New York – A small, but confident group of Hasidic men, increasingly becoming known as “Chabadniks,” are pushing the boundaries of traditional sartorial code and stepping out in colorful, even trendy fashions.
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JTA.org (http://bit.ly/ZNMArY) reports that some Chabadniks even view their departure from traditional dress as “complimentary” to their religious devotion.
One such Chabadnik, New York-based designer Mendy Sacho, who has been receiving mainstream notoriety for his color-inspired changes to kapotas, said that many Chabadniks are simply adopting the style of dress worn by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson when he was a young man in France in the 1950s.
Sacho told the Jewish Daily Forward (http://bit.ly/11gfHan) that there is “nothing” in the Torah prohibiting a man from sporting a “colorful” kapota and having some “fun” with it, but was also quick to point out that one must never “forget” why we wear the kapota.
“point out that one must never “forget” why we wear the kapota.”
Too late.
It’s only the linings that are colorful. My sons got custom when they got married but chose very quiet, subtle and “eidele” linings. Other than that & the great fit, you can’t tell them from an off the peg kapote.
This is really not that big of a deal. I am going to enjoy a more superfluous jewish culture. Lets even wear Red Sox shirts if we are brave.
Being a chassid has nothing to do with how you dress but how you think and conduct your life.
A Chassid’s true essence is on the inside. This “designer” is showing his true colors.
Could be a sales spike for L. L. Beanie.
And exactly why DO they wear kapotas? Did the Jews leaving Egypt wear kapotas? Did the Jews in the Mishna wear kapotas? Did the Jews in the Gemorrah wear kapotas?
Because the Jews in cold climates took on the garb of the Polish aristocracy they now have to wear it in Israel when the temperature reaches 120 degrees?
Inquiring minds want to know
Kol Hakavod to them !!!!
Baloney Chabad is not changing more then any other group, there are renegades in every community.
Indeed as a Jew, I have more books today that I have an issue with the way we dress. Israel is lived in a mind, not on a flat iron surface of the changing room.
The Rebbe was in France from about 1933 (when he left Germany) to 1941 when he was able to leave France for the U.S.A. He went back to Paris in 1947 to see his mother and escort her to the USA. After 1950 it seems most likely that the Rebbe didn’t leave Brooklyn more than a few times on rare occasions such as to visit the overnight camps or for some other reason. In any case the Rebbe didn’t wear colorful kapotes or kapotes with colorful linings even in the 1930’s.
There are few things that the JTA, Forward, Tablet, etc. like better than finding Frum people breaking ranks. They love to discover “trends” that do not exist. Making mountains out of molehills.
Yes, this is a problem. No, it’s not the problem that the JTA, with it’s backhanded praise, is making it out to be. We have far more serious problems.
the problem is that every bum on the street speaks in the name of Chabad. It’s not much different than Conservative and Reform Judaism. I can’t understand if they choose to leave the Lubavitch lifestyle why cant they just leave and regroup as modern Orthodox or Conservadox whatever..(with or without Kapotes and beards). Lemaan Hashem leave the Rabbeim and all those Chassidim who had Mesiras Nefesh for a Kutzo shel Yud of a Chassidishe Minhag alone. Or maybe your guilt doesn’t allow you to do the right thing just like the Reform or Conservative.
To number 20 – I am not a historian – but there was a display of Czar era clothing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and when I first saw it, I was stunned. There were manikins wearing what looked like a shtreimel and a man on a horse bedecked with a red velvet blanket with gold braiding. Also, the manikin was wearing a coat that looked very much like a bekeshe, lehavdil. Also, he was wearing white socks and a pair of shoes with a buckle. My first thought on seeing the blanket on the horse was: Oh my goodness, it was taken from a shul in a pogrom!!! But on closer observation, I noticed a cross on the red blanket and it was then that I realized that this was the dress of the time. Quite shocking for me.
Chabad…they’re lost
its no diferent than satmar light or bobov light with the very trimed beards and payos made to blend with the rest of the haircut. Look atwhats become of the thin streimel of 30 years ago they are taller than spudiks. New styles and fashion
are trends among all chasidim. While were on the subject how about the cool tish bekeshes of the Rebbes they got to have rebbe fashion designers what cool colours. Lets not even get started on the little hats the wives wear on top of the sheitels designer stuff. Cmon give me a break stop picking on chabad. To ad to the fashion trends how about the litvishe in israel the chasanim are wearing custom made kapotes and are clean shaven.How about the 250 dollar borsalinos . I heard about a litveshe bochur who spent hours trying on hats the owner aproached him and asked him whats up he said my head is full of torah I need the right torah crown.