Hide & Seek: Jewish Women & Hair Covering

Edited by Lynne Schreiber
June 2003
Urim Publications
ISBN: 9657108489
224 pages, 6 5/8" x 9 ½"
$24.95 hardcover

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"Oh, the power of hair!" This book contains the comments of a variety of Jewish women who discuss the different ramifications of hair-coverings in a religious lifestyle. In traditional Judaism, the hair of a married woman takes on a specific, erotic connotation which has, for centuries, made it necessary for married Jewish women to cover their hair, except when in the company of their husbands or in front of other women. Suggested readings in the Torah say it is incumbent upon Jewish women to cover their hair outside of their homes, and sometimes, inside as well. But as the general definition of modesty has changed dramatically over the years, Jewish women have followed suit, debating the necessity of covering their hair in a world that has been "uncovered." Today, most observant Jewish women cover their hair in some way, although a vocal minority declines to do so at all. In essence, hair-covering has become the bellwether for religiosity, turning practice into politics.

Judaism; Sociology

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