The accused clamp.Photo: Circlist
Plaintiffs: L.G., a minor, by and through his parents and next friends, Dror Gerges and Sivan Gerges
Defendants: Daniel J. Krimsky; Mogen Circumcision Instruments Ltd.
Accusation: An Oceanside, Long Island, rabbi is accused of lopping off the head of an 8-day-old’s penis during a Bris on December 16, 2004.
According to the federal complaint filed last week in Central Islip, New York, not only was Daniel Krimsky unqualified to perform a Bris, but the circumcision tool he used — called a “Mogen clamp” for the overly curious — was faulty, and instructions failed to warn against the (seemingly obvious) risk of severing. What’s worse, the rabbi then tried to hide his error, and the boy’s injuries only came to light when a physician attending the Bris noticed something was wrong and spoke up.
“L.G. was required to undergo corrective surgery … which was not entirely successful,” reads the complaint, which is a delicate way of saying doctors were unsuccessful in reattaching the boy’s penis. “(He) has been permanently disfigured and mutilated, and will suffer forever from a disfigured and mutilated penis, and from the loss of sexual feeling and function.”
So, what price for a partial penis? Plaintiffs seek $150,000 in damages from the rabbi and another $150,000 from the makers of the “Mogen clamp.” Only time will tell if the boy will consider that a fair trade when he grows up.
Disposition: Awaiting response from the rabbi and the clamp manufacturer, who will likely seek to have the case tossed like poor little L.G.’s foreskin.
You can read the complaint here.
— Nick Divito
