CAMBRIDGE, MA—A staple institution in the Cambridge community, Meyer’s Discount Mohel Service, closed its doors last Tuesday after nearly 30 years in the circumcision business.

“It certainly is a sad day,” said Meyer Bernsteinowitz. “I’m going to miss snipping those little schtickels.”

Meyer’s business enjoyed great success after the onset of the recession caused many families to look for less expensive Bris services, but the customers soon stopped coming after Bersteinowitz was accused of bad business practices.

“The customers, always with the complaints,” said an exasperated Meyer. “They want a discount Bris but when they see me with the staple gun… ” 

The family-run enterprise was perhaps most hurt by the Better Business Bureau investigation conducted last fall. Prompted by numerous complaints, the BBB was forced to perform an unprecedented inspection of Meyer’s shop, leading to the widely publicized Mohel-Gate scandal of 2012.

“We found cases of cigar-cutters, silly putty, and duct-tape, as well The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Circumcision and the workings of what appeared to be a hydraulic glue-gun,” said BBB representative Max Schafer.

With the blemish of Mohel-Gate on his business’s record, Meyer attempted to offer new services, such as balloon animals and party games, as well as products like the do-it-yourself circumcision package and My Little Mohel children’s toolkit. Unfortunately, these efforts came too late to save his business.

As we see the doors close on this family-run institution, an old proverb comes to mind. “If you do what you love you will never work a day in your life.” These words may never have been so applicable as they are to Meyer Bernsteinowitz.