"[Dov Lipman] is beloved by many of the modern Orthodox in Beit Shemesh, but several Haredi [ultra-Othodox] leaders here questioned his legitimacy as a spokesman for their community...They also noted that Rabbi Lipman does not pray in a Haredi synagogue or send his children to Haredi schools, and said he did not understand the 'nuances' of Haredi culture. Some have called him a 'rabbi of Purim,' a holiday in which children don costumes.
'He has created a kind of Haredi that allows him to don the black kippa, wear the suit of a yeshiva student, while being part of a party with values that are opposite of the values of the Haredi sector,' said Moshe Abutbul, the ultra-Orthodox mayor of Beit Shamesh. 'It is as though I would put on a white robe and call myself a doctor.'
Rabbi Lipman, who wept last month upon renouncing his American citizenship--which Israel required that he do before entering Parliament--acknowledges that he does not quite fit in. He has a black hat, the signature Haredi accessory, but only wears it to pray or meet with rabbis. His suits are pin-striped, not solid black, and he occasionally wears a blue shirt (most Haredis stick with white)." (A6)
Rudoren, Jodi. "Bringing Ultra-Orthodox Traditions to Israel's Parliament, Olive Branch in Hand" New York Times, February 9, 2013.
Orthodoxy--or simple belief--expressed through dress in Judaic tradition is familiar to anyone who has been to New York City, and the American Hasid is certainly an identifiable example.
What does it mean for an ultra-Orthodox mayor to accuse this new member of Parliament of using Haredi dress as a costume? And what of the tiny "deviances" in dress and decorum that Rudoren is using to distinguish Lipman's dress from that of stricter Haredi followers? Do they really mean anything?
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| Purim costumes from thinktanktoys.com, where you can buy "Jewish Payis" as "religious costume accessories." |
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| "Haredi and secular in Mea Shearim." From an article on "What is Haredi" in the Jerusalem Post, 05/02/12. Photo: Marc Israel Sellem. |
Rudoren, Jodi. "Bringing Ultra-Orthodox Traditions to Israel's Parliament, Olive Branch in Hand" New York Times, February 9, 2013.
Orthodoxy--or simple belief--expressed through dress in Judaic tradition is familiar to anyone who has been to New York City, and the American Hasid is certainly an identifiable example.
What does it mean for an ultra-Orthodox mayor to accuse this new member of Parliament of using Haredi dress as a costume? And what of the tiny "deviances" in dress and decorum that Rudoren is using to distinguish Lipman's dress from that of stricter Haredi followers? Do they really mean anything?