Veteran Mohel Collapses During Ceremony – And His Newly Qualified Pupil Completes The Bris

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — BDE: Veteran mohel R’ Emmanuel Meshulam z”l passed away suddenly in the middle of a Brit ceremony. He had served as a mohel for over forty years, performing circumcisions for thousands of infants throughout the years without taking any remuneration for his efforts.

On Wednesday at noon, he arrived as usual to perform a brit milah celebration at a hall near Bilu Junction adjacent to Rechovot. Just moments before performing the mitzvah, he suddenly collapsed. Emergency medical teams arrived at the scene and performed prolonged resuscitation efforts. He was evacuated to Kaplan Medical Center, but sadly passed away, returning his soul to his Creator at the age of 89.

Tragically, his grandson, Kfir Meshulam, a Magen David Adom (MDA) first responder, received a call about a person who had collapsed at the hall. Upon arriving and beginning CPR, he realized mid-resuscitation that the victim was his own grandfather.

That very morning, R’ Emmanuel had ordained a young mohel who had been training under him for the past four years. Due to the tragic incident, that young mohel was called upon to perform his very first brit milah as a trained mohel immediately afterward.

R’ Emmanuel Yechia Meshulam z”l was the son of Rabbi Yosef Meshulam z”l, the former Chief Rabbi of the Yemenite community in Rehovot.

He held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (Res.), having risen through the ranks of the Military Police, where he served alongside Ariel Sharon z”l. For many years, he worked as a manager at Bank Leumi in the Sha’arayim neighborhood of Rehovot, while concurrently performing thousands of circumcisions.

After retiring, he devoted himself entirely to his life’s mission — circumcising infants without any financial compensation. “I do everything for the sake of Heaven,” he would always say.

His funeral took place this evening at 8 PM from his home on Yosef Meshulam Street in Rehovot, passing through the Meshulam brothers’ synagogue, and continuing to the Sha’arayim-Marmorak cemetery, where he was laid to rest.