years ago

    What a tragedy. If the mohel was cognizant that he was potentially contagious and yet performed the milah, he is a rodef.

    BLONDI
    BLONDI
    12 years ago

    i feel very bad for the parents for losing their child.nebach
    im sure the mohel also feels bad, and will learn from this tragedy. and so should others.

    Ben_Kol
    Ben_Kol
    12 years ago

    I can’t believe some of the comments here. I follow a certain religion that is called Judaism. According to the rules of that religion, one may transgress even the most severe sins (such as Sabbath desecration) to save a life. This is true even if the danger to life is very remote (see Yoma 83a and 85a).

    Babies have died because of metzitzeh bepeh (MB). That is a fact.
    Therefore, I would argue that even if MB is an essential part of milah (מעכב), it would have to be discontinued. (This is not all that different from the case of a boy whose two older brothers died from milah. The halachah forbids us to ever perform milah on that boy.)

    But the fact is that MB is not an essential part of milah. It’s not even a halachah. It is a minhag that, ironically, was instituted for health reasons.

    So why is there even discussion about this? Since MB kills babies, it must be stopped until a way is found to make it 100% safe.

    Maybe other religions would permit such a practice. But Judasim does not.

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    12 years ago

    Screening mohels will not help. Herpes simplex 1 is more common than people getting chicken pox in their lifetime. Over 90% of adult population will contract herpes simplex 1; many contract it when they’re are school aged. Testing for herpes is not always simple and even with blood tests there is a high false positive, and false negative rate to antibody testing. There is no special treatment from Hashem for Hassidim or other Jews when it comes to Hepres. The virus is very common in our community too. Too all the puritanical drones, having herpes simplex 1 doesn’t mean someone had sexual transgression or multiple partners to catch it. If kids have a cold sore that’s herpes! Just because Herpes 1 is under category of “STD” it doesn’t mean the only way to catch it is through sexual activity. Mononucleosis can also be categorized as an “STD” because doctors call it a “kissing disease.” But that’s not the only way people catch mono.

    If this mohel would follow common sense knowledge in modern medicine and followed the established protocol (after similar infant deaths from bris) then this infant would have a full life, but thanks to stuborn religious customs. . .

    12 years ago

    How about all the millions of kids who didn’t get herpes?

    monseydoc
    monseydoc
    12 years ago

    HSV type 1 is carried by over 90% of the population (if you’ve ever had a cold sore in your life, you are carrying it) and it can be found in the saliva of individuals who have no active lesions at the time. Having a father do metzizah would put the child at as much risk as having the mohel do it. In the past a psak was given when babies were dying and metzizah was performed with a tube (I think the Chazon Ish, but I’m not sure). I am in no position to decide what should be done, just stating the facts as I know them.

    Mark Levin
    Mark Levin
    12 years ago

    I can’t believe you r’shoyim here! Shame on all of you!! We don’t just drop halocha because of nebach, and I mean nebach RL, something happening. If a shochet ch’v gets seriously injured during sh’chita most of you people would do away with sh’chita in a second. I can’t believe the garbage I am seeing here. You people would have caused haman ha’rosha to be successful.

    SammyL
    SammyL
    12 years ago

    A couple of commenters used the term “murder” to describe what the mohel did. The defenition of murder is: The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. Clearly this doesn’t apply. Wild accusations don’t accomplish anything.

    ayoldguy1
    ayoldguy1
    12 years ago

    I am shocked at many of the comments here, ESPECIALLY # 38!!!! For G-d’s sake, a baby (and others in the past) has just died as a direct result of metzitza b’peh! Metzitza itself was prescribed by the Mishna in Shabbos as part of the healing process of mila, not mila itself, because it was believed that sucking blood from a a wound was akin to sucking venom from a snake bite – if left in the wound, blood would just pool and rot and infect. We know now that NOT to be the case, since blood circulates and doesn’t just pool, so wouldn’t the point of metzitza be lost? If anything, I fail to see why a pipette or sponge as Chasam Sofer suggests should be ignored to fulfill the custom of metzitza? Further, it seems clear that when the amoraim dictated that any Mohel that does not do metztitza should be removed, they were operating under the assumption that metzitza was something to be performed for the baby’s benefit, and so if metzitza is found to cause more harm than its benefits, it should be either stopped or modified??

    Shlomo2
    Shlomo2
    12 years ago

    Time to separate the issues:
    What’s important is not whether the mohel is a criminal, but what we can do to prevent this from happening again.

    Unfortunately, the only way “something will be done” is that mohel is arrested.

    Then, we’ll see lots of mohelim switching to the pipette.

    Halaivy
    Halaivy
    12 years ago

    Here is a copy of a headline from VIN:

    Lakewood, NJ – Yeshiva Boy Accidentally Hit In Head With Bat While Playing Baseball

    This is an accident waiting to happen and more common then kids dying from Metzitzah Bepeh
    Stop baseball in the Yeshivahs, The Chasidim don’t allow their yeshivah boys to play baseball then wory about Metzitzah Bepeh

    kalman1
    kalman1
    12 years ago

    Untill we have a statsitical study describing prevalence, incidence etc, all these posts are the kneejerk ramblings of unscientific minds. This is the first large media reporting of death from MP in about 7 years. Although there may be other undereported cases, this would point to a very low incidence rate. Of course true statistical studies are neccessary. However, if the risk of death is 1 in 100,00, for example, there is room for debate if that is significant enough to alter the way MP has been traditionally performed. All the other discussions about this particular anecdote (other than legal ramifications) has little relevance to how we should approach this question.

    Barsechel
    Barsechel
    12 years ago

    Let us take a deep breath here and see what actually has happenned here.
    A mohel who has herpes preformed a metzitza and the baby died. so now we should stop doing this mitzva which is part of our heritage for the last for 3700 years?
    What should be said is the following, the mohel should be punished the same way as if. An MD would preform an operation with a knife that was infected.
    All these stories are just another way to try to undermine our religion! There is nothing wrong or dangerous with metzitza just as there is nothing wrong with bris mila leave it alone. Accidents or negligence will sometime happen but that is not good enough to bash a mitzva