Boca Raton has one of the largest and most established Jewish communities in South Florida, which means most new parents here have been to a bris before, sometimes several. That familiarity is a good thing, but it also means a lot of assumptions get passed around at these gatherings that aren’t quite accurate anymore. Before you book a mohel for your own son, it’s worth checking a few of them against reality.
Dr. Andrew Krinsky, a Yale-trained, board-certified gynecologic surgeon and religiously ordained certified mohel, has performed circumcisions in Boca Raton and throughout South Florida for over 20 years. Here’s what he clears up most often with parents.
Myth: A Mohel Has to Be Older, Traditional, and Strictly Religious
Fact: mohels today come from a wide range of backgrounds, and many, like Dr. Krinsky, combine religious ordination with a full medical career. The image of a mohel as an elderly rabbi performing the ceremony from memory doesn’t reflect how the role actually works for most Boca Raton families now.
Dr. Krinsky spent 30 years as a practicing OB-GYN surgeon before and alongside his 20-plus years as a certified mohel. That combination means the surgical technique behind the circumcision comes from an operating room career, not solely from religious training passed down informally.
Myth: The Procedure Is the Same No Matter Who Performs It
Fact: comfort measures, sterilization standards, and technique vary significantly between providers, and these differences matter. Not every mohel uses the same approach to pain management or instrument sterilization, and Boca Raton parents are increasingly asking about this before booking.
Dr. Krinsky’s approach includes:
- Infant Tylenol roughly an hour before the procedure, with pediatrician approval
- Topical anesthetic gel applied on arrival and given time to work
- A sugar and wine solution that calms the baby and releases endorphins
- Instruments that are sterilized, autoclaved, or disposable, matching hospital-grade standards
Myth: You Need Your Own Rabbi to Have a Proper Bris
Fact: a certified mohel is fully qualified to lead the entire Bris and Baby Naming Ceremony independently. Many Boca Raton families assume they need to line up a rabbi first and a mohel second, but that’s not how the roles actually work.
Dr. Krinsky leads the complete ceremony on his own for families who don’t already have a rabbi or cantor, and he coordinates smoothly with clergy for families who do. Either way, nothing about the ceremony is incomplete without a separate rabbi present.
Myth: The 8th Day Rule Is Just Tradition, Not Medically Relevant
Fact: there’s a real physiological reason behind the 8th day timing, not just a religious one. By a baby’s 8th day of life, clotting factors and immunoglobulins have matured past their levels at birth, which supports safer healing after the procedure.
Performing the bris at home on day 8, rather than in the hospital before discharge, also means the baby isn’t facing a second procedure stacked directly on top of birth. Dr. Krinsky can walk families through this reasoning in more detail if they want to understand the medical side, not just the religious one.
Myth: Interfaith Families Will Feel Out of Place
Fact: Boca Raton’s Jewish community includes a large number of interfaith and secular families, and a well-run bris accounts for that. Dr. Krinsky is known for being especially attentive to interfaith couples, walking guests through each part of the ceremony so that family members unfamiliar with the tradition can follow along and feel included rather than like outside observers.
Myth: Hospital Circumcision and a Bris Are Interchangeable
Fact: a hospital circumcision is a medical procedure only, while a bris is a ceremony that includes circumcision, naming, and religious meaning performed on a specific day. Some Boca Raton parents assume choosing a hospital circumcision before discharge covers the religious obligation as well. It doesn’t. The bris carries its own ritual structure, including the kvater who carries the baby in, the Sandek who holds him during the procedure, and the formal giving of a Hebrew name, none of which happens in a hospital setting.
Families who choose hospital circumcision sometimes later add a naming ceremony separately, but combining both into a single bris on the 8th day, as Dr. Krinsky performs it, keeps the ritual intact as intended.
Planning Your Son’s Bris in Boca Raton
If you’re weighing a mohel and circumcision near me search against what you’ve heard from family or friends, it may help to read more about Dr. Krinsky’s background as a modern mohel, including how his medical training shapes the way he approaches the ceremony
Schedule Your Boca Raton Bris
Dr. Krinsky serves Boca Raton and the surrounding South Florida area, traveling to your home or preferred location for the ceremony. To ask questions, discuss your son’s 8th day, or check availability, call (954) 980-6337 or email akrinsky1201@gmail.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a mohel the same thing as a rabbi?
No. A rabbi leads general Jewish religious life, while a mohel is specifically trained and certified to perform the bris ceremony and circumcision. Dr. Krinsky holds both religious ordination and medical board certification, so he can lead the full ceremony on his own or alongside a family’s existing rabbi.
Does hospital circumcision replace the need for a bris?
No. A hospital circumcision is a medical procedure, while a bris includes circumcision, formal naming, and specific ritual roles performed together on the baby’s 8th day. The two are not interchangeable.
Is it true the baby feels significant pain during the procedure?
Dr. Krinsky uses a layered comfort approach, including topical anesthetic gel, infant Tylenol, and a calming sugar and wine solution, specifically to minimize discomfort.
Do we need to be a strictly religious family to have a proper bris?
No. Dr. Krinsky works regularly with interfaith and secular families in Boca Raton and adjusts how much of the ceremony is explained or conducted in English to make sure all guests can follow along comfortably.
Can the ceremony happen somewhere other than a synagogue?
Yes. Dr. Krinsky performs the ceremony at your home or another location of your choosing, bringing sterilized, autoclaved, or disposable instruments to maintain hospital-grade cleanliness in a private setting.
