Metzitzah b’peh under fire in New York

New York - Brooklyn State Assemblyman Dov Hikind says he’s “frankly aghast” at Mayor Bloomberg’s comments concerning a controversial circumcision under review by the city Health Department.

Hikind said Bloomberg’s comments on metzitzah b’peh, in which the mohel performing a bris removes the blood from the baby’s circumcision wound by mouth, were insensitive and disrespectful.

“Orthodox Judaism isn’t barbaric,” said Hikind, an Orthodox Jew. “Who cares more about children than their own parents? There’s no call for Mayor Bloomberg to speak disrespectfully to our community, to speak condescendingly about our cultural traditions.”

“This issue is not about soda pop,” Hikind added, getting in a swipe at the mayor’s mission to limit sugary soda sales. “it’s about religious tenets and it requires an extremely sensitive and respectful approach, not flip remarks that are insulting to an entire community.” CONTINUE...