Brit milah regulations don’t quite cut it

TALI FEINBERG

While Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein has given his assurance that regulations would be implemented in the next few weeks, at least two other brisses have gone wrong in the last year alone. These could possibly have been prevented if the regulations had already been in place.

But Rabbi Goldstein says a great deal has and is being done to implement the recommendations of the Brit Milah Regulatory Board, which came about as a result of the botched bris. He points out that it is an extremely complex issue.

In a statement to the SA Jewish Report, The Regulatory Board said that it has received only one formal complaint regarding brit milah over the last year. “This was fully investigated and dealt with to the satisfaction of the complainant.”

A mohel who declined to be named, confirmed that he has been given no new directives. He feels that regulations will be time-consuming and that there should be no possibility of error in a bris, but he understands the need for such regulations.

In fact, insisting that a mohel fills in forms and records events, would benefit the mohel should anything negative occur.

He also emphasises that excessive bleeding could happen if the mohel is inexperienced or the bandage comes off, but a good mohel would easily be able to correct this. Two other mohelim who were approached for this article, declined to comment.

Rabbi Goldstein said: “The Brit Milah Regulatory Board in South Africa has been hard at work for the last year, running a workshop and various meetings with mohelim, bringing out an international expert in this field of governance of brit milah, as well as creating all of the necessary protocols for the governance of brit milah in South Africa.

“This has been a time-consuming, complex, and rigorous process which could not be rushed. It has also established a mechanism to receive any complaints with regard to the practice of brit milah in South Africa.

“It is such an important aspect of Jewish life that the Regulatory Board had to take its time in order to do everything properly with the professionalism and with excellence. Given the magnitude of the task, the Board has worked as efficiently as possible.”

Following the botched bris three years ago, the parents asked for a commission of enquiry, which the Beth Din instituted in 2014. This commission made a number of recommendations to prevent such an incident from occurring again. While the recommendations are being finalised, there have been no actual changes to the training or accrediting of mohelim over the last three years.

One mohel says he has been encouraged to ensure that all instruments are scrupulously sterilised, and to visit the family before and after the bris. He was doing both of these already, and he has received no additional training or monitoring.

The following incident happened in Cape Town a year ago. “The mohel must have cut wrong or nipped a blood vessel as my son would not stop bleeding,” says the mother, who has asked not to be identified.

“There was blood everywhere and eventually the mohel advised us to take the baby to hospital as he could go into shock from blood loss. It was the most traumatic day of my life and explaining to the nurses that we were circumcising an infant in a coffee shop for everyone to see, felt incredibly inhumane.

“Thank G-d it all ended okay, but we spent the day in hospital waiting for a paediatric urologist and the whole thing could have been avoided.”

Another mother – who also asked not to be identified – said: “The night of the bris I noticed that the bandages were soaked with blood. My son wouldn’t stop screaming. We rushed him to casualty that night and they had to call in a doctor to cauterise his penis to stop the bleeding.

“I was informed that the following morning my nine-day-old son would have to undergo a general anaesthetic and surgery to repair his penis. They didn’t know at that stage if there would be enough skin to do the repair. The nightmare continued the next morning and I had to go into theatre with my baby and watch while they put him under. Thank G-d they were able to complete the repair and there is no permanent damage.”

Neither of these incidents were reported to the Beth Din, although the Brit Milah Regulatory Board emphasised in its 2015 circular: “If there are any other complaints regarding any other ‘bris’ which any member of the community would like to submit to the Commission for investigation, they must notify the Beth Din office as soon as possible.”

The first mother said she did not report the incident because she “did not want to report a rabbi”, and the second mother said she did not report it because she “didn’t think they would do anything about it”.

These responses demonstrate the urgent need for the implementation of the regulations, which could remove the onus from the family and make sure that mohelim are monitored, properly trained and assessed before, during and after a bris.

The mohel quoted in the article, believes regulations are a good thing as they mean “mohelim are working with medical professionals”. He adds that after 40 years practising as a mohel, he doesn’t think there is much more he can do, but he is open to improvement.

While the chance of an accident in a bris is highly unlikely, stricter regulations could reduce this risk even further and also ensure that there is less discomfort and possible suffering for the baby.

Says Rabbi Goldstein: “Brit Milah has been a safe and meaningful pillar of Jewish life for thousands of years since when G-d first commanded Abraham to circumcise his sons. It is one of our most important mitzvot, is the symbol of our covenant and bond with G-d, and a foundation of our Jewish identity.” 

The Brit Milah Regulatory Board added that all mohelim have been given the opportunity to have input on these guidelines and recommendations. The UK’s Initiation Society also produced an updated version of its guidelines in August 2016 and permission was granted for The Board to adopt many of these guidelines where appropriate, for South Africa.

“The process has taken several months to fully research and consider the various opinions and input of mohels and experts in the field. These guidelines and recommendations for mohelim will become effective on June 14, 2017, and will coincide with the launch of a website which has been developed for the public.”

What has become apparent is that members of the community generally don’t know what is happening about the implementation of the Regulatory Board’s recommendations – maybe a need for better communication would help restore confidence in the process.