When a Kippah is not just a Kippah

By Sherri Vishner
KOACH Associate
University of Florida

When someone is trying to point me out in a crowd, or giving someone else a description of me, one of the first things they say is ‘she’s the one in the kippah’. I work for a Jewish organization- two actually- and am around many Jews all the time, so why is this the descriptor that makes me stand out? The answer is, while we are in fact in the ‘21^st Century’, it is still not common for women to wear kippot.

Like many girls who are currently growing up in the Conservative Movement, I was given the opportunity to wear a tallit and kippah when I celebrated becoming a Bat Mitzvah. About five years ago, I made the decision to wear my kippah all the time- minus showering and sleeping of course. I made this decision because I believe I should have my head covered while praying. I didn’t want to limit my prayers to a few times a day and I didn’t want to keep taking my kippah on and off, which I had been doing for a while.

My decision was a personal one and I don’t think I really thought through the impact it would have on society. As immediately as the first day I wore my kippah, Jews and non-Jews alike approached me asking me what I was wearing and wasn’t that something that men wore. I continue to explain that while the kippah has traditionally been worn solely by men, it need not be a ‘man’s garment’. I wear the kippah for the same reasons a man wears one- to show that God is above us and to remind them that I am a Jew. I believe that these concepts are not limited to men. I believe in God and appreciate the daily, visible reminder of my Judaism.

I know a lot of women who by other people’s standards would be considered feminists but don’t put themselves in that camp. I have a hard time putting myself there as well, especially when it comes to my wearing a kippah. I don’t wear my kippah because I want to be a man and I also don’t wear one because I think all women should- though it would be nice to have some company! I’m not interested in making a statement and yet that doesn’t really matter. I firmly stand behind my answer of why I wear a kippah but the fact remains that I’m one of a few women who do. Maybe I am allowing more women- and men- to look at this symbol of Judaism differently. Just because men have traditionally held a monopoly on the kippah does not mean this symbol must remain a symbol of gender inequality.

[Posted 12/10/07]