Chief Rabbi Lau: No Problem With Female Kashrut Supervisors

Speaking Sunday, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau said that as far as he was concerned, there was no problem employing female kashrut supervisors. Rabbi Lau made the statements at an annual meeting of owners of catering halls.

Several months ago, MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) filed a petition with the High Court demanding that women be authorized to work as kashrut supervisors. Rabbi Lau said that “the petition is unnecessary,” as there was no reason for the Rabbinate not to train and authorize women to act as kashrut supervisors.

Rabbi Lau added that he supported a bill to reform the kashrut supervision industry, which would allow supervisors to be employed and paid by employment agencies, instead of directly by food establishments, “as long as work rules are clearly laid out.” The problem today, he said, was that the Rabbinate did not have enough authority to enforce kashrut supervision rules in all localities, with local rabbis “doing whatever they want,” even if it flouted the Rabbinate's rules.

Itzik Tayeb, chairman of an umbrella group of banquet hall owners, laid out a long list of what he said were problems and issues in running halls, including problems government regulations, real estate taxes, regulations surrounding manpower, and kashrut supervision.

MK Gila Gamliel, who attended the event, said that she would “work with the Interior and Finance Ministries to resolve these issues.”