Just how far does a dollar go? We'll try to answer that
question as part of an occasional series on what things cost around the world.
In this installment, NPR's Emily Harris looks at the price of headwear in
Jerusalem.
In Israel and the Palestinian territories, headgear is big
business. How much does it cost to cover up for different religions, traditions
and fashions?
Orthodox and religious Jews cover their heads to show
respect toward God. A basic circular yarmulke a few inches across costs as
little as $5 in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim.
Hasidic men spend several hundred dollars on their felt hats
of old European lineage. Though all hats are black, the peak and cut varies by
sect. Some ultra-Orthodox Jewish men wear large, round fur hats for Shabbat and
special occasions, spending as much as several thousand dollars for a
high-quality, handmade "crown."
For religious and Orthodox Jewish women, dictates of modesty
can mean a wig after marriage. The more natural-looking, the more expensive.
Otherwise, all kinds of hats, caps and scarves are available, at all kinds of
prices.
Many Palestinian women also cover their hair for religious
or traditional reasons, usually with colorful scarves. On Salah-ad-Din Street
in the heart of East Jerusalem, five bucks gets a polyblend made in China. Up
the scale, a Turkish wool weave. Silk will do, too.
Older Palestinian men often wear a keffiyeh, a head covering
with desert origins and, depending on the pattern, potent political symbolism.
These are hawked to tourists starting at around $10. How much you bargain
dictates how much you pay.
And then there are hats to let Israelis worship the sun but
not burn their faces. Available year round at Israel's seaside resorts (Dead,
Red, Galilee and Mediterranean), they are of mostly middling quality with
prices to match.
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