Looking for a Mohel
Hi. My wife is getting ready to deliver a boy next month and we are looking for a highly skilled mohel. We are not religious but would like someone who has extensive experience performing circumcisions. I have heard this may be preferable to a pediatrician who may not do the procedure as often. Any feedback on experience with a mohel or pediatrician would be great as well.
Thanks!
Expectant Berkeley Family
Mar 6, 2024
Parent Replies
We used the Pisers recently and couldn’t be happier with them both re the procedure and the ritual. They are great at making the ceremony accessible to secular folks and best of all, they are both doctors as well as mohels. Happy to answer any specific questions if you message me.
We recently had a bris with Stuart Zangwill. He's a retired Kaiser pediatric hospitalist who's now a mohel so he's done a lot. He used the plastibell method, no complaints. I will say, we waited till our son was almost 3 weeks old because of family scheduling issues, and I regretted that. They say 90% of babies sleep through the procedure, but I think that goes down the older they are. Ours def did not and the whole thing was a little traumatic. He was fine after a couple hours, but if you've decided you're sure you're gonna do it, I'd recommend getting it over with no later than the 8th day.
The circumcision of my second son was performed by Debra Weiss-Ishai. She’s a pediatrician and she was wonderful. I believe she may have used a numbing agent to reduce our baby’s pain, and she was gentle, kind, and supportive through the whole process. She also facilitated a meaningful ceremony and ritual.
We have 3 boys. The first 2 were circumcised by the pediatrician and I don't recommend it - it turned out okay, but they never seemed quite confident in what they were doing and the results were so-so. For the third, the pediatrician referred us to a urologist and it was a much smoother process, so that may be another option beyond the mohel.
We were very happy with Gil Leeds. Our pediatrician recommended him and she actually sees how the boys heal so she has good insight. He has a good bedside manner and is very sweet with babies and emotional parents. He also was very fast with the actual procedure.
We used Dr. Debra Weiss-Ishai for our son’s bris. She’s the best of both worlds - she is a mohel and also a pediatrician. She is very warm and caring. She also makes the ceremony special. Everyone I know in the East Bay has used her and been very happy. Highly recommend! https://www.thebrisdoctor.com