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-Headwear-
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tional origins, some stemming from
the shtetls of 18th century Poland,
some influenced by the Middle
East or New World fads. The tour
is highly interesting and a faithful
social indicator.
According to a Jerusalem jour
nalist who has made a study of the
subject, “A rule of thumb for the
uninitiated may be that the less
that is covered the more modern
the wearer's perspective and the
less strict his observance... Black,
in hat or scarf, is also a sign of
strictness." And indeed the haredi
(ultra-Orthodox) population of
Mea Shearim, B’nei Brak and else
where, favor black head coverings.
On weekdays the men of most
Ashkenazi congregations, whether
Hassidim or Mitnagdim, wear black
felt hats. Jews originating from
Lithuania and the Lubavitcher Hassi
dim favor the fedora while other
Hassidim wear wide-brimmed hats,
either with high, rounded crowns,
European style, or low wide-
brimmed velvet hats.
Vishnitz Hassidim are the only
Hassidim whose hatband ties on
the right side. In their vicinity in
Eastern Europe, I was informed, the
priests used to sport hats with
bands that tied on the left.
Of course, at home or at work,
Hassidim remove their black hats
for more comfortable black skul
lcaps or knitted white beanies. The
latter are worn by the anti-state
sect of Neturei Karta (also called
Reb Arele’s Hassidim at the Tol-
dot Aaron congregation).
The women of Toldot Aaron
wear black head coverings too,
often over shaven heads. It is the
custom at Neturei Karta weddings
(where the segregation between men
and women is so strict that they
celebrate in different rooms), for
the bride and her closest female
relatives to weep profusely before
the chupa. One explanation is her
sadness over the loss of her maid
enly hair, now to be shaven off
completely. The women of Toldot
Aaron also wear black stockings
and “reject modernity most stri
dently.”
On Shabbat many Hassidim
sport elaborate fur hats, in winter
and summer. The wide streimel,
favored by Jews originating from
Galicia or Rumania (e.g. the Sat-
mar, Erloy, Sanz, Belz, Vishnitz,
Klozenberg, etc. Hassidim), con
sists of 24 or more fur tails of sable,
mink or fox which are still some
times imported from Russia. Has
sidim originating from Poland, such
as the Gur and Amshenov sects,
wear the high fur spodik with a
plush base which makes use of the
whole animal, not just the tails.
These hats cost between $500-$ 1,000
and are bought and carefully looked
after by the bridegrooms. They are
worn on holidays, weddings and
other family simchas. Some Has-
DON’T
FORGET
NOV. 15
sidim also have beautiful white
streimels for the High Holidays.
Hassidic boys of the Gur denomi
nations wear, usually until they
reach bar mitzva age, black velvet
round pill boxes.
Ultra-Orthodox women are less
eclectic and colorful in their head-
styles. Most wear scarfs which
completely cover their hair. The
Satmar women sometimes still wear
turbans, as did German immigrant
women 20-30 years ago. The Vish
nitz Hassidot often have half-wigs
under their kerchiefs and many of
the younger, more elegantly clad
Haredi women prefer full, stylish
wigs.
The subject of wigs as suitable
hair coverings has been hotly de
bated throughout the generations.
The sheitels, which clearly make
women more attractive, were
thought to defeat the purpose of
modesty, but the rabbis have in
most cases ruled that a peiyah
(wig) which adequately does the
job, i.e. covers the woman’s natu
ral hair, is permissible.
The Oriental communities had
distinctive head coverings of their
own. The Egyptian type fez was
sported by the leaders of the Yishuv
(even Ben-Gurion had one) at the
beginning of the century in imita
tion of the style favored by young
Arab nationalists of that period.
The Bucharian and Persian men
displayed beautifully embroidered
cloth skullcaps and the Yemenite
and North Africans wore tarbooshes
or cloth turbans when they immi
grated to Israel. Most have been
abandoned, especially among the
younger generation who, if tradi
tional, prefer the hats and kipot of
other Israeli groups. The older
Sephardi women, on the other hand,
still wear scarfs as in the old coun
try, either tied around their heads
in the Moroccan style, or in the
back as worn in Syria, Lebanon
and Yemen. Only those associated
with Sephardi yeshivot favor hats
and, lately, wigs in immitation of
their Ashkenazi girlfriends.
I he more modern, pro-Zionist
elements, popularly called the
knitted kipah society,” demonstrate
difterences in outlook by the di
mensions of their skullcap. Those
who wear soup-plate sized kipot
are usually associated with Mercaz
HaRav, the late Rabbi Kook’s
yeshiva. Wearing slightly smaller
kipot. w hich still cover most of the
man's head, are the Hesder Yeshiva
students or graduates, who com
bine secular and religious studies
with army service. The coin-sized
knitted kipot wearers consider
themselves Orthodox but do not
associate themselves with a yeshiva.
Their wives w'ill often cover their
heads only when entering a syna
gogue.
The wives of the aforementioned
knitted skullcap society show more
individuality in their style of head
dress. Every few years some other
fad captures the market: silk, one-
color scarfs over foam strips for
elevation; scarfs that tie on the side
of the head or are braided; two
scarves worn together for contrast
ing colors and this year, kerchiefs
with silver or gold stitching. Among
these women wigs are also making
inroads.
The survey does not or cannot
end here. There are too many ex
ceptions and original trend setters
who fit into no category. The vast
number of Baalei Teshuva (repent-
ants) for example, now returning
to their roots, both from the Dias
pora and within Israel, are good
examples of how any head cover
ing from ancient Bucharian skul
lcaps to Spanish-style mantillas
are being reinstated imaginatively.
Still, for the student of head styles
and orientation, the above descrip
tion may serve as an introduction
to another aspect of Jewish life in
Israel.
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PAGE 19 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 8, 1986