Kashrut supervisors to fight bugs with laser guns
Tiberias rabbinical council to provide supervisors with laser guns meant to eliminate insects at open-air venues. 'Most people don't know that consuming insects is as bad as eating pork,' explains head of local kashrut department
Ahead of the summer season, kashrut supervisors in the northern city of Tiberias will be equipped with laser guns designed to eliminate bugs, the local rabbinical council decided recently.
Eating insects is strictly forbidden according to Jewish law. Many observant Jews refrain from eating various types of vegetables altogether, so as not to inadvertently consume the non-kosher bugs.
The guns, which have been developed by US scientists, eliminate insects using a laser beam and are safe to use around people. Every kashrut supervisor in the city will be required to carry the gun on him during visits to the venues under his charge, in order to prevent food infestation.
Rabbi Rafael Cohen of the Tiberias municipality kashrut department said that the guns' purchase will be paid for by business owners who hold a kashrut certificate issued by the city.
"We are currently conducting test runs in order to check the (guns') operation. Most of the public is not aware of the fact that eating insects is as bad as eating pork and therefore strictly forbidden.
"At the moment all open-air businesses are obligated to shut down earlier in the day in order to avoid the problem of flying bugs. We hope that the laser guns will help solve this problem," Cohen added.
