Brooklyn, NY – State Senator David Storobin (R-Brooklyn) is calling on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to end his attempts to regulate the Orthodox Jewish tradition of metzitzah b’peh. In July, the Mayor called the traditional practice potentially dangerous to newborns, and subjected it to review by the Department of Health.
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In metzitzah b’peh, the mohel performing a bris removes the blood from a newborn’s new circumcision wound by mouth. The Health Department claimed that this tradition cannot be performed safely on a newborn baby.
“Parents approve of metzitzah b’peh because they care about their children and want to pass along Jewish traditions through them,” Storobin said. “It is insulting that the Mayor would suggest Jewish parents don’t care about their own kids. The Mayor should stop worrying about other people’s children and let us raise our families in the manner we choose.”
The Department of Health, in June, “strongly urged” parents to abstain from the custom. Storobin is concerned that the Mayor may pass a law making this tradition illegal – and from there, pass future laws regulating the freedom of religion.
“This is a Jewish tradition that dates back thousands of years,” Storobin said. “First, we see a proposed regulation by the Health Department. What next? We cannot allow the government to stop people from peacefully practicing their faiths.
“My Democratic challenger was the mayor’s closest ally when he was on the City Council. Now that the mayor is treading on fundamental Jewish tenets, my opponent is eerily silent,” Storobin continued. “I will not be silent when the cultural traditions of my faith are called barbaric.”
I’m in favor of IQ testing for political candidates. If elected, annual re-testing.
Can’t this be done with a straw rather than mohel using his mouth on the infant?
Metzitza B’peh is an integral part.
Moshe Rabbeinu did not want to do Milah on his own son because he felt that he can not do the Metzitza B’peh due to his Aral Sefosayim, and that is why he did not Malleh all the Yidden during the forty years in the Midbar.
It says that since Moshe knew that he could not do a propper Metzitzza B’peh, he did not want to talk to the stone with his mouth, so he hit the stone at Mei Merivoh.
Yehoshia Malled all the Yidden and did do the MbP.
I voted for him and now I wont he doesn’t want to protect children MBP should only be used with a straw or other instrument there is no reason to do it orally
This guy doesn’t know an MBP from an MVP, give us a break!
This is a complex issue. The statistical risk seems to be quite small. There are religious practices of other groups which entail higher statistical risks of bodily harm to minors, and yet no one has tried to regulate them.
Furthermore, this may be the first time that the government is attempting to regulate a religious practice. See Mark Kurzmann’s legal analysis in a recent issue of AMI magazine.
Furthermore, there are rabbis who deem MB to be an integral part of the procedure.
Please note: I am not condoning or defending anything, I’m just explaining many people are worried about this.
I’m all for the government keeping their noses away from our religious practices, though I don’t want to hear it from Nachman Caller’s puppet.
Sen. Storobin,
Before you get involved in MBP, you should experience first hand, what this means, since chances are, you never had a bris in Ukraine or had you?
I dont have a comment on whether or not this should or should not be allowed. However, these situations are the EXACT reason that Jews and specifically Orthodox Jews, should not be voicing their opposition to something like Gay Marriage.
We cant go around yelling that other minority groups should not have freedoms and that they are an abomination (to the rest of the world this MBP sounds pretty disgusting), and when we are on the other side, say things like “The Mayor should stop worrying about other people’s children and let us raise our families in the manner we choose”
I recall an article a few weeks ago with Storobin discussing his anti-gay marriage position. Do you all not see the hypocrisy in his statement? He wants the Mayor, and therefore everyone else to let us raise our families however we want….. thats all Gay people want as well…..
Minorities need to stick together
Oh my…good ole Russian party animal Dima Storobin is trying to ingratiate himself with the frummies. He wants to be in office so suddenly hes oh so very religious and making press conferences on shul steps. Like he really cares about mechitza bal peh. Like he knew what it was 2 weeks ago.
Can’t you all see that he’s pandering to us?
I know bodegas used to sell (and maybe still do) lead for some sort of religious rite. Anybody know more?
And incense is probably unsafe as well, b”h not familiar with this practice either. But if we dare go there, next thing bloomberg will be banning shabbos licht.
I find it interesting that the people who claim there is zero risk of herpes transmission when mohel puts his mouth on an open wound are the first to say that the kid’s older brother gave him herpes by sucking on his pacifier, or the mother’s finger contained some saliva when she changed his diaper. If those actions can transmit herpes, then MBP certainly can.