A spodik (or spodek; yi, ספּאָדיק , from Polish ''spodek'' " saucer") is a tall, black fur hat worn by some

Hasidic Jews Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

, particularly by members of sects in 19th-century

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...

. The origins of the spodik and the

shtreimel A shtreimel ( yi, שטרײַמל , plural: or ) is a fur hat worn by some Ashkenazi Jewish men, mainly members of Hasidic Judaism, on Shabbat and Jewish holidays and other festive occasions. In Jerusalem, the shtreimel is also worn by Litvak ...

are unclear, but it is often thought that the Jews living in Europe adopted wearing fur hats from the Eastern European culture, and perhaps from the nobility, replacing the sudra.

Description

Spodiks are to be distinguished from

kolpik In Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, a kolpik is a type of traditional headgear worn in families of some Chassidic ''rebbes'' (Hasidic rabbis) of Galician or Hungarian dynastic descent, by their unmarried children on the Sabbath (Shabbat), and by so ...

s, and from

s, which are a similar types of fur hat worn by Hasidim. Shtreimels are shorter in height, wider, and donut-shaped, while spodiks are taller, thinner in bulk, and of cylindrical shape. Kolpics and spodiks have the same shape, but the former are brown, while the latter are black. Such hats are typically worn only on special occasions, such as the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

, holidays, and weddings. Spodiks used to be made from

fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...

tails. Nowadays they are made also from fox fur.

Use

Ger Hasidim, being the largest Hasidic community of Polish origin, are the most famous for wearing spodiks. Virtually all married men among the Gerer Hasidim wear a spodik. Due to an edict by the Grand Rabbi of Ger designed to stop the extravagance of the hats, Gerrer Hasidim are only allowed to purchase fake fur spodiks that cost less than $600. Other groups that wear Spodiks include Alexander,

Amshinov Amshinov (Yiddish: אמשינאוו) is a Polish Hasidic dynasty originating from the town of Mszczonów, Poland, where it was founded by Yaakov Dovid Kalish, the son of Israel Yitzhak Kalish. Amshinov is a branch of Warka Hasidism, which in pa ...

, Ashlag,

Kotzk Kotzk (Yiddish: קאצק) is a Hasidic dynasty originating from the city of Kock, Poland, where it was founded by Menachem Mendel Morgenstern (1787–1859). Kotzk is a branch of Peshischa Hasidism, as Menachem Mendel Morgenstern was the leadin ...

, Modzitz, Ozharov, Radzin and

Sochatchov Sochaczew () is a town in central Poland, with 38,300 inhabitants (2004). In the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), formerly in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Sochaczew County. Sochaczew has a narrow-gauge railway m ...

References

{{Hats Fur Hasidic clothing Hats Religious headgear

Description

Use

See also

References