From veil to wig: Jewish women's hair covering.

Introduction

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO EXamine the practice of hair covering among Jewish women from a historical and cultural perspective. The topic deserves attention, particularly in light of the renewed observance of this practice among resurgent Orthodoxy and the Ba'alei Teshuva ("reborn" Jews) movement.(1) My interest in restudying the historical and religious sources of the practice was evoked by a stimulating halakhic exchange on the subject that appeared in Judaism.(2) Yet, modern halakhic studies tend to concentrate on the dynamics of legal issues,…