Posted on 05/17/2004 6:51:24 AM PDT by NYer
NEW YORK (AP) _ Orthodox Jews set fire to piles of women's wigs in a Brooklyn intersection after learning that rabbinical authorities had denounced the wigs as possibly tainted.
The demonstration Sunday mirrored several similar displays in Israel over the past week, all in response to a ruling that because the wigs were made from human hair in India, they might have been used in Hindi rites antithetical to Orthodox beliefs. ``We are not allowed to have any sort of satisfaction from these things,'' Miriam Friedman, one of the demonstrators, told The New York Times for Monday editions.
The crowd of several hundred gathered at the intersection of Lee Avenue and Rodney Street in the Williamsburg section at about 6 p.m. They burned about 300 wigs, drawing the attention of police officers who tried to keep people from getting too close to the flames.
In keeping with the Orthodox Jewish code of modesty, many Orthodox Jewish women wear wigs to cover their hair in public.
AP-ES-05-17-04 0354EDT
If the Jews want any kind of attention, they would send suicide bombers into the wig stores...
Interesting.
Hide your hair and display someone else's? That has to be one of the more strange Jewish customs.
Very strange indeed. How can wearing fake hair, and hiding real air, be modest? These women are still wearing something that brings attention to them.
Oh for heavens sake, as if hair carries an evil curse? Sounds like someone believes in satanism.
It sometimes strikes me in Orthodox observance the spirit of the law gets lost in the letter.
That's my question too.
That is practically the definition of Orthodoxy, of any kind.
I Believe that it is the Orthodox belief that a woman's hair attracts the attention of the evil one and his minions.
"You mean, you've never heard of the Uptown Girl Snood Factory outlet? Get with it, man!"
I understand your point. I meant the banned hair from India.
The bible is packed with messages to shun idol worship. These wig-wearers are concerned that the hair came from an idol-worshipping ceremony, and they want no part of it. That's the spirit.
Oy vay, what a shonda!!
Snood Depot or Snoods R Us?
You hit the nail on the head in this case.
I thought Snood was only a computer game my kids played.
From my brief observance of the Satmar, I've come to the conclusion that they're the Orthodox (Jewish) equivalent of the ulema you would find in countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
We should only be thankful that their political power is consigned to the immediate Brooklyn (Williamsburg) area.
This article is an interesting read on idolatry from a "multisectarian" perspective.
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