religious women's hats

Not all religious women wear wigs. In fact, I'd say it is a minority. There are a number of other ways of following this rule. Often women when they dress up wear hats. Some wear them all the time, some only when they are feeling fancy. Here are a few I've captured. Most of the fancy hats I've seen have been on Shabbat or holidays, because that is when people dress up, so I haven't been able to take pictures. So there aren't too many of these. Hopefully I'll get some more.



This woman, I am guessing, is not in the habit of covering her hair, but is doing so to show respect at the Western Wall.



Another non-fancy hat wearer. This woman was begging at the Wall. What the thought process behind this hair covering fashion is, I'm not sure.










I've observed that the older generation is often more partial to hats than the modern kids.




How elegant!




I have no idea on this one, if she's even religious, or just keeping the sun off, or what.






These knit caps seem to be getting popular, I'm seeing them around more and more.


And a few others, with no commentary:










Up next, Jewish scarves!

wigs

Orthodox Jews believe that married women must cover their hair. The next few posts will be devoted to various ways women choose to do that.

Wigs, or shaetls (It's Yiddish, and I have no idea what the real spelling is) are common among the Ashkenazi, Orthodox, married women. Sepharadim do not believe that wigs constitute a legal way of covering the hair.

(Ashkenazim come mainly from Eastern Europe, Sepharadim mainly from the Middle East. While they observe the same rules, they interpret the details of some rules differently.)

Shaetls can easily cost a few thousand dollars, and those made with human hair (the majority) generally cost at least a thousand dollars. Some women try to make them look as much like real hair as possible, while others have less believable ones, either because they are cheaper or because they want it to be obvious that they are indeed covering their real hair. Some wear shaetls and then cover them with something.

Above are a few examples. I apologize for the blurriness.

The Black Hat

Later on, I will present pictures as I take them, but first, I will display my current collection according to category. Today, the ever popular black hat. Black hats may seem the same at first glance, but in fact, there are many different kinds. Different sizes, different heights, different styles, and they can be worn at different angles and with different attitudes. So here is a sampling, not at all complete, of black hats I have seen in my travels around the city.

** I did not specifically ask permission of these people to take their photos. Many may not have realized they were being photographed. They were all in public places, and no pictures were taken on Shabbat or holidays. If anyone said or indicated they didn't want their picture taken, I deleted it, and it is not published here.


















































































































More to come, I'm sure, but that's what I have for now. I hope you enjoyed!

Introduction

As I walk the streets of Jerusalem, where I have lived for two years now, I am constantly amazed by the variety of headwear. Here, more than anywhere else I know, people express their identity through their hair and head coverings. There are the black hatters, the knitted kepah wearers, and all manner of variations. There are wigs and scarves for the ladies, both Jewish scarf wearing styles and Muslim scarf wearing styles. There are nuns' habits and Eastern Orthodox hats, and the occasional monk wearing a hood. And that doesn't even include the secular element, who, though they don't have religious significance, still flaunt their individuality through their head adornment, from outrageous dye jobs to the latest haircuts and styles.

And so I present to you my pet project, my photoblog: Jerusalem Headgear.

Enjoy!