Hair Scare

Hindu wig hair use in doubt
as women await rabbis' ruling.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter

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rthodox women who wear sheitlach (wigs) as a sign of mod-
esty have shown deep concern over a recent announcement
that some wigs include hair that may have been cut for idol
worship.
Rabbis worldwide — including Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv, one of
Israel's pre-eminent authorities on Jewish law — have placed a ban on
wigs that use Indian hair. The concern is that the hair was bought
after Hindu women shave their heads at the Tirupati temple in India
as a sign of religious reverence.
While the controversy is being discussed, pandemonium has erupt-
ed in Israel, with women replacing $2,000 wigs with $5 kerchiefs,
simple snoods and synthetic-hair substitutes. Detroiters are a bit more
calmly consulting with their rabbis and wig suppliers.
"There's a lot of doubt here," said Rabbi Reuven Spolter of Young
Israel of Oak Park. "The reasons the women shave their heads is still

unclear.

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"The issue is not new," according to Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg of
Sara Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center in West Bloomfield.
"Many rabbis in the past gave lenient decisions after hearing about
the ceremonies," he said. "But in recent months, a couple of Israeli
rabbis went to India and videotaped these services. Now, there is
proof."
Rabbis Spolter and Silberberg have each told the women in their
congregations that if they know their wigs came from Indian hair,
they should refrain from wearing them until the doubt is removed.
They told those who are not certain whether or not their wigs include
Indian hair, to go ahead and wear them.
"My wife was in a sheitel shop when the word first came out,"
Rabbi Silberberg said. "She was told that most of the sheitels in town
are not made from Indian hair. But I did get one call from a woman
who knows her is made of Indian hair so, of course, I had to tell her
not to wear it."

Uncertainty

Many anxious women are unsure whether their wigs contain Indian
hair or were made of "kosher" hair, not involved in an idolatrous ritu-
al, from Europe or elsewhere in Asia.
"Most women don't know where the hair in their sheitels comes
from," Rabbi Spolter said.
Callers to Chani's Beauty Salon in Southfield heard a voice mes-
sage listing most of the major manufacturers the store carries do not
use Indian hair. "I have had dozens and dozens and dozens of calls, "
said owner Chani Snow
Most of her clients have discovered their wigs are made from
European hair. "But there are some who have wigs with Indian hair,"
she said. "It's heart-breaking telling them the wigs they spent good .
money on can't be worn."
Many rabbis say if the hair is determined to have been cut for sac-
rificial reasons, it should be burned. "We must make sure that no one
gets a hold of anything connected with idolatry," Rabbi Silberberg
said. "Whether they are Jewish or not Jewish. But no one should
burn their wigs while a decision is still being made."
Snow relays to her clients what she was told by the many rabbis

Chani Snow in her Southfield beauty salon:

she consulted. "Don't wear it, but don't throw
it away and don't burn it," she said. "I don't
make a move without asking the rabbis. So I
tell women, just wait until we know more."

Dedication

"We're not used to thinking in terms of idola-
try, because for 2,000 years, monotheism pre-
vailed in the Western world, where Jews
lived," said Chaim Waxman, a sociologist at
Rutgers University in New Jersey.
"If, in fact, Hinduism is idolatry, and if, in
fact, the cutting of the hair is part of the ritual,
then, theoretically, it could be a problem," he
said.
Rabbinic groups worldwide are traveling to
India in order to gather information on
whether the ceremonies are considered idola-
trous.
For many people, a lot of money is at stake.
Human hair wigs is big business in the fer-

vently Orthodox community In addition to
wig manufacturers, there are wig importers,
weavers, cleaners and sellers.
But the controversy is about more than just
money.
This is the "recall story" of the Orthodox
community, observed Jeremy Stern, a fervently
Orthodox Jew who lives in Israel. Just as the
recall of Firestone tires in 2000 caused anxiety
in the general public due to safety concerns,
this episode is causing fervently Orthodox
Jews to act out of religious concern.
Snow says the women she speaks with are
taking the issue very seriously and are showing
their religious commitment. One woman was
actually excited about this," Snow said. "She
said it showed the dedication of women whose
rabbis say we can't wear our wigs and we
accept that." ❑

Uriel Heilman of the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency contributed to this report.

5/28
2004

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