I wrote the following about the Hasidic hats of the Bobov community for a Religious Studies class. This is about the hats themselves.
"Shlomo, the cashier at Boro Park Hatters in Boro Park, New York gave me an insight on the meaning and production of the hats in today’s Bobover Chasidic society. Many of the hats are made of rabbit (called biber from Yiddish meaning “beaver”) or hare fur by various companies such as Hückel, Barbisio, Borsalino, or Nobilis. The pelts are produced in the Czech Republic, Italy, or Hungary and shipped to the US where they are made into hats by hat companies such as Felty Hats, Ferster Hats and Boro Park Hatters. The company that Boro Park Hatters buys from is Hückel, a Czech company, which has been in production for over 300 years. Shlomo said, “This is the one (Hückel) that has the best quality, the shape holds and it maintains its shape. They are good, nice, strong, and they are easy to clean.”
The production of the Bobover hats takes many steps. First, the hats are handmade and there are many different steps in the production. The pelts are then stiffened with a substance and are then shaped on a block. After that is completed, the corners of the hat are ironed and the brim is cut. When that process is done, the brim sides are bent up and the rest of the hat is sewn by six or seven times, but not all at once. Many pieces of the hat are sewn by hand so this is a long process. Then the lining is put in and it is bound. Finally, the finishing is put on and steamed. The whole process takes roughly two weeks. Shlomo also stated that sometimes there are screw ups with hat production and resizing, that sometimes the process can take longer. Little accidents can occur with bumps while sewing or when the power goes out. The main type of hat at Boro Park Hatters is the “Chasidko Super,” a hat style that has been around for over a hundred years.Within the individual Hasidic courts, particular members of the wear certain types of hats associated with what they do.
There are many different styles of hats, which exist, in the Hasidic community. The ones that the Bobover wear are the “Chasidiko Super.” Shlomo said that “Super” meant the quality, while the “Chasidko” meant the particular style. There are two main “heights” to the hats. There is the “low type” worn by other Hasidic courts such as Satmar and the “high type,” worn by Bobov. Bell can explain this in her traditionalism section of “Characteristics of Ritual-like Activities.” Bell writes of the Hasidim,“ …the Hasidic communities concentrated in and near New York City and Jerusalem maintain the basic dress of East European Jews from more than a century ago, often with the same fine-tuned distinctions in dress that marked important differences in social and religious status…” (Bell 145).
As we can see from this, back in Eastern Europe and today the hats are very important in showing a hierarchy status, while wearing the hats within the community. Minor differences can say a lot more than style though. Sometimes the width or height of brim can determine court or who’s who in the community. As a cashier in a Bobov hat store, Shlomo noted that the ones of biber (rabbit) are more presentable to the public. Many different kinds of rabbis and heads of religious schools use the biber hats. The fur hats are for people that have something to present. These subtle differences help those in power in the Bobov community look a tad different from the other people in the community. There is even a ritual-like activity associated with ordering at hat.
Most of the hats are in stock but Shlomo needs to know all the dimensions of the person he is selling to. Age, height, weight, beard growth, and body build are all important when ordering a hat. They are like a suit; they need to fit the person they are being sold to. “I have to know the size of the hat. The look and the hat has to go with his looks. That hat presents a person and puts it together like a puzzle…If the hat brim is too big and he is tall and skinny, he’ll look like an umbrella…”
The hats have to be according to the person’s looks so that they can look nice on the street or during religious festivities. Sometimes a man will have two hats, one that is made of the shiny biber material for holidays and a flat colored hat for the weekdays. This type of hat is called a “shtofner.” Some of the hats are used like by some people as if they are a religious garment.
During some religious or non-religious holidays, the hats have certain meaning among the Bobover. Shlomo said that some of the people treat hats like any other garment. Shlomo noted that there are people that take the hat off before they use the restroom. And sometimes they use the hat in blessing and are under the authority of G-d. Also the hats are used in the street as well. There are people that treat it semi-sacred. Mostly, many young Bobov students use the hat when they learn Torah and Talmud, or when they go to weddings, blessings and or saying prayers.
As we can see there is a level of respect for the biber hats. The reason why some people would take the hats off before they used the restroom, might be that since it would be used in blessings it is near something sacred and somewhat makes it “sacred” in a sense. Although the hats have a “sacred usage” to a degree, Boro Park Hatters will sell to anyone, Jewish or not. Also, Shlomo also stated that the hats receive no “special blessing” during production, even though they can be used for a religious reason or become “semi-sacred.” Yet on a greater level, one can say that the Bobover community’s existence through the Holocaust is “semi-sacred.”..."
The production of the Bobover hats takes many steps. First, the hats are handmade and there are many different steps in the production. The pelts are then stiffened with a substance and are then shaped on a block. After that is completed, the corners of the hat are ironed and the brim is cut. When that process is done, the brim sides are bent up and the rest of the hat is sewn by six or seven times, but not all at once. Many pieces of the hat are sewn by hand so this is a long process. Then the lining is put in and it is bound. Finally, the finishing is put on and steamed. The whole process takes roughly two weeks. Shlomo also stated that sometimes there are screw ups with hat production and resizing, that sometimes the process can take longer. Little accidents can occur with bumps while sewing or when the power goes out. The main type of hat at Boro Park Hatters is the “Chasidko Super,” a hat style that has been around for over a hundred years.Within the individual Hasidic courts, particular members of the wear certain types of hats associated with what they do.
There are many different styles of hats, which exist, in the Hasidic community. The ones that the Bobover wear are the “Chasidiko Super.” Shlomo said that “Super” meant the quality, while the “Chasidko” meant the particular style. There are two main “heights” to the hats. There is the “low type” worn by other Hasidic courts such as Satmar and the “high type,” worn by Bobov. Bell can explain this in her traditionalism section of “Characteristics of Ritual-like Activities.” Bell writes of the Hasidim,“ …the Hasidic communities concentrated in and near New York City and Jerusalem maintain the basic dress of East European Jews from more than a century ago, often with the same fine-tuned distinctions in dress that marked important differences in social and religious status…” (Bell 145).
As we can see from this, back in Eastern Europe and today the hats are very important in showing a hierarchy status, while wearing the hats within the community. Minor differences can say a lot more than style though. Sometimes the width or height of brim can determine court or who’s who in the community. As a cashier in a Bobov hat store, Shlomo noted that the ones of biber (rabbit) are more presentable to the public. Many different kinds of rabbis and heads of religious schools use the biber hats. The fur hats are for people that have something to present. These subtle differences help those in power in the Bobov community look a tad different from the other people in the community. There is even a ritual-like activity associated with ordering at hat.
Most of the hats are in stock but Shlomo needs to know all the dimensions of the person he is selling to. Age, height, weight, beard growth, and body build are all important when ordering a hat. They are like a suit; they need to fit the person they are being sold to. “I have to know the size of the hat. The look and the hat has to go with his looks. That hat presents a person and puts it together like a puzzle…If the hat brim is too big and he is tall and skinny, he’ll look like an umbrella…”
The hats have to be according to the person’s looks so that they can look nice on the street or during religious festivities. Sometimes a man will have two hats, one that is made of the shiny biber material for holidays and a flat colored hat for the weekdays. This type of hat is called a “shtofner.” Some of the hats are used like by some people as if they are a religious garment.
During some religious or non-religious holidays, the hats have certain meaning among the Bobover. Shlomo said that some of the people treat hats like any other garment. Shlomo noted that there are people that take the hat off before they use the restroom. And sometimes they use the hat in blessing and are under the authority of G-d. Also the hats are used in the street as well. There are people that treat it semi-sacred. Mostly, many young Bobov students use the hat when they learn Torah and Talmud, or when they go to weddings, blessings and or saying prayers.
As we can see there is a level of respect for the biber hats. The reason why some people would take the hats off before they used the restroom, might be that since it would be used in blessings it is near something sacred and somewhat makes it “sacred” in a sense. Although the hats have a “sacred usage” to a degree, Boro Park Hatters will sell to anyone, Jewish or not. Also, Shlomo also stated that the hats receive no “special blessing” during production, even though they can be used for a religious reason or become “semi-sacred.” Yet on a greater level, one can say that the Bobover community’s existence through the Holocaust is “semi-sacred.”..."
