Purely Commentary
The Terruque' in Jewish. Life and Law
Tradition of Head-Covering and
• • •
Emergence of the 'Sheitel' . . . Not an
Issue, but a Fact-Finding Effort.
In the last few weeks, considerable discussion has been aroused
by several occurrences in Jewish ranks. A proposal by the president
of the Central Conference of American Rabbis that women should
be ordained as rabbis, a publicly-staged Orthodox wedding, matters
affecting kashrut, have created curiosity in the ranks of the unin-
formed, debates among differing elements in Jewry.
0-.1e of our rabbis made this unfortunate comment on the ques-
tion of ordaining women as , rabbis:
"In its recent picture story of a Hassidic wedding here, the
Free Press showed the degradation to which Orthodox women are
still subject."
This, of course, is a misstatement of fact. There is as little "de-
gradation" • of Orthodox women as there is of Conservative and
Reform women. There are differences in ritual, the Orthodox will
not accept reforms and they recently also rejected Conservative
proposals for a revision of the Ketubah. But they possess as much
dignity as any other group, too few now wear the sheitel to be
noticeable and the shaving of a bride's head becomes a sensation
only because it is such a drastic exception to the rule.
In his report of the Hassidic wedding alluded to, The Jewish
News' City Editor, Frank Simons, incorporated the following para-
graphs:
While the women wore modern dress, the men were garbed
in traditional Hassidic fashion, which included kapotas (the satin
outer coat), shtreimels (yarmelkas with fur outer linings which
one young _lad called a Davy Crockett hat), knee britches and
white, knee-length hose .. .
Following the gay evening, the bride, according to Hassidic
tradition, was shorn of her hair, and for the remainder of her life
she will wear a sheitel, a thought that horrified most of the
women present, even many of the most devout Orthodox.
No one has taken exception to these statements, and we doubt
that anyone can. We believe that Mr. Simons had written a very
objective story in which he presented the facts—and the facts point
to a very normal existence among the Orthodox, who do not need
our defense; the facts indicate that when a womanly head is shaved,
even Orthodox women, in our day, are "horrified."
What's the point in bringing the issue to life again? For a very
important reason: so that there should be a knowledge of the facts
and so that there should be no misunderstandings. Our young people,
especially, must know 'the facts so that they should not be led
into believing that there are customs and practices in Jewish life
that are abhorrent or degrading. After all, there are explanations
for the wig, the sheitel that also was known in the Judaeo-German
dialect as a peruk—a term derived from the French "perruque." It
is a custom - that stems from a Jewish law that Jewish women are
not to appear in the synagogue, and in public, with uncovered heads.
So that the facts may be known fully, we present here the
complete explanation of the sheitel and its background, as it was
written for the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia by Samuel Rappaport:
Ac-cording to an old Jewish custom, married women, for the
sake of modesty, covered the hair of their head in the presence
of strange men because of the erotic effect of the hair. The
Talmud cautions Jewish women against going out with their head
uncovered, and even praises the covering of the hair in the house.
In the late Talmudic period likewise it was the custom for Jewish
women to have their hair covered. Only the heathen woman goes
about with uncovered hair (Midrash Num. 9:16). It was forbidden
to pray in the presence of an unmarried woman with uncovered
hair (Ber.24a). Already in Talmudic times the hair of other
persons (wigs) was employed for the purpose of covering one's
own hair. The Zohar calls the covered hair of the head of the
wife "the chastity of the house." -
In the. Middle Ages and down to the latter part of modern
period many Jewish women were accustomed to shave off all
the hair of their head after their marriage and to cover it with a
:coif or Kupka, or with a bandeau. It was not until comparatively
' modern times that the so-called Sheitel, a frisure made of human
'hair and intended to simulate the person's own hair, came to
be widely adopted. The coif was a round head-covering, made
of silk, and semi-stiff. The Kupka, especially prevalent among
the Jews in Poland, was a head-covering made of silk braids
and worn as a permanent adornment. On the forehead of the
Kupka there was the so-called "Sterntuechel," an elastic hoop or
ring sometimes embroidered with pearl embroidery and sometimes
:with diamonds. The Kupka ended in two ribbons or bandeaux
:with which the Kupka could be fastened or bound at the back
of the head. The Kupka was later replaced by the so-called hair-
bandeau (headband), a frisure made of silk and quite similar to
a natural coiffure or hair-dressing.
In modern times the hair bandeau was replaced by the Sheitel.
.This aroused great indignation and protest on the part of the
Hassidim, because the artificial frisure could not be distinguished
from one's .own hair, and it therefore appeared as though the
'women were wearing their own hair uncovered. Inasmuch as
this represented a simulation of a forbidden action, the wearing
of the Sheitel or wig was declared in many Hassidic circles to be
ritually unpermissible, even though not expressly forbidden by
itself. Moses Sofer (Hatham Sofer), one of the most important
Talmudic authorities of the 19th cent., opposed the wearing of
the wig for the same reason.
The women of the younger Orthodox generation in Eastern
t
By Philip
Slomovitz
Europe are so skillful in their employment of the wig that no one
can tell that their head is covered with hair ornaments made
from other women's hair. Most Jewish women who wear the
Sheitel have their own hair underneath, which is often coiffured
behind the back of their head together with the Sheitel. Another
style of wearing the hair, one which has ceased to be customary
since about the 18'70's or 1880's, was the so-called "plait with two
wings". This had the form of a permanent, fixed obtuse cone
covered with silk and wrapped around in a tall silken band
which formed a sash at the rear ending in two large "wings".
The plait (called in German "Nestel") was especially prevalent
in Poland. It is of interest and at the same time strange that
in the Caucasus all the Jewish women wear their own hair in
public, dressing it with curls at the temples, in the manner of
the side-locks (Peoth) worn by the Jews of Eastern Europe. With
the custom of wearing the wig there may be compared the -
cutting off of the hair and the obligatory head-covering prac-
ticed by the nuns of the Roman Catholic church.
In the - United States and in other western countries the
\
Sheitel has been totally discarded by conservative and reform
Jewish women, but is still worn occasionally by the most pious
and observant of the Orthodox women.
These are the facts—and we plead for a full understanding of
them. A lack of knowledge creates doubts, complexes, self-hatred.
They are unjustified. There are basic Jewish laws which must and
will be adhered to. There are practices that are either being aban-
doned or revised. There are customs that are and will be shunned.
Some practices date back to the ghetto—and adherence to them
spells a ghetto redivivus—a revival of ghetto life. It can't succeed
here, but if there is a small group in our midst that holds on to
the sheitel, to the shtreimel, to the kapota, there should be enough
respect for them not to interfere with their w _ ay or life.
There is so much of beauty and dignity in Jewish life that we
must not become panicky when we come face to face with ideas
that are not to our liking. We have presented the facts so that our
youth especially should know them. They, primarily, must uphold
our people's dignity—and the first step in that direction is self-
respect that should stem from a knowledge of and a love for our
basic traditions.
The _Rarity of Genius — and Domination of Mediocrity
Our universities do not always choose wealthy men and poli-
ticians for honors. They often award honorary degrees to men of
real ability and great distinction. Such was the case with W. K.
Kelsey of The Detroit News. Wayne University displayed good
judgment in selecting our distinguished confrere for this honor.
His own newspaper quite properly spoke of him as being "first
of all a craftsman whose workshop is the human race."
We hope Bill Kelsey won't hold it against us for revealing his
sentiment, expressed to us, that "the custom (of awarding .hon-
orary degrees) seems rather childish." He quoted an example that
we would rather leave unmentioned. We refer to this only because
this is one instance in which Bill Kelsey it wrong. The mere fact
that he was given an honorary degree disproves his argument.
Bill is one of America's ablest and most courageous writers. He
holds on fast to principle and does not hesitate to champion un-
popular causes. Through such championing, he has helped popular-
ize good causes.
The Reporter fortnightly magazine recently carried this
editorial comment under the heading "A Thousand Lincolns":
When President Eisenhower visited. Pennsylvania State Uni-
versity, which is headed by his brother Milton, he inspected the
new reactor there, which unfortunately was not yet in operation
because the Atomic Energy Commission hadn't released any
fissionable material to run it on. He then delivered a commence-
ment address in which he had some remarkable things to say
about education.
"In Colonial Philadelphia," he said, "there was a printer who
was likewise a scientist and who was hailed as the wisest man
of his day—a builder of international understanding and friend-
ship. In nineteenth-century Illinois, there was a rail-splitter who
was likewise a scientist and who was hailed as the wisest man
humanity—a builder of freedom for all men. Despite their lack
of formal schooling, they were educated men. Education today can
nurture for us the possibility of a thousand Franklins and a
thousand Lincolns in a generation, where before we were for-
tunate to have one."
We must say that we have never heard a more devastating
criticism of our educational system, especially coming from a
man who once was a university president. We have hundreds of
thousands of college graduates each year, and we would be lucky
if we had in our public life anything approaching one Lincoln.
Bill Kelsey is one such Lincoln in a hundred thousand—and
perhaps it is in such percentage also that honorary degrees are
being awarded by our universities. But when one good man is
among us to render humane service, to defy conventional taboos,
to refuse to let anyone silence him when he demands fair play for
the under-dog, we rejoice in the honors he gets; This is one time
we can't concur in Kelsey's modesty; the honor accorded him truly
is an accolade to the courage that is his, to the sense of justice
that motivates his work.
Karbel Elected District BB President; Local Women Given Vice-Presidencies
Three local Bnai Brith leaders
were last week voted into high
offices at the annual conventions
of District Grand Lodge No. 6
and Women's District Grand
Lodge No. 6, in Chicago.
Sidney J. Karbel, of Detroit's
Harry B. Keidan L o d g e, was
elected president of the District,
replacing Otto F. Weiner. Mrs.
Gerald Goldberg, of -Pisgah Chap-
ter, was named first vice-presi-
dent, and Mrs. Robert Coggan, of
East Side Chapter, was elected
third vice-president, in the Wom-
en's District. Mesdames Moe
Tack, Sam Gold and Alfred Lai-
kin will serve on the general
committee.
Among the dignitaries present
for Karbel's installation by Harry
Yudkoff, past grand president of
the district were Gov. G. Mennen
Williams and Philip M. Klutznick,
president of Bnai Brith. To honor
Karbel, Detroit Bnai Brith lead-
ers pledged to bring in at least
2000 new members. in 1955-56.
Karbel, a native of Bay City,
Smolar Reveals:
Silent Plans of
AFI Mystery
By BORIS SMOLAR
Copyright, 1955, JTA, Inc.
Mystery surrounds the Ameri-
can Friends of Israel organiza-
tion which the Montor group is
now trying to develop . . . None
of the leaders of this organiza-
tion is willing to disclose on
what basis the AFI will function
. . . Rudolph Sonneborn, presi-
dent of the organization, whom
I asked for more details about
the meager announcement issued
in his name, preferred not to go
into details . . . All he would
say was that plans are being for-
mulated to make the American
Friends of Israel a very active
organization . . . Sirice the plans
had not as yet been completed,
there was nothing definite he
would say about them . . . Henry
Montor also avoided discussion
of the aims of the new organiza-
tion ... In the meantime, rumors
are that the American Friends of
Israel intends to launch a drive
for 1,000,000 members, with
membership dues limited to one
dollar a year ... This mass mem-
bership, it is said, would serve
as a backbone for any project
the AFI might decide to under-
take . . American Ziohist lead-
ers of all factions are determined
to fight the AFI should it decide
on a mass membership campaign
. . . They fear that a pro-Israel
organization of Zionists and non-
Zionists such as the AFI may
attract many members from the
organized Zionist movement in
this country and thus undermine
the movement . . On the other
hand, it is realized that it would
not be difficult for the Montor
group to launch a mass member-
ship movement, should it decide
to do so. The task would be
facilitated because the group has
in its possession the records of
the Israel Bond Organization
from which it withdrew . .
Very few know that the members
of the Montor Administration,
when they left the Israel Bond
campaign, took with them the
files of the organization . . .
They were apparently legally en-
titled to do so, since they kept
for themselves the official name
of the organization which con-
ducted the Israel Bond drive .. .
When they left, they promised
the present leadership of the
Israel Bond organization that
they would make no use of the
name for a period of at least
two years.
* * *
Discrimination Trends
Although bigotry is relatively
unfashionable in this country,
there is still plenty of to-do in
the field of combatting social
anti-Semitism . . . This is appar-
ent from an analysis on social
discrimination prepared by Dr.
John Slawson, executive vice-
president of the American Jew-
ish Committee . . The AJC lead-
er reveals that a study of anti-
Jewish bias was conducted in
248 cities ranging in population
from 10,000 to 500,000 . . . Three
tests were utilized: 1. Admission
of Jews to the Junior League;
2. Admission to country and city
clubs; 3. Admission to exclusive
residential areas . . . In one-third
of these cities, Jews are denied
admission to all three groups,
the survey established . . . Only
in 20 out of the 248 cities are
some Jews accepted in all three.
. . In one of the 50 larger cit-
ies, where the population is over
200,000, were Jews accepted by
all three groups . . . And in 26
of the 50 larger cities, or more
than half, admission was 'denied
by all three. A similar situation
exists in student fraternities .. .
While nine out of 61 national
fraternities have discriminatory
clauses, at least half of the 61
actually practice discrimination
. . . On the other hand, to the
question: "Suppose a Jewish
family were going to move next
door to you, what difference
would it make?" 88 percent re-
plied that "it would make no
difference" . • . Four years earlier
—in 1950—only 69 percent gave
such a reply to the, same
question.
has practiced law in Detroit since and Mrs. Leonard Sims is the Na_
1927, after receiving his degree tional Membership Chairman for
at the University of Michigan. He the Supreme Women's Council.
Pisgah and Oak-Woods Chap-
helped to organize and was first
ters received awards for net gains
president of Keidan Lodge.
in their membership drives, and
Among his other offices in
Fox, Business and Professional,
Bnai Brith, he is a past presi-
Tikvah, and Louis Marshall
dent of the Greater Detroit Bnai
Chapters received certificates for
Brith Council, member of the
meeting their membership quota.
District general committee, mem- Theodora Herli Chapter received
ber of the Bnai Brith Hillel
100% paid up certificates, and
Commission and now serves as a Pisgah and Keiden chapters were
member of the national civil honored for the smallest percen-
rights committee of the Anti- tage of membership loss.
Defamation League.
Individual awards for bringing
Karbel, who resides at 19630 in new members went to Mes-
Stratford with his wife and dames Oscar Beckerman and Dan
daughter, is a member of Temple Milgrom of Detroit, while Mrs.
Beth El, and is active in many Charles Chase of this city receiv-
communal organizations, includ- ed honorable mention.
ing the board of governors of the
The convention was the 87th
Jewish Welfare Federation.
for the men and the 23rd for the
Mrs. Frederick Solomon, of women. The convention voted
Jackson Park Chapter, Chicago, unanimously to hold its 1956
was chosen president of the meeting in Detroit, July 12-14,
Women's District. Mrs. Charles 1956. Dr. Lawrence I. Yaffa of this
Solovich of Detroit was elected city is to be the convention chair- 2—DETROIT JEWISH NEW S
Friday, July 15, 1955
delegate to the Supreme Lodge, man.
_
SIDNEY J. KARBEL