When it comes to circumcision errors, it really doesn’t get any worse than this: A Pittsburgh-area mohel mistakenly sliced a little too much, completely cutting off the infant’s body part.
Rabbi Mordechai Rosenberg performed the circumcision at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill in April, but the story came to light recently after the boy’s parents filed a lawsuit accusing the rabbi of negligence.
Doctors were able to reattach the infant’s penis, but it took six hours, six blood transfusions and leech therapy, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. It also required a two-month hospital stay for the boy, and it’s still not known if he will completely recover.
The surgery was deemed a success, however.
But his parents are outraged, especially after learning the rabbi was continuing to circumcise newborns.
In an interview with a local CBS affiliate, the rabbi described the botched job a “tragic accident,” but said he was fully “trained” in circumcision surgery by the American Board of Ritual Circumcision and would continue to perform the procedures.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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