Post by 1dell on Jun 6, 2004 5:55:40 GMT -5
Women go to great lengths for Judaism
Craig Nelson - For the Journal-Constitution
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Jerusalem --- Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women are letting their hair down.
More precisely, they're taking their hair off, after an envoy for one of Israel's chief rabbis discovered that the natural hair used to make many wigs was cut at Hindu ceremonies in India. That made the wigs worn by many ultra-Orthodox women non-kosher, ruled Rabbi Yosef Elyashiv of Jerusalem.
India is a leading producer of natural hair for wigs, and until Elyashiv's decree, ultra-Orthodox women --- in keeping with the religious obligation to cover their heads in public after getting married --- had often worn wigs made with hair imported from the subcontinent.
No more. Until it can be determined which wigs contain Indian hair and which do not, ultra-Orthodox women are taking no chances.
In the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak, some of the suspect wigs have been gathered and burned in bonfires. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox women in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, have pitched their wigs into the fire, too.
Wig shops in Israel, New York City and cities in Europe with sizable ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations have been flooded with calls from customers asking where their wigs are from. In Jerusalem, some shop owners have posted letters from rabbis specializing in kashrut --- the body of Jewish law pertaining to the suitability of food, clothing and other ritual objects --- that vouch for the purity of the wigs for sale.
In the meantime, at the urging of rabbis, many ultra-Orthodox women are buying synthetic-hair wigs, an alternative they have not embraced with enthusiasm.
"Nobody likes synthetic, because they're not as comfortable as natural-hair wigs. I have a synthetic wig in my closet at home, but I've just decided it's better to wear a scarf," said Mary Baran, 27, emerging with a wig-buying friend from the Strand of Hair wig shop in Jerusalem.
Replacing the offending wigs with synthetic- or natural-hair ones made with non-Indian hair is a strain on the often limited incomes of Israel's ultra-Orthodox.
Synthetic-hair wigs cost about $120 and last for 1 1/2 years, while their natural-hair counterparts run up to $1,000 and last up to three years. Furthermore, ultra-Orthodox women typically own two or three wigs styled for different occasions --- say, for cleaning the house or for a social occasion, explained Zehava Levy, owner of Strand of Hair.
Yet given the significance of wigs to the religious identity of ultra-Orthodox women, there's little choice for them but to adapt and spend. Wedding custom in the ultra-Orthodox community calls for brides-to-be to go to a wig shop a day or two before their weddings to have their hair cut to a fraction of an inch and be fitted for a wig.
Despite the difficulties and expense, the quick and willing compliance with the rabbis' ruling has become a measure of religious devotion, according to Levy.
"I keep asking why women aren't upset, but they are accepting what the rabbis said and are obeying them with love. Some had spent $800 or $1,000 on beautiful wigs, but they have taken them off until the matter is solved," said Levy, 65, who has been in the wig-selling business for 32 years.
The controversy over wigs made with Indian hair cropped up in the early 1990s, but Israel's top rabbis handed down no ruling on the subject and the controversy passed.
The difference this time, the rabbis say, is that the Hindu ceremony has changed. The sellers are offering their hair to Vishnu, a Hindu god.
Hindu priests later sell the hair to wig manufacturers. Jewish law forbids the use of any items connected to what it considers idol worship or pagan ceremonies.
Some Israelis think the rabbis are, well, splitting hairs.
For instance, the wearing of a wig is supposed to be a sign of modesty aimed at discouraging the attractions of men. The more obvious the wig, the better.
Yet natural-hair wigs, especially long-haired ones, are sought-after precisely for their naturalness and attractiveness --- a sign of vanity apparently at odds with modesty.
That appears to be the motivation for a blistering attack on wigs this week by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Israel's powerful right-wing political party Shas. He said a woman who wears a wig is "like a whore" and welcomed the shift to scarves and hats.
Some ultra-Orthodox women see behind the latest controversy an effort by ultra-Orthodox rabbis to assert their authority.
Women of the community, who by Western standards of gender relations lead sharply circumscribed lives, are easy targets.
One joke circulating among ultra-Orthodox women this week suggests while women go without wigs, the hairpieces remain "inside the heads of the men."
Craig Nelson - For the Journal-Constitution
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Jerusalem --- Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women are letting their hair down.
More precisely, they're taking their hair off, after an envoy for one of Israel's chief rabbis discovered that the natural hair used to make many wigs was cut at Hindu ceremonies in India. That made the wigs worn by many ultra-Orthodox women non-kosher, ruled Rabbi Yosef Elyashiv of Jerusalem.
India is a leading producer of natural hair for wigs, and until Elyashiv's decree, ultra-Orthodox women --- in keeping with the religious obligation to cover their heads in public after getting married --- had often worn wigs made with hair imported from the subcontinent.
No more. Until it can be determined which wigs contain Indian hair and which do not, ultra-Orthodox women are taking no chances.
In the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak, some of the suspect wigs have been gathered and burned in bonfires. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox women in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, have pitched their wigs into the fire, too.
Wig shops in Israel, New York City and cities in Europe with sizable ultra-Orthodox Jewish populations have been flooded with calls from customers asking where their wigs are from. In Jerusalem, some shop owners have posted letters from rabbis specializing in kashrut --- the body of Jewish law pertaining to the suitability of food, clothing and other ritual objects --- that vouch for the purity of the wigs for sale.
In the meantime, at the urging of rabbis, many ultra-Orthodox women are buying synthetic-hair wigs, an alternative they have not embraced with enthusiasm.
"Nobody likes synthetic, because they're not as comfortable as natural-hair wigs. I have a synthetic wig in my closet at home, but I've just decided it's better to wear a scarf," said Mary Baran, 27, emerging with a wig-buying friend from the Strand of Hair wig shop in Jerusalem.
Replacing the offending wigs with synthetic- or natural-hair ones made with non-Indian hair is a strain on the often limited incomes of Israel's ultra-Orthodox.
Synthetic-hair wigs cost about $120 and last for 1 1/2 years, while their natural-hair counterparts run up to $1,000 and last up to three years. Furthermore, ultra-Orthodox women typically own two or three wigs styled for different occasions --- say, for cleaning the house or for a social occasion, explained Zehava Levy, owner of Strand of Hair.
Yet given the significance of wigs to the religious identity of ultra-Orthodox women, there's little choice for them but to adapt and spend. Wedding custom in the ultra-Orthodox community calls for brides-to-be to go to a wig shop a day or two before their weddings to have their hair cut to a fraction of an inch and be fitted for a wig.
Despite the difficulties and expense, the quick and willing compliance with the rabbis' ruling has become a measure of religious devotion, according to Levy.
"I keep asking why women aren't upset, but they are accepting what the rabbis said and are obeying them with love. Some had spent $800 or $1,000 on beautiful wigs, but they have taken them off until the matter is solved," said Levy, 65, who has been in the wig-selling business for 32 years.
The controversy over wigs made with Indian hair cropped up in the early 1990s, but Israel's top rabbis handed down no ruling on the subject and the controversy passed.
The difference this time, the rabbis say, is that the Hindu ceremony has changed. The sellers are offering their hair to Vishnu, a Hindu god.
Hindu priests later sell the hair to wig manufacturers. Jewish law forbids the use of any items connected to what it considers idol worship or pagan ceremonies.
Some Israelis think the rabbis are, well, splitting hairs.
For instance, the wearing of a wig is supposed to be a sign of modesty aimed at discouraging the attractions of men. The more obvious the wig, the better.
Yet natural-hair wigs, especially long-haired ones, are sought-after precisely for their naturalness and attractiveness --- a sign of vanity apparently at odds with modesty.
That appears to be the motivation for a blistering attack on wigs this week by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Israel's powerful right-wing political party Shas. He said a woman who wears a wig is "like a whore" and welcomed the shift to scarves and hats.
Some ultra-Orthodox women see behind the latest controversy an effort by ultra-Orthodox rabbis to assert their authority.
Women of the community, who by Western standards of gender relations lead sharply circumscribed lives, are easy targets.
One joke circulating among ultra-Orthodox women this week suggests while women go without wigs, the hairpieces remain "inside the heads of the men."
