A baby was schedule to have a bris last Tuesday, on the eighth day, in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. The mother of the infant suffered some complications during childbirth, compelling the situation and arrangements were made to hold the bris in her room. The mohel, Rabbi Chaim Miller agreed. It was soon learned the hospital however did not agree, insisting an outside mohel cannot be brought in and if a bris was to be held, a doctor on staff would perform the bris or it would not take place.

R’ Miller turned to MK Maklev and to Deputy Minister of Health R’ Yaakov Litzman, but as R’ Miller put it; the deputy minister apparently does not know how to push things along. He explains the hospital’s deputy director informed him that if the Health Ministry instructed him to permit the bris, he would, but as R’ Miller explained, it appears the deputy minister did not manage to have a memo issued to permit the bris. As a result, the bris did not take place on the eight day and needless to say, the family was quite distraught.

R’ Miller explained two days later Litzman’s office contacted him and explained another hospital official is willing to permit the bris and the event took place last Thursday, in the mother’s room. The family however is not consoled since the bris did not take place as it should have, on the eighth day.

Ichilov officials released a statement that the matter was resolved to the family’s satisfaction.

No one seems to explain why the bris was not held in the mother’s absence at an alternative venue, on the eighth day.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)