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Who’s your mohel?
Unlike the Seinfeld episode in which Elaine flips through the Yellow Pages (“Motels, models…”) only to end up with a clumsy and shaky-handed caricature at her friend’s son’s bris, your own search need not be a shot in the dark. Most mohels get their business via word of mouth, so ask relatives and friends for recommendations.
Not surprisingly, many moms and mothers-in-law have been known to “keep the card” of their favorite mohel in hopes of being blessed with a grandson. You can get a referral from your rabbi, your cantor, or organizations such as the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan (JCC) and the 92nd Street Y (which recently introduced a bris and baby-naming program and helpline; for information, call 212-415-5766). You can also try your ob-gyn or pediatrician. If those options don’t pan out, contact the Berit Mila Program of Reform Judaism (beritmila.org), an organization that certifies doctors and nurse practitioners to be mohels.
The fee for an experienced New York mohel runs between $600 and $750. Given the delicacy of the surgery, this may be a small price to pay for a job well done, but some mohels generously work out different rates for families facing financial constraints. Know, too, that your son’s bris may be covered in part by insurance.
When interviewing mohels, ask about the kind of service they officiate, how long they’ve practiced and whether they’ll translate prayers for those whose Hebrew is a little rusty. Also important is the mohel’s attitude toward infant pain relief. For some, it simply means offering a finger to suck on that’s been dipped in sweet kosher wine or a sugar-water solution; others use a topical anesthetic cream. And it might be prudent to ask about a mohel’s position on humor—some are rather solemn, while others are notorious for making shticky cracks. One last note: If you and your partner are same-sex parents or an interfaith couple, let the mohel know in advance so he or she can discuss any necessary adjustments to the ceremony.
Then, as soon as that baby is born, get on the horn. “After you call your parents, call the mohel,” advises Rabbi Joy Levitt, executive director of the JCC of Manhattan. “Everyone else who had boys born that day will be calling too.” A few popular New York mohels:
Dr. Emily Blake
917-405-0696, mymohel.com
Rabbi Gerald Chirnomas
973-334-6044, rabbichirnomas.com
Rabbi Mark Cooper
800-499-2747, mohel.net
Dr. Dorothy Greenbaum
800-600-3022, brisdoctor.com
Cantor Philip Sherman
917-448-2747, emohel.com
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Charles
Mon, Jan 07, at 09:05pm
You are factually incorrect in your article. You write that "Among very observant Jews, it’s preferable to delay the bris by a day or two rather than cause others to violate the laws of the Sabbath by driving or cooking. " This is absolutely false. Observant Jews either stay at the family's/friends house the night before a Shabbos bris, or they walk there, or they miss it altogether. Bris is NEVER delayed a day or two for convenience.
leo
Sun, Jan 06, at 03:45pm
I have been a subscriber for a while and found it highly offensive to be referred to as a "jittery goy", I'm sure a jew would find it offensive to be called a nervous kike. The mag is TONY, not Time Out Israel. C'mon, prejudice is so over, unity is in, TONY Kids is so behind the times. but that wouldn't ever be printed. A a catholic i have panned 4 baptisms, yetThe comment you type in this box will appear on the site
