Jewish Clothing

Clothing has long played a significant role in Judaism, reflecting religious identification, social status, emotional state and even the Jews’ relation with the outside world. The ancient rabbis taught that maintaining their distinctive dress in Egypt was one of the reasons the Jews were worthy of being rescued from servitude. …

While most Jews dress similarly to non-Jews when outside synagogue, many Orthodox Jews are recognizable by their distinctive garments worn for reasons of ritual, tradition or modesty. In particular, Orthodox (and some non-Orthodox) men cover their heads with kippot, and some cover these with black hats or a shtreimel , a type of fur hat. More stringently Orthodox men often wear black suits, and many Hasidic men wear suits that are reminiscent of the style Polish nobility wore in the 18th century, when Hasidic Judaism began. Many Orthodox men also wear a tzitzit , a four-pointed garment with fringes on the corners, underneath their shirt — sometimes the fringes hang out from the shirt, but sometimes they are not visible.