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Rabbi Sued For Accidentally Severing Baby's Penis During Bris
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 29, 2013
Modified Dec 29, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 29, 2013
Modified Dec 29, 2013
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A Rabbi has been sued for accidentally severing a baby boy's penis during a Jewish bris ceremony. Rabbi Mordechai Rosenberg, who has been an Orthodox mohel in the Pittsburgh area since 1990, has been sued for causing a "catastrophic and life-changing injury" to the baby, whose identity has not been released.
The circumcision ceremony occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill on April 28th of this year. The baby was rushed to a local hospital where doctors performed an emergency micro-surgery to reattach the dismembered penis. Sources told CBS that surgery took eight hours, the baby needed six blood transfusions, and was subsequently hospitalized for nearly two months. The baby also went through leech therapy, because "leeches help a body accept reattached parts by promoting blood flow and tissue regeneration."
Sources tell CBS that the reattachment procedure was successful, although doctors don't know whether he'll have problems later in life. “Sometimes, it doesn’t always work,” said plastic surgeon Dr. Joe Losee, who wasn't involved with this particular surgery. “When you’re reattaching a portion where you include nerves, sometimes the nerves don’t heal well beyond where you reattached it. So there are limitations for sure.”
Rosenberg, who is a “certified mohel by the American Board of Ritual Circumcision," has continued to practice as a mohel since the incident. He told KDKA, “I am trained in this,” and called the case a “tragic accident” and a “horrible situation.” The families lawyer agrees: “That is extraordinarily serious and is extraordinarily rare,” said attorney David Llewellyn.
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bris
circumcision
jewish
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pennsylvania
rabbi
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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