A spodik (or spodek; , from Polish ''spodek'' "
saucer") is a tall,
black fur hat worn by some
Hasidic Jews, particularly by members of sects in 19th-century
Congress Poland
Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of 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 was established w ...
. The origins of the spodik and the
shtreimel 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.
Description
Spodiks are to be distinguished from
kolpiks, and from
shtreimels, 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.
Kolpiks 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, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...
, holidays, and weddings.
Spodiks used to be made from
fisher tails in North America. 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
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
,
Amshinov,
Ashlag,
Kotzk,
Modzitz,
Ozharov,
Radzin and
Sochatchov.
See also
*
Kolpik—traditional Jewish fur hat
*
List of hat styles
*
List of headgear
*
Shtreimel—traditional Jewish fur hat
References
External links
*
{{Hats
Fur
Hasidic clothing
Hats
Religious headgear