I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and
lived in the greater New York City area until I went to Philadelphia to go to
medical school. My internship and
OB/GYN residency were done in Wilmington, DE. Learning how to do circumcisions was part of the standard
training. I did my first bris as a resident, along with the
cantor of my synagogue, on a day that there were no mohalim that the family could find. From 1972-74, I served in the US Army Medical Corps at Fort
Sheridan, IL, just north of Chicago.
We had no Jewish chaplain there.
I was trained and certified as a Jewish Lay Leader by the Jewish Welfare
Board, which at that time was the endorsing body for Jewish chaplains in the
military. Great Lakes Naval
Training Center, located 20 minutes away near Waukegan, IL, had a large boot
camp and a full time Jewish chaplain.
I was active in the Great Lakes Jewish community, and did some brisses there along with our chaplain.
When I moved to Nashua, NH in 1977, the Jewish community, which had
previously not been very large, was just entering a growth curve. There were a few mohalim from the Boston area who were sometimes available to do
brisses, but at times, the logistics of finding a mohel could be fairly
daunting for families, and I began doing brisses
on a regular basis along with our rabbi, the late Bela Fischer. After a while, he felt that I had
enough knowledge and experience to function on my own, and he gave my name to
colleagues in southern NH and northeastern MA. I found myself doing many brisses, which was a challenge considering that I had an active
OB/GYN practice. Fortunately, my
practice partner was also my wife, who was very understanding, and covered for
me when I went out to do a bris. As a practicing obstetrician, I also
have done countless routine newborn circumcisions in our hospital.
In the mid-1980’s, the Berit Mila Program of Reform Judaism was established,
and the first program to officially certify medical providers as mohalim was offered by the Reform
Movement. I attended the first
course that was offered in Boston (1986-87), and was certified. Later that year, the New England
Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative Movement), under the auspices of Rabbi Elliot
Salo Schoenberg, offered further study to those who had completed the Reform
course, which led to certification by the New England RA. I have been blessed with 5 children
(one boy) and 5 grandchildren (all boys) and have been privileged to do all 6 brisses.
Over the years, I have been active in our synagogue (Temple Beth
Abraham) and have served on various committees as well as on the Board of
Directors. I have led discussion
groups about brit milah for adult
groups, and for students at various area synagogue religious schools, and have
also spoken about circumcision to the NH section of the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
At the end of March, 2012, my wife and retired from our OB/GYN
practice after 35 years in the Nashua community, but I continue to do brisses.
6/2012
