FailedMessiah.com

Elderly Mohel Who Cut Off Baby's Penis Moves To Have Ban Against Him Lifted

Haredi Rabbi Samuel Sigmund Suchard is lobbying top haredi rabbis in Israel to have them support lifting the ban placed on him by South Africa's top haredi rabbis 16 months after Suchard, who is in his 80s, cut off a large part of a baby's penis during a circumcision he was performing.

Johannesburg Beit Din And Chief Rabbi Ban Mohel Who Amputated Large Part Of Baby’s Penis

A mohel who severed a large part of a baby’s penis leaving him permanently disfigured has been banned for life from ever circumcising again.

Idaho Trucker Kicked Out Of Seminary For Self-Circumcision

Kevin G. Sloniker is in a whole lot of trouble, and his try at self-circumcision is only a tiny part of it (pun likely intended).

Moroccan Rabbis Banned Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice In 1952

In 1952, the leading Orthodox and haredi rabbis of Morocco – including known kabbalists – unanimously banned metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis suction done by some mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin, because protecting babies' lives was more important than doing MBP – a lesson today's haredi rabbis (and NYC's corrupt mayor) have not yet learned.

NYC Hid Haredi Baby’s Metzitzah B'Peh Herpes Infection From Public In Run-Up To Regulation Change

The city was notified of the infection in April but hushed it up until after it, at the urging of Mayor Bill de Blasio and health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett, voted to end its weak informed consent requirement for MBP and move to an even less restrictive protocol based almost entirely on voluntary cooperation from haredim – cooperation that does not appear to be forthcoming.

Does Herpes Cause Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease?

A new review of more than 200 studies appears to show that herpes may be a cause of late-onset Alzheimer's Disease. And that would mean the dangerous haredi circumcision practice metzitzah b'peh (MBP), in which haredi mohels use direct oral-to-bleeding-penis suction on babies after cutting off the foreskin, may  therefore doom haredi babies who survive initial herpes infections transmitted to them through MBP to suffering from Alzheimer's Disease in later life. Studies done last year already showed that having herpes doubles the risk of getting Alzheimer's. Despite these and many other dangers caused by MBP, including the deaths of babies, haredi rabbis refuse to stop the practice.

UPDATED: New York City Repeals Metzitzah B’Peh Informed Consent Requirement

The New York City Board of Health approved the repeal of the city’s mandatory consent requirement for the dangerous, primarily haredi, oral suction circumcision practice known as metzitzah b’peh (MBP).

NYC Issues New Bris Safety Brochure

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has issued a new brochure on metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the dangerous direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done primarily by haredi mohels after removing the baby's foreskin. MBP transmits disease to babies, including Herpes Simplex 1, which can kill or maim them. But haredi rabbis refuse to stop MBP, even though some important haredi rabbis in previous generations banned it, and the city and state refuse to ban it, supposedly because they fear it will just continue to be done underground. So instead of a ban, we have a brochure. Here it is, in both Yiddish and English.

Cooking The Books On Metzitzah B'Peh?

Rockland County's former commissioner of health, Dr. Oscar Alleyne, claims that by using DNA testing he was able to discount mohels as the source of two neonatal herpes infections (in male haredi babies who were circumcised  with metzitzah b'peh [MBP], the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis suction done by haredi mohels after cutting off the foreskin) in Rockland County in 2014. He said that epidemiological evidence points to a different source for these herpes infections. But even though he has made this claim in various forms for more than a year, Alleyne won't release the data he says backs it up.

Israeli Baby Has Penis Severed In Circumcision Accident

An 8-day-old baby from northern Israel had part of penis severed last week while being ritually circumcised my a mohel.

City Tells NY Times It Will Go After Haredi Yeshivas That Do Not Provide Adequate Secular Education – But Is It True?

The Education Department said it was finalizing requests that the superintendents would send to the yeshivas mentioned in the letter. If, based on the responses, a superintendent determines that a yeshiva is not providing instruction substantially equivalent to that in public schools, the superintendent will work with the yeshiva to develop a remediation plan. In the worst case, if the department determines that a school’s instruction was not equivalent, ultimately, children who attend the school would be considered truant.

NYC Jewish Circumcision Policy Is “Insufficient,” Top Jewish Docs Say

Allowing some babies to suffer the consequences of Herpes Simplex Virus infection before taking any action against the offending mohel, who must be proven to be the culprit by DNA testing, is not a preventive public health measure. It is too little, too late. Metzitzah b'peh [direct oral suction; MBP] violates a baby’s right to be protected from an obvious impending harm. The government has an overriding interest in protecting infants who cannot speak for themselves.…Behavior by mohelim and local politicians that ignores fundamental principles of hygiene, and abrogates their responsibility to protect innocent children, is shameful and simply wrong…

How Rabbinic Lies Kill Jewish Babies

"…In desperation, my friend tried a different tactic. He proposed to his opponents that he and they go to the Gadol B'Torah [top haredi rabbi] of their choice, that they both present their arguments, and that they both agree to go by whatever he says. Personally, I thought that this was very foolhardy. Any Gadol B'Torah remotely recognized as such by his opponents would probably insist on metzitza b'peh! But it was irrelevant. One of his opponents stood up, and announced:'"Even if Moshe Rabeinu himself were to come and rule that we shouldn't do it, we would not listen to him!'"

Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice Doesn't Kill Or Hurt Kids, Satmar Hasidic Powerbroker Insists

The pamphlet, created by the de Blasio administration, is a glossy but blunt warning about the dangers of metzitzah b’peh, an Orthodox circumcision ritual linked to herpes infections in infants. “Some babies can get sick with herpes, which can lead to death,” the form reads in bold type. “There is no way to avoid the risk.” “Serious misstatements,” Rabbi Niederman said, looking pained, as he read the brochure for the first time. But the rabbi declined to elaborate, telling a reporter that, for now, he wanted only to praise the city for trying to work with Orthodox leaders on the matter.

Board of Health Will Vote On Mayor’s Plan To Scrap Informed Consent For Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

New York City's Board of Health has now voted to consider a plan proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio that would scrap the city’s informed consent requirement for metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the dangerous direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis suction performed, predominantly by haredi mohels, after first cutting off the baby’s foreskin.

Haredi Mohel Committee Allegedly Bans Mohel

In a pashkvil dated Rosh Chodesh Kislev (November 23), the Vaad HaMishmeres Bris bans a mohel for having  a "serious" but unnamed "deficiency."

Babies More Sensitive To Pain Than Adults, Study Finds – How Should This Impact Circumcision?

The brains of babies light up in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering Oxford University brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults and that infants are more sensitive to pain than adults, not less sensitive – calling into question claims made by some haredi rabbis and mohels that babies do not feel circumcision pain.

Doctors Re-Attach Part Of Baby’s Penis After Israeli Circumcision Accident

Urologists at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem have re-attached part of a baby's penis following a botched ritual circumcision.

De Blasio Likely To Replace Bloomberg-Era Health Board Members Before Controversial Circumcision Vote

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has the ability to fill a majority of the seats on the New York City Board of Health with his own appointees before he asks that board to repeal the city’s informed consent requirement for all circumcisions involving metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the dangerous mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off the baby’s foreskin. And so de Blasio delayed asking the board to toss the existing informed consent requirement and has allegedly set out to fill the board with his own appointees, who will then likely rubber-stamp whatever the mayor wants done, even if it goes against what a majority of pediatric infectious disease specialists and public health experts believe is safe.

If Haredi Rabbis Refuse To Report Child Sex Abuse, Why Should We Believe They Will Report Infected Mohels?

"Mayor de Blasio…is either hopelessly naive or so cynical that he’s knowingly selling children’s lives in exchange for a bloc vote. Either way, the public needs to send him a clear message that we value the safety of New York’s children over his desire to win the next election."

Repeal Of Informed Consent Requirement For Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice Delayed

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration has delayed plans to repeal the city’s informed consent requirement for metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the dangerous direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after cutting off the baby’s foreskin – likely because it did not have the votes on the Board of Health to pass the repeal.

Haredi Leaders Admit Herpes Testing Doesn't Work, Want To Continue Dangerous Circumcision Practice Anyway

“How can you be certain that at any given time the mohel doesn’t have the virus? Because he may have been tested a year ago and he may have contracted the virus since then. There’s no foolproof way of doing something like that…"

Avi Schick Misleads On Circumcision

Avi Schick, the frequently dishonest haredi political insider, has written a very deceptive article on NYC's deal with haredim on metzitzah b'peh, (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by most haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin. That deal allows haredim to continue to do MBP, despite the fact that MBP has transmitted herpes to babies, sickening at least 17 babies over the past decade or so, leaving two with serious brain damage and killing two others, and despite the fact that MBP has a long history of killing babies – a history documented in part in haredi rabbinic literature itself.

Endangering Children's Lives To Appease Powerful Haredi Bloc Vote Attacked By NY Times and NY Daily News, But Endorsed By NY Post

"…de Blasio, who has pleased the potent [ultra-]Orthodox voting bloc by ridiculing the [Bloomberg's informed consent] policy as unenforceable while making no visible effort to enforce it, has decided simply to let the mohels do their thing….The [new] plan needs Board of Health approval. The board should say no and take a stand for basic hygiene and common sense. Otherwise, this will be a city that requires tattoo artists to take infection-control courses and use sterile tools but tolerates an amateur surgery in which infection is fought with no more than perhaps a swig of Listerine."

Will Haredim Scam The New NYC Circumcision Protocol? Here's One Way They Might Do It

Many people familiar with issue of herpes transmission through metzitzah b'peh (MBP, the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin) believe haredim will scam the new MBP agreement they made with New York City. Here's one way they might do it.

NYC Won't Releasae Names Of Infected Mohels, Even If They've Been Banned By City

Under the new deal with haredim, de Blasio administration officials said it is unlikely New York City would release the name of any mohel who was banned after testing positive for infecting an infant with herpes – meaning Bill de Blasio has opted to further his own political career while endangering haredi children.

NYC Made Deal On Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice Because Haredim Won't Keep The Law Anyway, City Official Says

The de Blasio administration's rationale for the new policy, which its own health department says could put infants at risk, is that this is the only way it can receive cooperation from the community. In the two-plus years since the health department has required consent forms, it has collected only one, an administration official said. “They won't stop practicing no matter what we say,” the de Blasio official said. “If we ban it, it will go underground.”

De Blasio Ends Informed Consent Requirement For Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Rite

The deal scrapping the metzitzah b'peh (MBP, the direct mouth-to-bleeding penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin) informed consent requirement depends completely on haredim cooperating. There are apparently no penalties at all for haredi rabbis and others who fail to comply. MBP has killed hundreds if not thousands of children, and some of these deaths are actually documented in rabbinic sources.

Using Established Science, Foreskins May Soon Be Able To Be Regrown, Intactivist Nonprofit Says

A US nonprofit founded to research and implement regenerative medical therapies for circumcised males, Foregen, claims to be close to developing a method that will allow men’s foreskins to regenerate – much like a salamander is able to re-grow a limb.

Top European Rabbi Equates Copenhagen Terror Attack With 'Anti-Shechita' Demand For Humane Slaughter

"…The Jewish community in Denmark is a microcosm of what is happening to Jewish communities across the continent. On the one hand they are under attack from extremist Muslims who see every Jew as a legitimate target, on the other hand, freedom of religion is curtailed by the government, religious slaughter has been forbidden and the parliament is in discussions about the future of religious circumcision.…"

Hapless Mayor Appears Flummoxed By Haredi Refusal To Accept Circumcision Compromise

The administration of New York City’s hapless mayor, Bill de Blasio, wants to scrap the city’s informed consent forms mohels who do metzitzah b’peh (MBP, direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking) after cutting off the baby’s foreskin, and replace the written informed consent with a verbal warning about MBP's dangers. But haredim, who are suing the city to try to force it to scuttle the informed consent, also refuse to agree to the verbal warning.

Report: Infected Haredi Mohels Still Suck

A Rockland community member who has been involved with the issue said the two mohels did test positive for the virus. They both continue to perform MBP. “They are continuing to practice and use whatever safety practices they were using before, which is why they have never been sources of infection in the past,” the community member said, referring to the mohels disinfecting their mouths before performing MBP.

As City Reportedly Nears New Deal With Haredim On Circumcision, Mohels Ignore Informed Consent Requirement, Despite Law

A. Romi Cohn, an Orthodox Jew who is the head of the American Board of Ritual Circumcision and estimates he has conducted about 25,000 circumcisions in his lifetime, said he had never used the consent form. He added that he did not believe the roughly 80 other mohelim affiliated with the association had either.

Rockland County Protocol For Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice Touted – Despite Flaws, Danger To Babies

The protocol is essentially the protocol haredi leaders broke in New York City a decade ago. It relies heavily on cooperation from and truth-telling by haredi leaders who have repeatedly promoted lies about the safety of MBP. It also relies on Rockland County officials telling the truth – something lots of people find dubious at best.

New Study: Circumcision Before Age 5 DOUBLES Autism Risk

The study of more than 340,000 boys in Denmark found that circumcision raised the overall chances of an autism spectrum disorder before the age of 10 by 46 per cent. But if circumcision took place before the age of five it doubled the risk. Circumcision also appeared to increase the likelihood of boys from non-Muslim families developing hyperactivity disorder [ADHD].

Another Modern Orthodox Doctor Misleads About Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

Dr. Aaron Glatt does not want you to know the truth about the dangers of metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding penis sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin.

De Blasio To Change NYC Policy Toward Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice “Soon,” Staff Says

The de Blasio administration will soon announce a new policy on metzitzah b'peh (MBP, the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done primarily by hasidic mohels after cutting of the the baby's foreskin), a spokesperson for the NYC mayor said this afternoon.

Haredi And Sefardi Mohels Gather, Mislead Public About Dangers Of Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

In what appeared to be yet another paid (but undeclared) infomercial, Zev Brenner went to the American Board of Ritual Circumcision's annual gathering for mohels and doctors held at the house of the board's founder, Rabbi Romi Cohn. Cohn and his compatriots are largely uneducated in science and medical issues, and Brenner asked no tough questions and made no attempt to correct or call out their mistakes or lies. Here's what they said, and why most of these 'professionals' should probably be banned from circumcising anyone ever again.

Leaked Memo On Circumcision From Haredi Groups' Lawyers

A leaked research memo from the lawyers representing the haredi groups suing New York City over the metzitzah b'peh (MBP) informed consent requirement discusses possible legal strageties to get the informed consent requirement lifted.

Another Baby Gets Herpes From Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

Another baby has been infected with neonatal herpes transmitted to him through metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after removing the baby’s foreskin.

Metzitzah B' Peh Warning: New Studies Show Herpes Doubles Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease

Metzitzah b' peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis-sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin is a dangerous practice that can transmit disease, like Herpes Simplex 1. to the infants. Because neonates have very immature immune systems, herpes can – and has – killed some of them, and maimed and sickened others. Haredi rabbis refuse to stop this dangerous practice, however. But now there is more evidence of the extreme damage herpes  can do to the mind – evidence that may support Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler's decade-old contention that herpes transmitted to infants through MBP may be causing learning disabilities.

Avi Schick Misleads About Dangers Of Controversial Haredi Circumcision Practice

Avi Schick, a former deputy attorney general of New York State, has published a deceptive op-ed about metzitzah b' peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis-sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin. How many babies must be killed through MBP before haredim stop insisting they have the right to do it?

Orthodox Doctor Continues To Misrepresent Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

Dr. Daniel Berman and two Orthodox coconspirators continue to mislead the public about the dangers of metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth to-bleeding-penis sucking done primarily by haredi mohels after removing a baby's foreskin.

Haredi Circumcision: Who Will Protect New York’s Jewish Children From Preventable Death and Permanent Disability?

"…What belief is being burdened by the requirement that the mohel tell the parents the practice is dangerous to infants? Do they have a belief that parents must be ignorant of potential medical harm to their infant? Are they saying that rabbis have a right to impose religious practices without full disclosure where the potential result is the death of a child? Really?…Informed consent is always required when a doctor performs a circumcision. Why should rabbis be absolved of the same obligation during the same procedure that involves creating a wound on an infant?…" 

Appellate Court Rules Haredi Claim That NYC’s Regulation Of Dangerous Circumcision Practice Infringes On Freedom Of Religion Must Be Heard

Earlier today, a federal appeals court unanimously ruled that a motion by Agudath Israel of America, the Satmar-dominated Central Rabbinical Congress of the United States and Canada, the International Bris Association, and several haredi mohels to have an injunction issued against enforcement of NYC’s informed consent requirement for Jewish ritual circumcisions involving metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the dangerous direct mouth-to-bleeding penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after removing a baby’s foreskin, must be heard.

Report: NYC To Propose New Regulation On Haredi Mouth-To-Penis Circumcision Sucking "Soon"

“There is an unwillingness on the community’s part to buy into the regulation,” said lawyer Akiva Shapiro, who helped defend the new policy when Orthodox groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging it as an infringement on religious practice. “The city doesn't have the resources to be at every (circumcision), so if the mohel is against the form because he objects on religious grounds, the parents aren't signing the form."

Why Do Haredim Do Metzitzah B’Peh, The Dangerous Circumcision-Related Practice That Has Killed And Maimed Babies?

Why do so many ultra-Orthodox Jews still do metzitzah b'peh (MBP), even though it is dangerous and risks babies' lives? What follows is an answer to that question.

2 New NYC Herpes Infections From Haredi Mouth-To-Penis Circumcision Rite

Two new cases of dangerous neonatal herpes following ritual Jewish circumcision with direct orogenital suction were reported in New York City in July 2014.

Doctor Cleared By Medical Board In Metzitzah B'Peh Accusation

“There is no information to support the … contention that there was a sexual motive to the method by which the [doctor] performed ritual circumcisions,” reads a decision document published Tuesday by the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board.

Elderly Haredi Mohel Cuts Off Baby's Penis, Penis Could Not Be Surgically Reattached

An elderly mohel recently cut off the glans and part of the shaft of a baby's penis in a horrible circumcision accident that will seriously impact the child for the rest of his life.