Jewish Burqas and “Hyper-Tznius”: The New Black?
"The next level is for men to insist on capes and veils from their wives….in a few more years the haredi public will discover the sweetness of the layers of clothes and the modesty behind the veil…The rabbanit Bruria believes that very soon a man will come to his wife and ask her not to go out without her body and face covered…We are already seeing the beginning.” — Ann, veil-wearing convert to Orthodox Judaism and student of Rabbanit Keren, on her vision of the future — fully veiled Jewish women.
A number of charedi Jewish women in Israel have undertaken a shocking change — instead of wigs and kerchiefs, they have decided to begin dressing in burqas, hijabs, and abayas, in pursuit of a level of modesty already being dubbed hyper-tzniut.
On ThisIsBabylon.net, I give a roundup of a number of stories on the topic (I first wrote about these women on Jewlicious), these ultra-modest women and their new movement. Under the leadership of a Rebbetzin Bruria Keren from Beit Shemesh — who herself wears "ten thick skirts, seven long capes, six scarves tied in front of the head and three more in the back" — these women are taught that being covered from head to toe (including no eyeholes in the face veil for some women) and fully abstaining from talking are to be a tzaddeket.
Miriam Shaviv alludes in her London Jewish Chronicle article that this has been going on for a number or years (at least since 2005), and now includes not only women in Rebbetzin Keren's home of Ramat Beit Shemesh, but also various neighborhoods in Jerusalem (Meah Shearim, Geula, Beit Yisra'el, etc.) and "dozens in Tzfat". Many of her students are ba'alei tshuvah, at least one has converted to Judaism.
I hope my prayer — that this will not catch on and will not be imposed on millions of Orthodox women — is not in vain.
February 7th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
i wouldn’t wish it imposed but i also wouldn’t want it banned by those who want us to appear “normal” if these women find it fulfilling.
February 7th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
frankly, as long as it’s not “required” or “enforced” by taliban-like goons, i think it’s beautiful and awesome.
yalhak
February 8th, 2008 at 2:22 am
These burka women think they’re frum? Without female circumcision they will burn in hell.
Attention B’Not Yisrael: Cut your clit and stitch that slit without this brit your afterlife will be shit.
February 8th, 2008 at 7:30 am
i will once again voice my opinion that there should be a jewish monastic life.
February 8th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Isaac Luria and his followers in Tzvat were “monastics” in the sense that they lived communally and in the “wilderness” away from their wives six days of the week, but with their wives on the shabbat. they were also vegetarians six days of the week, but ate meat only on the shabbos.
the idea didnt seem to catch on.
February 8th, 2008 at 8:40 am
there were also many cases amongst hasidim of abandoning their families to be with the rebbe.
the scripturally challenged chazal that says miriam and aaron spoke against moses for divorcing his wife because he was too busy with god points to the lack of acceptance of monasticism.
the famous bachelor ben azai claimed nafshi choshke b’toyre - torah not god.
since the holocaust we’ve just been so into restocking it couldn’t be mentioned but maybe now with so many troubled kids they’ll let up on pushing quantity.
February 8th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Alph,
Btw, there’s an excellent book that describes all the Ari’s monastic rules of order for his followers in Tzvat (including isolation, celebacy & vegetarianism for six days out of the week) called “Safed Spirituality: Rules of Mystical Piety, the Beginning of Wisdom” by Lawrence Fine and Louis Jacobs at
http://www.amazon.com/Safed-Spirituality-Mystical-Beginning-Classics/dp/0809126125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202493452&sr=1-1
The difference between the hasidim “abandoning their families” to live with the rebbe and the Ari’s group was that they were, indeed, “monastics” who did not abandon their families at all but spent only shabbos with them.
yalhak
February 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
for security reasons i do not believe anyone should be allowed to run around fully covered
also it should be illegal to impose on minors. if adult women want to do it thats their problem but doing it to minors shuts their voices from a very early age
February 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
(personally i love hijabs)
February 9th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Its a muslim thing not a jewish thing
February 10th, 2008 at 8:05 am
“doing it to minors shuts their voices from a very early age”
any more than the rest of religion?
February 10th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
yes absolutely shit, and this time in a most literal way
the basic problem of this is the barrier to communication
July 9th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I take pride in operating the http://www.simchawear.com website with the utmost of tznius (modesty). When people post a dress for sale or rent, I will remove the hands and face. Call me crazy, but this is a crazy world and you’ve got to fit in.