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 The shtreimel worn by men from Galicia ( southern Poland ), Hungary and Romania, were originally made of tails surrounding a cap.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?
I may be wrong, but I learned that the Polish Chasidim originally wore Shtreimels and only changed to the spodik when the Czar outlawed Jewish clothing (which is why the Litvishe and Lubavitchers changed to regular hats that were the non-Jewish style at the time – and did not have the wide brim worn today nor were always black – before that decree Litvishe Jews also wore shtreimels, which is why some still wear it in Yerushalayim).
When I went to buy my shtreimel, I told the shtreimel macher that I didn’t want it too high. I went with a Rebbe who helped pay for his, and he said “why do you want to look different from everyone else”. I told him that this was the original way. Anyway, the shtreimel macher didn’t listen, and I have had plenty of people say that is was a spodik (mostly older people, like the week of sheva brachos I lived in Elizabeth, NJ, and a few people in the back of the shul said it was a spodik.)
btw. the decree of the Czar was around 150 years ago – I don’t think spodiks were worn by Jews for 400 years – i heard it was originally a Mongolian hat. At that time, many Litvishe rabbonim also wore spodiks
also, yes, there are Gerrer Chassidim in Flatbush (I know a few)
There are plenty of spudicks and shtreimels in the east 30’s and marine park area of brooklyn , These are ‘regular’ guys who just happen to have a chasidishe levush for shabbos.
Where can my husband buy one? We live in California. I know we cant get one around here. Would New York be the best place? Also, would it appear strange4 for my husband to wear one if no one else in our shul does?
In most communities of eastern europe, only the rebbe wore such an ornate hat… I guess in today’s age of entitlement, everyone is a rebbe! LolMy grandfather came from vilna, and he wore whatever hat was in style… My father (and i) didn’t wear a hat at all… The current ‘minhag’ of wearing oversized borsalino type hats came about in the sixtiesafter the hat biz went down the tubes (coz kennedy didn’t wear one at his innauguration, so men stopped wearing hats), and the jews picked up the slack…Just some more things to ponder…
i bet that you never got cut off by a driver wearing a shtreimel