Eight-Day-Old Infant Dies After Circumcision at Hadassah Ein Kerem

An eight-day-old baby died on Saturday at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem after undergoing a circumcision. The infant was brought to the pediatric emergency department while CPR was underway, and the medical team continued resuscitation attempts, but eventually pronounced him dead. Police said they opened an inquiry into the circumstances, including what happened before the baby reached the hospital.

The article notes that this is not the first such case in recent months. At the end of March, another baby died about two weeks after a circumcision because of an infection that developed in his body. After his condition worsened, he was taken to a family doctor, who immediately referred him to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead. The parents filed a police complaint after the seven-day mourning period.

Following that complaint, police arrested a 66-year-old mohel from Bnei Brak on suspicion of negligent homicide of a minor. He is described as a veteran practitioner who has worked in the city for more than 40 years and performed thousands of circumcisions. Evidence gathered in that case led investigators to a reasonable suspicion that he was involved in the complication that caused the death.

People familiar with the earlier investigation said families had previously complained about medical complications after circumcisions he performed. They said those complaints were passed on to the Health Ministry and the Chief Rabbinate, but no action was taken and he continued to work.