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Why do Ḥasidim still dress in the style of the 18th Century Polish aristocracy today?

 As appeared in my Times of Israel blog.    This question is directed at those ultra and very orthodox, mostly European (Ashkenazi), Jews who live in Israel: Why continue to dress as an Eastern European when you live in the Middle East? Why not dress as Moshe Rabaynu (Mosses) or Rambam (Maimonides)? This includes the women, of course. Remember there is a core Jewish principal to follow the custom of the place ( minhag ha’makom ) and not to separate oneself from the community ( al tifrosh min ha’tzibbur ). Throughout history, religious Jews in Israel and the Middle East generally dressed in ways that reflected both local customs and Jewish religious requirements; modesty ( tzniut ) and other religious laws. For example, in ancient Israel, men wore long, striped/multi-colored robes, that were influenced by local Semitic styles, while women wore modest robes and head shawls. That style has not changed much through the post-medieval times and up to today, as can be seen wh...
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There Are People Who Don’t Identify As Part of the Country They Live In

  As appeared in my Times of Israel blog.  What To Do With a Population  That Doesn’t Identify As Part of the Country They Live In. By: David S. Levine   Imagine living in a country where your fellow citizens do not identify with the same national identity as you do. Of course, everyone should be free to maintain their own cultural identity and/or practice their religion but still marry that identity/practice with their nationality. For example, Italian-American or French-Israeli. What if you learned that an overwhelming majority of citizens who make up nearly 20% of your country’s population do not consider themselves, or identify as, members of the country they are citizens of? And because they are sympathetic and empathetic to your county’s enemies, they are potential supporters of those who wish to destroy your country. What should your government do? On May 22, 2025, the Jewish New Syndicate reported: “Seventy percent of Israel’s Arabs, or some 1.5 m...
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