(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood and former rav/posek of the Jerusalem Religious Council, HaRav Eliyahu Schlesinger, tells KAN News that he believes a woman can indeed be a Mashgicha Kashrus, but he does not feel this is the best way for her to express her feminism. He explains that while there is no objection in principle to a woman being a mashgicha kashrus, he feels she should look for another place to announce, “a woman can do it too”.

Twelve women recently took a course to become certified as a mashgicha kashrus, despite the awareness that they were not guaranteed a job after completing the course. They made numerous petitions to the Chief Rabbinate to accept them and permit them to work, but those requested were unanswered.

Rav Schlesinger explains that in a Frum house, it is the woman who is responsible for kashrus. This leads the women who were certified as mashgichos to question why they cannot do this in the public arena, and why they are trusted at home, but not in the workplace. The rav adds however there are issues. “From a Tznius and a halachic point of view, we cannot send a woman to remain for many hours or an entire day closed in a restaurant with many strangers present during the day.”

The owner of the Shraga café, Lilach Rubin, explains the store was certified by the local Rabbanut until Pesach, when she felt demands were unreasonable and she moved to the private Hashgacha Pratit organization, which was founded by Rabbi Aharon Leibowitz. She explains kashrus is important for her, adding she was religious in the past, but not today. Lilach explains since the female mashgicha – Chemda – arrived it is much easier to work with her than her predecessor, as well as to discuss matters with her. Lilach added the Rabbanut mashgiach was a fine individual, citing he drank coffee and sat on the chair and observed, but his level of kashrus nothing special.

The Hashgacha Pratit organization was later incorporated into the Tzohar Rabbonim organization.

It is pointed out, as one can see in the accompanying video, the Hashgacha Pratit kashrus certification permits using non-gush katif greenhouse grown vegetables, which are prohibited by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as well as by many of America’s major kashrus organizations. One sees a mashgicha pouring vinegar over vegetables, and while this was once acceptable, it is no longer adequate as major kashrus organizations worldwide insist on the so-called gush katif products l’chatchila, even for basic non-mehadrin kashrus.

Tziporat Schimmel, a legal advisor in the Emunah Women’s Organization explains that from January 2015 to June 2016, a period of 18 months, 178 mashgichim were accepted to work in 93 religious councils around the country, basing this on a State Comptroller’s report, but not a single woman was included. She explains the matter of tznius was always cited as the reason for not employing women, but this is unjustified, and the Rabbinate is run by regulations of yesteryear and not today’s norm. She quotes the comptroller’s report, citing less than 1% of mashgichim nationwide are women.

Mashgicha Chemda Shalom explains Emunah Women at some point took the case to the High Court of Justice. They took a course and all the women passed. Schimmel explains that the Chief Rabbinate has finally “learned” and today, anyone can take the test to be certified as a mashgiach kashrus.

The mashgichot explain they are trailblazers, and they are proud and confident that women can do a fine job in this position.

In response, the Chief Rabbinate explains anyone may take the certification exam to become a mashgiach kashrus, including women, adding that today, women are employed as mashgichot as part of the Chief Rabbinate’s nationwide kashrus operation, maintaining the Chief Rabbinate’s kashrus regulations and there is nothing preventing women from working as mashgichot.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)