Cantor Philip L Sherman, Mohel

Philip Sherman is toxic. He managed to inflict such terrific anxiety during a brief phone conversation that we elected not to use him at all. The story follows.
Let me begin by saying that I am reform and I took this obligation very seriously.
As soon as I found out my wife was in labor I left messages for mohel Philip Sherman (whose name I got from a rabbi and a co-​worker, neither of whom had used him) as well as for a highly recommended local mohelet. It was a Friday afternoon before sundown and I wanted to try to schedule the bris before the Sabbath began. Our son was born before sundown, but understandably, Phil Sherman didn’t call back until the next evening after the end of the Sabbath. By that time I had spoken to the mohelet and tentatively scheduled the bris.
When Phil Sherman called me back on Saturday night, I told him we had already scheduled the bris and thanked him for the call back. He asked, just out of curiosity (he said), who we had chosen to go with. I did not give him a name, but I told him we had chosen a local mohelet who was a physician.
Mohel Phil Sherman’s immediate response was to announce loudly, «BIG MISTAKE!!»
I immediately knew I would not allow someone so rude to be part of such an important and emotionally sensitive occasion, but I let him speak on because if we had really made a mistake I wanted to know so that we could pursue a third choice. He told me he knew who we had chosen (since there are only 2 prominent mohelets in our area) and he proceeded to list the problems, both halachic and physiological that he thought would ensue from our choice (he cited the inexperience of the mohelet (totally false), the necessity for our son’s re-​circumcision as an adult (also false), and unnecessary pain and suffering for our son from the mohelet’s procedure (wrong again)).
I was so upset after the call that I urgently contacted my rabbi and a modern-​orthodox friend. Both helped to calm me and supported our choice to use the mohelet. Nevertheless, I remained unnecessarily anxious from my conversation with mohel Philip Sherman.
The mohelet was great. The entire experience went smoothly and she performed a wonderful, moving service.
NOW, my experience was that I didn’t even need to hire mohel Phil Sherman for him to dampen the joy of the first week of our son’s life, but I was going to let it go. But then he recently performed a bris for friends of ours to whom we had never spoken about my experience with him. They had such a bad experience that I felt responsible for not warning them that mohel Philip Sherman is rude, insensitive and arrogant — which, for people celebrating the birth of a child and anxious about a bris, is toxic.
So, my advice is, unless you are already set on using Mohel Philip Sherman, DON’T EVEN CALL HIM.

We couldn’t be happier with the service Cantor Sherman provided us for our son’s Bris. We are an interfaith couple and this was not a problem at all. A relief after another Mohel declined us as a client because of this fact. We also opted to add on a naming for our daughter with the Bris ceremony and were thrilled it was an option. Pre-​planning wasn’t necessary but Cantor Sherman answered all of my many questions promptly via email and called me after I inquired on his website. The day of the Bris I was nervous but Cantor Sherman arrived early and gave me re-​assurance that all would be fine. He handled my overbearing mother in law with grace and more patience than I have. The service was festive and meaningful at the same time and my son barely cried and is recovering beautifully. Well worth the money and I highly recommend Canto Sherman to anyone looking for a Mohel.

Cantor Sherman provided us with a meaningful and beautiful bris ceremony. He was very flexible, reassuring, and willing to answer any questions we may have had both before and after the ceremony. The circumcision he performed healed beautifully. My brother, who is a surgeon, held the baby during the circumcision and said he was very impressed with Cantor Sherman’s «hands», something I think new parents might look for when selecting someone to perform such a ritual. I cannot recommend him highly enough.