Star-K and OU introduce kashrut courses for women

By Tova Ross

Issue of July 24, 2009 / 3 Av 5769

A Jewish woman’s place may be in the kitchen after all, but not just in her own kitchen.

The Star-K and the Orthodox Union both have begun to offer courses in kashrut education and administration specifically geared to women. They represent the first time such courses have been given by major kashrut organizations.

Rabbi Menachem Genack, chief executive officer of OU Kosher, cited the halachic principle of “aid echad ne’eman b’yisrael,” which states that one Jew is an acceptable witness in certain areas of Jewish law including kashrut. The principle, Rabbi Genack explains, applies equally to a man or woman; thus, in the OU’s view, it is one hundred percent halachically acceptable to employ a kosher supervisor who happens to be female. If women were not to be trusted with kashrut supervision, many a husband and child would go hungry in their own homes. Nevertheless, the OU's course, which begins in August, is intended for women who wish to undertake a rigorous review of the intricate laws of kashrut and current issues, and not specifically to train women as mashgichot.

The Star-K’s course is intended for women already trained as mashgichot, or female kosher supervisors. Rabbi Mayer Kurcfeld, kashrus administrator at the Star-K, says the organization relies on Rav Moshe Feinstein’s ruling allowing for mashgichot (found in Igros Moshe, Yoreh De’ah II: 44). Though the true number of Orthodox female mashgichot is hard to pin down, Star-K has officially employed more than a dozen women over the last twenty-five or so years.

“You really would not believe how many women are working as mashgichot or more informal kosher supervisors in many of the catering halls, nursing homes, and restaurants in a lot of small towns,” explains Rabbi Kurcfeld. “The Star-K’s revolutionary course... will address some of the most common questions I receive from women in the field and in my travels to different Jewish communities around the country.