Hair, Headwear, and Orthodox Jewish Women by Milligan Amy K. ;

Author:Milligan, Amy K.,;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Hair and the Creation of Boundaries

It would be difficult to find an Orthodox community more diverse and yet so cohesive. Recognizing that they must embrace their lack of uniformity in order to create the social support they desire, the members of Degel Israel broach ritual creatively, allowing for a range of Orthodoxy to worship together. That said, there are external reminders of the divisions.

Like many other small synagogues, it is a daily struggle for Degel Israel to survive. Its particular location and the geographic dispersion of its members make it all the more difficult. Its members grapple constantly with the difficulty of coexisting with their Christian neighbors. Likewise, they are in a constant state of negotiation within Orthodoxy to ensure that all of their voices are heard. Although their lack of community definition causes some strain, it should not be misconstrued as an indication of apathy. On the contrary, to be a participating member of Degel Israel requires constant active engagement with one another.

Living in a cultural diaspora, one of the ways that some of the women at Degel Israel negotiate their distance from other Orthodoxy is through their head covering choices. Especially for women like Haddasah and Vicki, who no longer attend services or events at the synagogue, their sense of isolation is great. Although they have been able to create some social support online, for the most part, they travel whenever possible to be with other similarly minded Jews. The women are more or less fully integrated into the general Lancaster community, forcing them to build their social networks mainly of non-Jews. Their hair coverings serve as a way to distinguish themselves from the other women with which they work and socialize. Likewise, these same choices clearly represent the observance divisions within the synagogue.

Whether a conscious or subconscious decision, the covering women of Degel Israel do not take their hair choices lightly. It is not something that was forced on them, nor do they consider it patriarchal or oppressive.[32] For them, it is a crucial part of their self-identity and an embodiment of their spirituality. As Haddasah explains, “I find [hair covering] liberating! Going out with a covering on, except with a sheitel of course, does tell people, “This is what I am!” And I, yes, I like that.” Their daughters, for the most part, seem to be following their mothers’ lead and are covering after marriage, albeit almost exclusively with sheitels. With their children having largely relocated to areas with larger Orthodox populations, Degel Israel continues to actively seek new transplants to the area. Although this suggests that hair covering will continue among synagogue members, unless the community attracts a more homogenous group of new residents, the variety of hair covering techniques will persist.

This variety serves as an effective coping mechanism. It allows the women to wear three figurative hats: wherein they identify as members of their local secular community, Degel Israel, and their own strain of Orthodoxy. Their hair covering choices construct the necessary boundaries and

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