Rabbi Facing Lawsuit After Severing Baby's Penis at Circumcision Ceremony

A rabbi from Pittsburgh is facing a civil lawsuit after he was alleged to have severed the penis of a newborn during a circumcision ceremony.

The ceremony was performed earlier this year at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh by Rabbi Mordechai Rosenberg and the parents of the newborn, who wish to remain anonymous in order to protect their son, said that the ceremony was performed with a �total disregard for the child and caused catastrophic and life-changing injury'.

The newborn was taken to the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital where he underwent an eight hour surgery with the doctors managing to attach the dismembered penis. Terming the incident as �tragic', Rabbi Rosenberg said that he was a trained �mohel', a Jewish circumciser, and performing the ritual through a doctor was unethical.

"Sometimes, it doesn't always work. 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", plastic surgeon Dr Joe Losee said.



Source: Medindia