Whats Going On?
Recently, while driving in Flatbush with a friend on Erev Shabbos my friend commented on two chasidishe men standing in the street. "Hey" , she said to me "are there Gerrer Chasidim in Flatbush?" . I quickly responded "what makes you think they are Gerrer?" And she began by saying that they are both wearing a 'spudek'. I immediately thought to myself about her mis-reading of their headgear and I realized why she made the mistake.
Shtreimlach have really changed over time. They are evolving and morphing into a hybrid of shtreimlach's and spudeks . To anyone not familiar with these terms let me explain. (Yes there are plenty of yeshiva educated young people today who don't know the difference between shtreimel and a spodek). Both are traditional fur hats worn by chasidishe men on Shabbos and Yom Tov. The differences between them are both physical and geographic. The shtreimel worn by men from Galicia ( southern Poland ), Hungary and Romania, were originally made of tails surrounding a cap. It was worn low on the head. The Spudek worn by men from Northern Poland, and parts of Russia was always higher and more cylindrical in shape. Both have been worn for about 400 years and both were the hat of choice for non-Jewish nobility in Eastern Europe's cold winters. But Whats Going On? If they receive respect and legitimacy as traditional, ( minhag ) and are now exclusively worn by Frum chasidishe Jews, why change them? Why have they changed so much over time? Whats Going On? I was always led to believe that we don't mess with our traditions.
The new shtreimlach of today are much taller than in the past. They are worn high on the head and are nothing like those seen even 30 years ago. No longer are they made of tails, but instead are made of mink pelts sewn smoothly and seamlessly together. Why mess with tradition? Why change a minhag? Isn't that sort of defeating the purpose of the TRADITIONAL Shabbos and Yom Tov livush?
Well, the answer may be rooted in aesthetics and in economics. Changing fashions sometimes dictates that what you are wearing is considered old fashioned. You want to look taller, sleeker, thinner and younger and yes more in tune with current styles. The new shtreimel promises to do all that but still still manages to define the wearer as a chosid. It adds height and also the cache of wearing the new improved version.
Recently in the Knesset in Israel, an animal rights advocate, ( a non- frum MK ) proposed legislative rules banning the import of animal fur from China. The Israeli law-maker claimed that since it was from China there was no control on whether the animals were abuses or treated humanely. Of course all the frum members of the Knesset immediately shouted down this proposal, claiming that shtreimels are an integral part of the 'livush' ( clothing / style) of Chasidim. Another law maker proposed making shtreimels from fake imitation fur thus cutting the cost of the shtreimlach and at the same time ensuring that no animals would be mistreated.
Needless to say, the proposal did not pass. But wait,Whats Going On? If shtreimlach can evolved and change their shape , why cant they be made of fake fur? If we can bend tradition and minhag , why cant we tweak it a bit further. Just a thought.
By the way, My father wore a homburg, my husband wears a Borsalino. Who says traditions don't change?
By Breindi Markowitz , breindi@emunahmagazine.com
