Hasidic Jews and the Fedora

[MAB1]

Here we go... Apples and Oranges

http://www.amishcraft.com/cgi-local/list.cgi?si=\&id=117

 

[J.T.Marcus]

http://www.amishcraft.com/cgi-local/list.cgi?si=\&id=117

This one has real potential! http://www.amishcraft.com/cgi-local/ddoptionsl.cgi?si=\&id=143

Pike Mennonite Dress Hat

These hats are made by the same Amish hat maker as the others but is sold to the Pike Mennonites instead of the Amish. This is a plain Mennonite sect from northern Lancaster County, which also refrains from driving cars. The hats have a center groove and a 2 1/2" brim and are made of black fur felt.

 

[MAB1]

J.T.

You and I do think alike at times.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

J.T.

You and I do think alike at times.

MAB1, Thank-you. When you get right down to it, we all agree on more things than we disagree on. That's what makes society, and forums like this possible.

 

[warbird]

Being neither Jewish nor having a black fedora, I have no dog in this hunt, but do find the topic quite interesting. I guess black is popular with these people for the same reason it is for the Amish, it is simple and yet dignified. It is not flashy, but it can command enough respect. Just a thought I could be wrong.

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

He by explained to me that is indeed a custom. Though some would wish to consider it law because of its widespread following

Well, "of course" it's a law to abide by one's ancestors' custom. (It really is, only the side effect, or a tragic misunderstanding of this, is that not so few black-hatters will not believe a perfectly observant Moroccan or an Alsatian Jew is Orthodox unless he wears a headcovering, best an oversized black fedora.)

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Tell me Jews don't wear this hat in the heat of Israel!!!!??;-)

Oh, yes. German-Jewish communities (outside of Germany) might be the last ones where some straw hats are worn in summer, and even that is a dying phenomenon.

The funny thing is that many of the heavier, warmer hats used to be festive hats worn only by the rabbi and/or only on the Sabbath. So while even in colder Poland, the average Joe (or Yossele) would walk around in a flat cap at least during the week, today it's de rigeur to wear a shtreimel every day in Israel's heat.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

In Israel you see a lot more varieties of Orthodox head covering, many different styles. The Vizhnitz wear a large fur hat:

There are many variations of this hat.

The Breslov wear something like a boater but out of fur:

.

Alon, and the rest of you (good day!), these two hats I see quite regularly in Antwerp (where I work), good of you to post them!
Paul

 

[tortswon]

Just ran across this article

For those of us with an ongoing interest in this subject, I just ran across this article.

http://jewkey.com/brooklyn-ny-when-he-talks-hats-basic-black-is-only-the-beginning-2/random/

Good Shabbos to all. Best, Sam

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Traditional Jewish men's hatson Wikipedia

Scroll down to the "Headgear" section for a series of links to photos and articles on hat types worn by traditional Jewish men.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasid

 

[Blackthorn]

very interesting thread

When I was in Israel 3 years ago I saw this man walking by:

I knew if I took the picture that some day someone could explain his hat to me, and now someone has. I'm curious why he's wearing brown instead of black, but maybe the color is not important, or maybe he's a part of a different set of orthodox believers.

Then last year, again in Israel, I saw these teenage boys walk by and again, they were wearing brown hats and tan clothes instead of the black I might have expected:

 

[cybergentleman]

religious hats cont'

I initially crafted a 1000 page post, an epic that would rival Ulysses, but deleted in place of this article- sums up things well.

http://badforshidduchim.wordpress.com/2007/12/31/what-is-in-a-hat/

Sadly, hats are out of fashion, and as such, those who wear them, wear them as part of a costume. I have seen religious men wearing black straws in the summer.

This article is great too:

http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/18267

better stop here before I write the next installment of the iliad.

 

[elvisroe]

remodeled

fftopic:
I came across a really broad-brimmed black fedora (that I presume once belonged to a Jewish gentlemen) in an op-shop a few years ago and snapped it up for $2. It was really nice beaver fur but pretty odd dimensions so it languished on my hat-rack for years. The brim was flat and about 4" wide and the crown was nearing 6" high and creased into a pork-pie.

I had a flash of inspiration a few weeks ago and trimmed the brim back to 2.5" and steamed out the crown and gave it a nice new centre-dent. I hope it's not sacrilegious, but I'm pretty happy with the result. Just needs a bit more sanding ind it'll be good to go!

 

[HungaryTom]

Familiar? Hope this is vintage enough.

http://www.abcgallery.com/H/hals/hals11.html
Frans Hals. Young Man with a Jug of Beer. c. 1624-1627.
Oil on canvas. Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

 

[Fletch]

I initially crafted a 1000 page post, an epic that would rival Ulysses, but deleted in place of this article- sums up things well.

http://badforshidduchim.wordpress.com/2007/12/31/what-is-in-a-hat/

Thanks. Great insight here into what the hat means to people in the tradition, speaking to one another. Like so many things in every society, it's conformity in the guise of tradition - erasing and replacing tradition.

I'm sure an ancient allegory is at work, too - stoicism (not just black, but black fur/felt, all year) equals piety.

 

[tortswon]

Dutch artists- off topic

Did anyone paint drunks better than Franz Hals and Jan Steen? Best, Samfftopic:

 

[Trebuchet64_Fal]

Thanks Guy's very interesting post , it just goes to show that there is always something new to learn .

 

[HungaryTom]

Did anyone paint drunks better than Franz Hals and Jan Steen? Best, Samfftopic:

I agree, Hals is one of the foremost geniuses in the portrait genre EVER.
Schtreimel seems to be a little bit older than 18th century fox (rather 17th century mink) that was (is) left in its natural lustre and color by furriers.

The historical counties Szatmár and especially Máramaros of the Hungarian Kingdom (bordering Galizien) had large Jewish communities among them a lot of Hassidic -and guess what - furriers too!

 

[John in Covina]

I had seen a PBS show on religion and they had scene at a temple in England some place where the gentlemen wore black bowlers. So the regional influence seems to take effect for some of the members.

 

[Kreissaege]

I´d rather say that no policeman has the right to criticize a citizen for wearing anything "Gaudy".
Even in a country where, for example, kids are forbiden to wear black shirts in school for fear they could run Amok, this is wholly inappropriate.