Price for a Mohel | Imamother

BeershevaBubby ↓

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 2:34 am

My FIL paid for the Mohel. DH thinks $300. (We're in Israel, btw)

We really liked him and he was very accommodating to DH's (and FIL's) request to use a glass straw rather than his mouth for Metzitza.

↑ BeershevaBubby

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 2:50 am

Personally, I think that's terrible to charge so much.

On one of the women's email groups I belong to, a woman from Long Island was complaining about how expensive the mohel was for her sister's son's brit and she said that if she had a boy, she was just going to have it done at the hospital (she's Conservative) because she just couldn't afford to pay $1000.

And I think that's terrible. Here these people, who have a nominal connection to Judaism, want to give their son a proper, kosher brit and they can't afford the mohel...

There's a website for a mohel organization - Brit Yosef Yitzchak (http://66.114.81.115/default.asp), which I gave the woman... I don't remember what ended up happening.

shalhevet ↓

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 2:58 am

I'm sure in almost every place there are mohelim who are willing to take what someone can afford.

But you know what? I think that very often (though of course not always) people who say things like that just don't have appreciation for the importance of mitzvas. They might be paying far more for the baby's cot, the catering, the mother's outfit for the bris... but then suddenly when it comes to the mohel he should be working for free - they're doing him a big favour, right, to let him carry out this Jewish ceremony.

Sorry to be cynical, but it's the same for everything. No-one moans how much the catering for the bar mitzva cost, but the tefillin were a real rip-off... The wedding hall and flowers were worth every penny, but what a chutzpa for the rav to charge to do the ceremony (it's a mitzva for him, right?)

I know plenty of people who live pretty much on the breadline, and no-one ever complained about the price of the mohel.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 3:21 am

My husband and I have NO money whatsoever...
We;re not spending ANY money on things for the baby. Everything is either a gift or hand me downs...
So its not like we're spending a bunch of money on everything, but want to skimp on the mohel.
And not to mention, we're also the type that paid the barest minimum for our wedding...
So I'm not kvetching about the cost of the mitzva. If I kvetch about having to pay 300 dollars, thats because thats the price of my rent, and honestly, I have no clue how I will have enough money for rent this month, let alone an extra 300 dollars for a mohel...

I wonder if the mohel we may be using will charge less because we live in a VERY poor community...

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 3:22 am

smiley:) wrote:

in israel? 800-1000 shekel

Do mohelim generally quote a price? Or is it just that theres a going rate that people pay that amount, and not that the mohel demands a certain sum?

↑ shalhevet

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 3:24 am

Like I said, I think many mohelim will take whatever a couple can afford (but you have money for Internet access, right? Unless, of course you have to have it for work).

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 3:38 am

shalhevet wrote:

Like I said, I think many mohelim will take whatever a couple can afford (but you have money for Internet access, right? Unless, of course you have to have it for work).

(We got it originally for work, and to keep in touch with family members abroad, etc.
Now that we don't need it for work we anyhow signed a one year contract, so we couldn't cancel it anyhow. And 50 shekel a month is quite different than 300 dollars...)

↑ smiley:)

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 3:39 am

amother wrote:

smiley:) wrote:

in israel? 800-1000 shekel

Do mohelim generally quote a price? Or is it just that theres a going rate that people pay that amount, and not that the mohel demands a certain sum?

Depends on the person. We used 2 diff ppl for our 2 sons brissim and neither one gave us a price. The one we used for the latest bris was a real mentsch and does it for free if need be. Of course he'll just say to do what you can, but you find out what other ppl do and we tried to do around the same, especially since he was such a mentsch.

Marion

Sun, Jul 29 2007, 4:51 am

In Israel the price is supposedly set by the Rabbanut. I think around 1000-1200 shekel. They're not allowed to charge more than that set fee, but most are willing to take less if that's what you can afford.

greenfire

Fri, Aug 03 2007, 7:02 am

you'll never know if you don't ask so speak to the mohel and tell him of your situation - perhaps he will give you a break as well as a payoff plan ... good luck

happyone

Fri, Aug 03 2007, 10:38 am

I never heard of a Mohel charging 1000.00. We've paid 250.00 - 300.00. Most people I know pay what they can afford between 150-300. The mohelim I know don't have a set price, everyone pays what they want. The above numbers are approx. what the general population pays in our community.

luckyme

Fri, Aug 03 2007, 11:45 am

$1000 - $1200!!!!
Pale

greenfire wrote:

you'll never know if you don't ask so speak to the mohel and tell him of your situation - perhaps he will give you a break as well as a payoff plan ... good luck

Good advice, Green! Mr. Green

For my last two, we paid $400 & $500, respectively, and it was what the Mohel said his fee was. A friend close to the same time as my youngest paid $600, and the consensus was that it seemed a bit high given the community he came from. ( all from NY/ NJ area)
I know many people who couldn't afford it and got quite a discount, if not for free. I was told that the mohelim make up for it by getting the full fee from those who can afford to pay it.
Payment plan sounds like a brilliant idea, so at least you can feel like you contributed even if at a discounted rate!
BaSha'ah Tova!

Mommyoftwo

Mon, Jan 21 2008, 9:07 pm

my sons mohel (we used the same for both) wouldnt take $ from ud bec my husband was in kollel. the second time we had my father give it to him so he would accept it, and we paid a bit more bec we figured it was for 2... I think we paid him 4 or 500.00 usd. this is in brooklyn, ny for comparison sake.

Ruchel

Tue, Jan 22 2008, 1:15 am

A quick search gave me people paying from 200 to 5OO euros, "more if there is travel", and more for a doctor mohel. Really sick. Now I see why people don't do big events like before and do it in a hospital with just mohel and close family... but it's so sad...