Circumcision humor has likely been around ever since God commanded Abraham to perform the ritual on himself and his descendants (Genesis 17), but one Israeli mohel (ritual circumciser) may have cut a little too close to the bone. Rabbi Avi Zarki, a rabbi and mohel who has performed many high-profile celebrity britot, posted a controversial remark to his Twitter account last Tuesday that quickly became a bone of contention. "Today I performed a circumcision on a boy with the smallest penis I've ever seen in my life," the rabbi wrote, "A micropenis. It was only slightly thicker than a matchstick. At first I thought it was a girl. May the little one grow big." Although the rabbi did not provide a name or location of the circumcision in question, the Internet was soon filled with snippy responses from those offended by the rabbi's brit-and-tweet. "What's worse than a rabbi who makes jokes under the huppa-" asked well-known blogger Ido Keinan, "A mohel who tweets about a boy's 'micropenis.'" Zarki soon learned that it's never a good idea to belittle someone's manhood, even if the man in question is eight days old. "He deserves an F in Ethics," wrote an Internet watchdog site. Other commentators said the rabbi had violated the family's right to privacy, with some going so far as to claim that this incident had made them think twice about circumcising their sons. Other commentators assumed a lighter touch. "I used to play with the rabbi as a child," wrote one man. "I'm sure glad Twitter didn't exist then." In response to a query from Keinan, the rabbi defended his remarks as all in good fun. "First of all," Zarki said, "I performed four circumcisions today. There were a total of 1500 people there and I am vigilant about protecting the family's privacy." Zarki said his purpose in posting the tweet was to alert the public to a real medical phenomenon, the micropenis, and that it is possible to conduct a kosher circumcision even under such circumstances. "I view my Twitter account as an educational tool," added Zarki. Micropenis is a medical phenomenon diagnosed shortly after birth that occurs in about 0.6 percent of all males. It can be treated with hormones in early childhood and later with surgery. According to Zarki's website, he has performed circumcisions for the children of Israeli celebrities, including model Miri Bohadana and journalist Oshrat Kotler.
