Who says kosher sex has to be as dry as matzo?
A West Coast manufacturer of personal lubricants says it’s
become the first company to have its slippery stuff blessed for use by
religious Jews.
Trigg Laboratories announced yesterday that the Rabbinical
Council of California had certified 95 percent of its “Wet”-brand products as
kosher after an intensive, two-year review.
As part of the process, the company said it submitted its
entire 52,000-square-foot plant in Valencia, Calif., to strict “kosherization”
procedures.
Approved “Wet” lubes will now be stamped with a “K” to show
they meet the standards of Jewish dietary law, known as “kashrut,” which
prohibits the consumption of certain animals and requires the ritual slaughter
of those deemed edible.
In touting the certification, company founder Michael Trigg
lifted a line from an old Hebrew National commercial for its kosher hot dogs.
“We’ve always maintained the highest standards of production
and quality control for our entire line of premium products,” Trigg said. “The
‘K’ imprint on our packages says that we maintain the highest standards of
purity and answer to a higher authority.”
The Rabbinical Council of California didn’t return a call
for comment, but Trigg spokesman Dean Draznin said its review included checking
the company’s manufacturing methods and suppliers of raw materials.
He said the certification ensures that none of Trigg’s
products contain ingredients derived from pigs or shellfish, and that any other
animals used to create the joy gels were treated humanely.
Draznin also said Trigg sought the certification because it
plans to start selling its “Wet” products in Israel, where “its a given that if
it’s sold, it needs to meet kosher laws.”
According to the Web site of the Orthodox Union, which calls
itself “the world leader in kosher certification,” only three lubricants are
currently certified kosher. But all three are industrial products for greasing
hydraulics and machinery used in food preparation.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of the best-selling book
“Kosher Sex,” hailed yesterday’s announcement.
“It’s nice to see that rabbis are not shying away from
addressing sexual aid, which will facilitate great excitement in the bedroom,”
he said. “People misunderstand Orthodox Jews, in that they believe that they
have sex through a sheet with a hole in the middle, that Orthodoxy is
profoundly prudish. Nothing can be further from the truth.
“Orthodoxy is profoundly passionate. Orthodox couples have
great sex lives, they’re encouraged to. . . . Anyone who portrays Orthodoxy in
a different light and . . . believes that Orthodoxy encourages sexual
repression really knows nothing about the Jewish religion.”
An Orthodox rabbi who works as a kosher supervisor — but who
didn’t want be identified due to the subject matter — said the newly kosher
lube should glide off the shelves.
“There’s probably a market for it,” he said. “I’m sure for
some people it’s better to have something that’s kosher than something that isn’t.”
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