Cleveland, OH – Debbie Isaak-Shapiro is the newest member of Cleveland’s “kosher nostra.” The first female mashgichah (kosher supervisor) in town can often be found checking food labels, perusing the inside of cupboards, scanning refrigerators, emptying dishwashers, and ensuring the rules of kashrut are exactly followed at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun.
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Isaak-Shapiro, who is shomer Shabbos (Sabbath observant) and has always kept kosher, comes by her position as a mashgichah naturally. Her father was the shammes (sexton) at the family’s shul in San Francisco, and her mother was the premier kosher caterer in town. “I grew up in a busy kosher kitchen, and Judaism and performing mitzvot have always been an integral part of my life,” says Isaak-Shapiro, the wife of Agnon’s Head of School Jerry Isaak-Shapiro.
Kashrut is one of the few areas of Orthodox Jewish life where women have the same legal status as men. Unlike with rabbis or cantors, Jewish law holds that an observant woman has the authority to supervise kosher standards in a kitchen.
“I have a thorough working knowledge of what keeping kosher entails and how to organize a kitchen according to the laws of kashrut and Shabbat,” says Isaak-Shapiro. “One of my greatest joys is explaining why Jews keep kosher. I help people understand how keeping kosher raises a person’s conscious level of God’s presence in all we do.”
Isaak-Shapiro’s workweek depends on the activity in the synagogue kitchen. “Whenever there is an event, no matter the size, I must check every single food item that comes into the kitchen and guarantee it has an approved heksher (kosher seal of approval),” she says. “At B’nai Jeshurun, there is a meat and dairy kitchen and so I’m extra vigilant that all cooking utensils and non-pareve food products are completely separated.”
The mashgichah’s eagle eyes must determine that chicken eggs do not have blood spots before they are used in cooking, and she must leaf through vegetables making sure there are no forbidden insects.
“making sure there are no forbidden insects”
this implies that there are permissable insects?
does anyone know which insects are permissable today (and dont give me a history lesson)….i mean …who is eating what permissable nsects today?
Actually, the whole checking-eggs-for-blood-spots thing is kind of overplayed…..
The article was clearly written by someone with an ax to grind which is VERY EVIDENT by referring to kashrus organizations & professionals as ““kosher nostra.” For those of you who BH don’t know, this is very similar to the term used for “organized” crime. I will be writing a letter complaining to the Cleveland “Jewish” News about this term and I urge everyone else to do the same. Please remember to be polite yet firm.
This is a non issue. Women have been in Kashrus for years. I know that they supervise many commerial kosher kitchens, nursing homes and hotels, etc. women are very trustworthy with all kashrus issues. Hey you eat your mothers cooking – don’t you?
Is a “isha” neemenes (trusted)halachically outside her home on kashrus issues?
Just wondering
this is all rabbi heinemann / star k ‘s fault. they instituded women mashgichot as a good idea… a shonda busha
Kashrus halacha is very clear that a woman has exactly the same status in being trustworthy as a man. A woman is trusted to say that her kitchen is kosher and that her family life is kosher. A woman caterer has the same degree of trust as a man caterer. There is no reason that women can’t be mashgichot. The problem isn’t halacha; the problem is culture. The chasidic communities won’t accept it because of their reluctance to allow women a roll in combined community life other than with other women. The chasidic community for example accepts women therapists to work with female patients. As such, criticism shouldn’t be leveled at a particular kashrus organization for allowing women mashgichot. If that hashgocho following accepts her role, then so be it. Nobody is forcing a chasidish hashgocho to hire a woman. If klal yisroel would recognize and accept the fact that Orthodox Judaism is comprised of various cultural levels, we might just merit Moshiach coming. We don’t need tolerance. We need UNDERSTANDING each other’s various cultural differences and that all of us together comprise klal yisroel and Am HaTorah in the path of the Torah.
Chasidim have no problem eating at each other’s houses even though the wife is completely in charge of the whole cooking process, from the purchase of each ingredient including meats to the final preparations. Not allowing a female mashgicha is a cultural aspect of chasidic life not halacho. Why can’t all the various cultural sectors of Othodox Judaism just do their own thing and not critisize others? If you don’t want to trust a particular kashrus organization, don’t.
My mother was a Mahgiach. She would help my father and continued after he passed away. Rav Moshe had a Teshuvah about her and women like her.
‘aid achud neman b’esurin”
As long as they know enough halachos to know when could be a question and ask the Rabbi en charged of the kashrus of the establishment, should be OK.
So they must know a little bit more than the regular baleboste that learned so much from her own mother, and needs to know that she can’t rely only on what she learned at home but know exactly what the hechsher halachik standards are.
The problem could start when the kitchen staff, management etc are rough and tough and you need somebody strong to keep them from crossing lines. At that point it may get harder for the mashgicha to assert herself at the same time that it would be needed a more profound understanding of Kashrus halachot than what you need to run your own controlled kitchen.
In other words the more complicated the Hechsher the more knowledgeable the Mashgiach, this is true also for men. A Mashgiach is not only a Jewish orthodox body on premises, but you need to have iras Shomaim and a fair knowledge of kashrus to be able to spot a problem, and of course a real Rabbi (no politics and economics involved Torah Knowledge and iras Shomaim) from the kashrus agency to be on your side.
Nashim daasan kalos.
If a woman is prohibited from giving aydus in a beis din, why should she be mashgiach?
FYI B’nei Yeshurun is a local Conservative Temple.
Who cares, that shul and that school are not even orthodox. Nobody who attends there even keeps kosher or shabbos.
Aidus in a beis din is specifically limited by the Torah to men only over 13. A woman has complete neemonus over grain and fruit that they are properly maasered and aren’t tevel. She has neemonus over the kitchen completely. That includes that she bought kosher food and prepared it correctly, including separation of meat and milk. If a woman can prove that she knows yoreh deah, she can be a mashgicha. The problem is that as a general rule, frum kashrus organizations want to be trusted by all segments of society and therefore won’t hire woman if it means losing the chasidic community.
Good for her
Ive seen plenty of women mashgichot, R Tietz in Elizabeth NJ had one at the Chines store when I was in HS
Can’t see what all the fuss is about. I have been working for 2 of the world’s respected hechsherom for 30 years and they have been employing women for years. I personally have worked with female mashgichim on a variety of kashrus productions and always found them to be utterly reliable and knowledgable. If they aren’t they don’t get the job.
This is just not true! Anyone from Clevland knows that Gloria was the first Mashgicha!
I have worked with a few women mashgichos over the years and some are better than most men of that agency. The reasons not to use women would be for tznius reasons and also because the kitchen language can get colorful at times and men seem to be able to handle that better than women.
It is amazing that ‘jews’ will publicly embarrass innocent people over a concert (33 of ’em at least), but won’t say anything about how Women are being humiliated by male chauvinistic men (rubashkin pigs). It is high time that jews get their priorities in order before they die and have to answer for their Sins.
The Conservative Movement’s charter does not require belief in Torah Misinai. Keeping Mitzvos is irrelevant to your trustworthiness if you identify with a movement that openly denies (at least) one of of the Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith. You may be a bigger Mench and on a stricter diet, but you do not have halachic ne’emanus. Besides, the Conservative movement allows hard cheese, wine, and many other products without a hechsher, even for those who are strictly Kosher.
(I have no knowledge of the particular shul and woman in the article)
At any event this is all academic, because R Moshe is not the last word in psak. The fact is that some of the most reputable hechsherim DO employ mashgichos, and have done for years. It seems to me that this is consistent with R Moshe’s psak, but if you insist that it’s not then so be it; they’re entitled to disagree with R Moshe.