I clearly remember the first time I saw someone wearing a shtreimel. Our family was headed on vacation and while driving through Baltimore we slowed the car as we passed the “wearer,” staring in awe. To me, it was a symbol of Judaism, no different than a Jewish Star. How could someone be so comfortable and proud of their Judaism by wearing such a grand gesture of commitment? The image outside my car window has stuck with me for over 30 years.
Shtreimel signifies pride in Judaism and in traditions. It’s pride in connecting our current to our past. It’s similar to the sheitel that I wear, a way for the outside world to know what I stand for and that I am not afraid to show it. Yet when I go visit my childhood home in Kentucky, there is no shortage of compliments from strangers as to how beautiful my “hair” is. In that way, it’s very different from a shtreimel. With the latter, there’s certainly no hiding who you are under it.
One of my goals as a school principal is to instill this Jewish pride in all of my girls. We cannot be afraid to show off our beautiful modest dress, the way we conduct ourselves, and the ideals we stand for. It was always easy to stand behind our clothes in Kentucky – no one knew that we were Jewish just by looking at or interacting with us. It’s not easy to hide here in N.Y., and I wouldn’t want it any other way. We should be proud of who we are and wear our sheitels, yarmulkes, and shtreimels with pride.
