A Taxonomy of Hasidic Couture
During the feast of Purim, the streets of Brooklyn’s Hasidic neighborhoods are filled with the costumed pious masquerading as knights and princesses. On this night of the bizarre, sometimes the most outlandish costumes are the most subtle. Walking down the street is a young man in the long coat, ritual fringes, and black hat worn daily by the Breslov Hasidim. Why isn’t he dressed for the holiday? As he draws near, we see that his clothes have a loose-fitting, borrowed look to them. His wicked smile completes the picture. This cheeky young member of the Bobov Hasidim has dressed as a Breslover for Purim.
While the dress code of the men clothed only in black and white who pepper Brooklyn’s Hasidic neighborhoods may appear to be straightforward, close examination reveals that even within this dichromatic universe there exists an extraordinary level of complexity. The Hasidim, nicknamed “black-hatters” by some and “penguins” by others, have preserved an unmistakably Jewish style. Their sacrosanct costume: lengthy black coats, black fur or felt hats, untrimmed beards, flowing peyos (side-locks), all of which they transported with them from Eastern Europe has become the very definition of “looking Jewish.” However, few outside the fold properly understand the historical and cultural significance of the elements that make up the Hasidic wardrobe.
Deeply rooted in Jewish mysticism (kabbalah), the revolutionary Hasidic movement emerged in the mid-18th century, spreading through Poland and Russia the radical new idea of serving God joyfully even through mundane activities, and focusing more on ecstatic prayer than on the traditional ideal of Torah study. Complementing their new ideology, the Hasidic masters and their disciples adopted a novel manner of dress also grounded in kabbalah, thereby distinguishing themselves from their non-Hasidic neighbors. As the Jews of Eastern Europe became increasingly acculturated during the 19th century, many adopted the national garb of their gentile neighbors. The Hasidim, however, believed that assimilation would spell the destruction of the Jewish religion, and refused to make any concessions towards modernity. Drawing on a rabbinic legend that the Israelites in Egypt were redeemed because they didn’t change their Jewish names, language or dress, Hasidic leaders insisted that preserving their traditional Jewish costume was essential to maintaining their identity. Ever since, they have sought to stem the tides of assimilation by fashioning a rigid visual boundary between themselves and their coreligionists. To this day, their costume remains virtually unchanged.
All of the components of the Hasidic wardrobe are easily recognizable. The essential long, dark overcoat sported by Hasidim, regionally referred to as a kapote or tuzlik, was part of the Eastern European rabbinic uniform, but no other group of Jews universally adopted the long coat for both rabbis and laymen alike. Fastening the kapote is a long sash, known in Yiddish as a gartel. Said one Hasidic master, “A Yid without a gartel is like a barrel without a hoop.” Worn by some Hasidic groups only during religious rituals and by others at all times, the gartel was not a standard part of any other Eastern European Jewish costume. Informed by the Jewish mystical tradition, the Hasidim believe that this belt establishes a physical boundary between the corporeal (read sexual) lower half and the spiritual upper half.
More familiar to outsiders is the black hat. Though most flavors of Eastern European orthodoxy wear a dark head covering, the Hasidim alone shun any hats cut in a “modern” style, such as the American fedora or the British homburg, instead retaining the antiquated styles popular in 19th century. Similarly, Hasidim are certainly not the only Jews to leave their beards uncut, but today are particularly zealous about growing their beards long, and are often readily identified by their lengthy and unkempt facial hair. Hasidim are known for their exaggerated peyos, in contrast to other orthodox groups, who keep their side-locks short (and often tuck them inconspicuously behind their ears). Hasidic peyos are rivaled in grandeur only by those sported by Jews of Yemenite extraction.
Like many other European Jews, during the week Hasidic men dress primarily in modest blacks and dark blues, somber colors which they consider the color of piety. However, on the Sabbath and holidays, Hasidim wear a much more elaborate (and distinctly Hasidic) costume. Instead of an ordinary frock coat, on Shabbat most Hasidim wear an embroidered silk bekiche bound by an equally ornate gartel. The ubiquitous black hat is exchanged for the regal shtreimel, a splendid round hat made of sable fur. Some Hasidim, especially those from central Poland and Hungary, wear the formal silk stockings once favored by the gentry in their country of origin.
All of these Hasidic clothing items (coat, gartel, streimel) are limited to men. Though their clothing must conform to community standards of “modesty,” Hasidic women have a greater flexibility in their fashion. Among the more conservative Hasidic groups, women still dress much the same way as they did in their countries of origin, but it isn’t uncommon to see Hasidic women dressing in modern style. Just as women are generally exempt from public religious ritual, there is no sacrosanct female costume.
The nucleus of each Hasidic group is their rebbe, a charismatic spiritual leader who guides every aspect of his congregation’s life, from holy tasks like delivering mystical sermons, to mundane acts, such as determining his flock’s costume. In most Hasidic sects, the rebbe wears a distinct outfit to reflect his exalted office. Most often a Rebbe will wear a special gold, silver, or even radiant blue silk bekiche on Shabbat.
The Brooklyn neighborhood of Boro Park is a diverse Hasidic enclave, with many different Hasidic groups living together within a single city block. In these close quarters, costume serves as a way of externally defining the members of each Hasidic group. Hasidim understand and acknowledge these differences, which prevent too much intermingling between the groups and allow the neighborhood’s residents to easily identify (and avoid) members of a rival Hasidic sect.
The number of buttons on the kapote, the particular cut of the garment, and even the color of the fabric are all particular to each Hasidic group. The coat worn by Lubavitch Hasidim on the Sabbath, though it is conspicuously longer than their truncated weekday jacket, is quite plain when compared to the ornate coats of other Hasidic groups like Bobov or Vizhnitz. Hasidic headwear is equally diverse. All Hasidic groups favor some iteration of a black hat in addition to the traditional yarmulka, though the material and style varies widely. Lubavitchers are known for wearing a black Borsalino (Italian fedora) like the one favored by their late rebbe, whereas Satmar Hasidim will only wear hats cut in the turn-of-the-century Hungarian style. Similarly, on Shabbat and holidays the Ger Hasidim wear a spodik, a fur hat unique to some Polish Hasidic groups which is taller and slimmer than the more universal Hasidic shtreimel.
Penguins? Maybe. But penguins as differentiated as the Macaroni, the Emperor, the Humboldt, and the Gentoo.
