Rav Shmuel Dovid Gross, the rov of the Gerer kehillah in Ashdod, has announced that people must make sure not to buy shaitels sourced from idolatrous practices.
In light of this concern, Rav Gross directed his kehillah members to exclusively purchase shaitels from manufacturers that have a hashgacha, which he asserts will guarantees the shaitels’ kashrus.
The announcement sparked significant discussion within the city, given the rov’s previous silence on this issue.
While controversies over shaitels have arisen in the past, Rav Gross had refrained from issuing such directives until now.
Rav Gross’s associates clarified that his decision stems from a recent reevaluation of the matter, leading to his current stance.
According to reports, the shaitel controversy originated when Israeli rabbonim discovered that a considerable portion of shaitels in the Israeli market have been sourced from the Indian practice of tonsuring. Tonsuring involves ritual head shaving as part of the pilgrimage to the Tirupati temple of Venkateswara in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Halacha prohibits ownership or benefit derived from idolatrous practices, and so shaitels made from tonsured hair are deemed forbidden by various authorities.
{Matzav.com Israel}