A legal case is currently going on which gives a bit of a glimpse into just how restrictive - and how ridiculous - orthodox Judaism can be.
Shimon Lipovenko is a Toronto mashgiach, a guy whose job it is to certify that food served at banquets, hotels and wedding venues is kosher according to the complicated Jewish dietary rules or kashruth (and don't even get me started on how daft, indefensible and random some of these are). Mr. Lipovenko, though, was sacked from his job after a rabbi found out that he was - shock horror! - living with a non-Jewish woman. She was apparently in the process of converting to Judaism, but clearly not fast enough or far enough along to satisfy the Kashruth Council of Canada's "director of community kosher", who summarily fired Mr. Lipovenko on the spot, on the grounds that his private life violates the organization's religious norms.
Lipovenko has already complained to the Ministry of Labour to obtain thousands of dollars in termination and severance pay, as well as overtime and vacation pay due to him. But he is also applying to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO), asking for $30,000 for "hurt feelings, emotional stress and anxiety", as well as an official apology, a letter of reference for future job applications, and a requirement that the Kashruth Council of Canada (which goes under the acronym COR) be monitored for five years in order to prevent similar incidents in the future. The onus appears to be on the COR to convince the tribunal that its rules are reasonable, although frankly I have little patience with either side in the case.
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