Israel – Blessed be The Shtreimel Makers, Despite Fur Fury

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    Australian-born shtreimel maker Moshe Weiner holds a hand-made fur hat at his Jerusalem workshop. Photo: Gali TibbonIsrael – At Dusk on the Sabbath, few things are more spectacular in Jerusalem than the fascinating passing parade of fur hats moving inexorably towards the Western Wall.

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    Great furry crowns of all shades of brown, lined with velvet and leather, some them 22 centimetres wide and 15 centimetres high.

    Others are so wide and flat that they look like a sombrero made of sable. Some can be so high you might think they are a top hat of mink.

    Shtreimels are what they are, the traditional head-wear of Hasidic Jews worn on the Sabbath and on holidays.

    But the shtreimel is not to be confused with spodiks or kolpiks, other varieties of hairy chapeaux reserved for more revered rabbinical sages. Once symbols of persecution, they were first imposed by 18th-century Polish kings who decreed that Jews must wear the tail of an animal on the Sabbath to show they were not working.

    The tradition spread through eastern Europe, with each Jewish sect adapting the shtreimel to their own taste, and instead of being a mark of persecution it became a symbol of pride.

    Standing at the Damascus gate to the Old City at 5pm on Friday, watching the stream of shtreimels make their way to the holiest site in Judaism, the practised eye can tell a lot about each person just from the cut of their hat.

    The name of the sect each Hasid comes from and from what part of Europe their ancestors came from. The shtreimel is also a dead giveaway for things such as income, what religious texts and customs they adhere to, and even whether or not they are Zionists.

    All of which makes the shtreimel an important garment in the life of a Torah observant Hasidic Jew.

    “It’s the gift of a man to his son on the day of his wedding,” said Menachem Eliezer Moses, a member of the Knesset in the United Torah Judaism Party.

    “It’s a very important part of the Jewish life.”

    Sitting in his parliamentary office, dressed in a black tail-coat, black vest and white shirt, Moses had just returned from a heated debate in the Knesset.

    “People want to ban furs imported from Asia because of the way the animal is killed there,” said Moses. “But what does this mean for the shtreimel?”

    With the proposed law carrying a punishment of one year in prison, Moses asked who would pay for the prisons to house all the law-breaking Jews who import the wrong kind of fur.

    “Today, as I told the history of the shtreimel, what it means to Jewish history and custom, I left them all wide-eyed in the Knesset. Jaws open,” he said.

    Moses said that the Opposition Leader, Tzipi Livni, was one who approached him after his speech offering congratulations. End result? The bill has been deferred to committee.

    “We hope for compromise. Jews like to talk, no?” Moses surmised.

    Not that this will affect shtreimel popularity in Israel, even if the law passed. In a Hasidic neighbourhood not far from the more celebrated Mea Shearim (100 Gates) quarter, we found Moshe Weiner, 31, a Melburnian and now one of Israel’s leading “shtreimelmachers”.

    “My great grandfather used to make them, so I got interested in the craft and now my business is here,” Weiner said.

    To make one shtreimel can take up to 400 tails of various breeds of mink, sable of fox – the scrap of the fur industry. With only 10,000 shtreimels produced around the world each year, it’s definitely what you call a niche market.

    But at a cost of up to $4000 each, it can be a profitable one too. “All my furs I source from Europe,” Weiner said. “So hopefully the law won’t affect my business at all.”


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    61 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Livni has nothing better to do in retirement from being the shortest term PM
    they should ban the leather shoes, wears that too is from China killed livestock and child labor, Her makeup tested on animals. wool from tortured sheep.
    When she walks the streets in homemade cotton balls then she should comment on streimels from asia

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Why cannot they use fake fur or make the shtreimels from feathers or other sustainable material that wouldn’t require killing thousand of animals??

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Are there any vegan shtreimel available? Is there a reliable source for tefillin, mezuzot, sefer torahs, and shofars that are made from animals which died of natural causes?

    400 tails for one shtreimel?
    400 tails for one shtreimel?
    14 years ago

    “To make one shtreimel can take up to 400 tails of various breeds of mink, sable of fox – the scrap of the fur industry.”

    400 tails to make one shtreimel?? How big is it??

    Litvak
    Litvak
    14 years ago

    Would wearing a “fake fur” streimel fulfill the mitzva?

    Huh?
    Huh?
    14 years ago

    “…and even whether or not they are Zionists”

    Wow! I wonder what a “Zionist shtraimel” looks like. Maybe blue fox and white sable fur?

    Askupeh
    Askupeh
    14 years ago

    This article is full of inaccuracies to be polite. It doesn’t take 400 tails to make a Streimel. Until about twenty years ago they used to use about 26 tails for a Strimel and for those who wanted a taller Streimel they used 52. Nowadays a Streimel isn’t anymore the same. It is a patchwork of many pieces of different tails to cover the hollow frame. It is prettier and lighter weight this way, but IMO a Streimel it is not.

    The history of Streimlich as given here is also Plotchik. He is mixing up the red pointy hat or yellow star with Streimlich. Also a Streimel doesn’t tell you much about the person wearing it; rather a hat does.

    Lastly when Tsar Nicholai I issued many decrees against the Jews and among them was to forbid Spodiks; the “Sar” Reb Moshe Mantefiore went to plead with him. Before his “audience” with the Tsar (TSORer HaYehudim) Montefiore met with the Vurker Rebbe, who begged him to also plead with the Tsar to allow the wearing of Spodiks. Montefiore who had no understanding of Spodiks replied through an interpreter “Ich Zeh Nish Kein Kedusha In Di Beren-Mintz”. That’s when the song was composed of “Men Darf Tzi Bahalten Ah SPODIK Ahn Alten Bechadrei Chadurim Zeiyer Git”.

    cp
    cp
    14 years ago

    The article says spodiks are worn by the rebbes. I don’t think so …

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    So what if synthetic fur was used? If it looks the same (and probably is more durable too), who loses out? No one.

    Askupeh
    Askupeh
    14 years ago

    I would also like to point out something that very few people know, that not one animal is killed for the tails; rather they kill these animals for its body fur which fetches a lot of money. The tails are to them “garbage” sold to make trinkets out of them. The Streimel Machers pay them much more then the trinket makers, but not enough to make them kill these animals.

    Also the price of Streimlich isn’t anymore $4000; you can get a beautiful Streimel these days for less then a thousand dollars; and the Streimel Macher still makes a good profit on it.

    Lakewood Guy
    Lakewood Guy
    14 years ago

    Its mamash tzar bal chaim to kill an animal for a shrimel. it should be poshut to ban it by the gedolim, nowdays when you could have a shtrimel made of systethics it a kal ve chomer thats its osser . i dont wear a shtrimel so its hard for me to pasken that a plastic shtrimel is comfortable but i would sure like like to hear from a godol regarding this issue.

    yanki
    yanki
    14 years ago

    I know the guy! A beautiful kid! Alie V’Hatzlach

    Milhouse
    Milhouse
    14 years ago

    1. However he did NOT say the meat was forbidden because of the abuse. Without the level of treifos that he claims, the meat would be permitted no matter how much the calves suffered.

    2. As you say, his psak against the treatment is premised on the claim that white meat is not better than red, in any way whatsoever. In other words, if there IS a gain to be made, then the treatment is permitted. This is clear in Shulchan Aruch: tzaar baalei chayim only applies when it is for no purpose at all.

    3. His statement of the facts, as he had been informed of them, is utterly bizarre, and bears no relationship whatsoever to the truth. Whichever idiot or liar he consulted did him no service.

    4. White veal tastes better and more tender than red, so by his own terms his psak is invalid, and it is permitted to produce it even if that would involve the calf suffering, which it doesn’t.

    5. How can I say that there is no requirement to minimize pain for a cleary defined use? Because it’s true. If you think there is such a requirement, feel free to look for it and report back where you found it.

    6. If you want to know what tzaar baalei chayim entails, look in shuchan aruch. It only applies to pain deliberately inflicted for no reason at all. It is even permitted to pluck a feather from a live bird to make a quill! No decent person could bring himself to do such a thing, but there is no issur! So how can locking a calf in a cage and feeding it lots and lots of milk be assur?

    7. What has lo sachsom got to do with it?

    Avrohom Abba
    Avrohom Abba
    14 years ago

    The streimel makers must continue theri great work. We must never allow others to dictate to us how we should erase any of our traditions.
    90% of the PETA and fur complainers, wear leather shoes and belts and carry leather wallets, but more importantly, they have no religious reason behind it, our Chasidim do.
    On and on my dear brother Chasidim!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    It is not tzar baalei chaim. Hashem created the world for man and we may use animals for their fur. You don’t cut a tail off a live animal, that would be cruel. I am sure it is killed humanely and the rest of the fur, can be used for other purposes. Only PETA and like minded people would consider it tzar baalei chaim.

    define it
    define it
    14 years ago

    Define streimel. What Rav Kook zt”l wore is not what most Chassidim wear.

    Yisroel
    Yisroel
    14 years ago

    Too bad that many of you don’t care about cruelty to animals. And since when is wearing a streimel a mitzvah? Just a minhag.

    And this article seems to be saying that the Rebbes of Ger and Alexander, for example, are more important than others. It says that those who wear the spodik are more revered.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    It would be relevant for fur buyers to put greater pressure on their suppliers to institute humane treatment of the animals. Why should yidden be a party to indiscriminate disregard for animal pain – it isn’t necessary.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    “People want to ban furs imported from Asia because of the way the animal is killed there,” said Moses. “But what does this mean for the shtreimel?”

    Let me get this straight- we all KNOW ( or most of us anyway) how in-humanely animals are treated in asian countries. How is it NOT understood that the mink, fox or whatever other animal is used, was probably tortured for that fur. If you don’t comprehend the extent, google “china fur trade” sometime and i’m sure you would think twice about where your fur is coming from. I am not a PETA person, but sheesh-go synthetic, or find fur from a humane source.
    the NEED for food, work, etc. It’s obvious with the quill for example, the person NEEDED it for writing to do a job. Who NEEDS a shtreimel? No offense

    PETA Has To Go
    PETA Has To Go
    14 years ago

    You people are such major “amaratzim” for thinking that you cant kill an animal for fur. You are allowed to kill animals for a purpose. Making an item of clothing out of them – regardless of whether or not you subscribe to the wearing of a shtreimil – is FOR A PURPOSE.

    If you have a problem with it. go thru the sugya in gemorah chulin.

    Mr&Mrs AmHaAretz
    Mr&Mrs AmHaAretz
    14 years ago

    ? Why not use fur from a kosher animal, since there is a mitzvah in our holy Torah b’yad Moshe, that touching the carcass of an unclean animal makes a person unclean (Wayikra 5,2) and we should not do it (Wayikra 11,8).

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Picking on Shtreimels is unfair, and maybe just a form of prejudice, as ALL better hats are made of animal fur. Those beautiful black felt hats contain rabbit, beaver, sometimes other animals you don’t want me to tell you about. they are just processed into the felt, which “looks” like a non-fur fabric of some sort.

    The felt hats with no fur content, do not hold their shape, and fall apart quickly when rained on. Those who write these articles know this. They all know that ALL hats are made out of fur…. real fur… so why are they picking on the Chassidic headwear?