 The rotary electric shaver was invented by a Jewish engineer named Alexandre Horowitz.Many Orthodox Jews prefer to grow beards, for a variety of religious, social, and cultural reasons, even if they believe that electric shavers would be permitted; many Orthodox Jews, even Hasidic Orthodox Jews, today grow beards to keep the tradition of their ancestors, regardless of the permissibility of their removal.Using kosher depilating chemicals was also common in the Westernization of Jews in the last couple hundred years.