Bekishe

A bekishe or beketche (Yiddish: בעקעטשע beketche or בעקישע bekishe), is a type of kaftan,[1] usually made of black silk or polyester, worn by Hasidic Jews and by some non-Hasidic Haredi Jews.[2] The bekishe is worn mainly on Shabbos and other Jewish holidays or at weddings and similar events. During the week, it is customary to wear a rekel, made of wool or polyester, looking like a regular double-breasted suit but it is longer. Hasidic rabbis who wear a bekishe during the week wear a more ornate version for Shabbos, often lined with velvet or a color other than or in addition to black.

The New York Times described the Bekeshe as a "fancier Sabbath version" of the Rekel.[3]

History

The bekishe derives from the Hungarian bekes c. 16th century, a sort of fur-lined coat with a collar, fastened by clasps. The bekes was often richly decorated, sometimes with galloon.[4] A force driving or governing caution with use of wool is the Biblical injunction against mixing it with linen (Lev. 19:19; Deut. 22:11).[4]

Design

The bekishe is typically black.[5] There are two main types of bekishe. The glatt (plain, lit. smooth) bekishe is solid colored; it is usually worn for Friday night and Saturday morning prayers. For Shabbat meals, the patterned bekishe, also known as a tish bekishe (table Bekishe), is worn. The tish bekishe is also worn by some during the Shabbos afternoon prayer service and the night after Shabbat. Both can be made of silk, although nowadays it is usually polyester. Some non-Hassidic Orthodox Jews wear a tish bekishe at home during Shabbos meals. Many Hassidic Rebbes, mainly of Hungarian lineage, wear tish bekishes with various colors, usually either blue or silver, often with black. Many Hassidic Rebbes wear samet (velvet) or strohkes (velvet piping), symbolizing tefillin, on the bekeshe.

Kaftan

The gold and blue striped garments worn by Yerushalmi Haredim including Toldos Aharon, Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok, Dushinsky, Neturei Karta, Shomrei Emunim, Pinsk-Karlin, and many but not all in Breslov and Karlin-Stolin, as well as non-affiliated Yerushalmi Haredim like the Perushim are called kaftans. The members of these movements centered in Jerusalem or one of the Jerusalem-affiliated suburbs like Beitar Illit, Ramat Beit Shemesh, and Modi'in Illit wear these gold coats. Those who live further away, for example in Bnei Brak, Ashdod or outside of Eastern Israel, usually wear black bekishes like most other Hasidim, as do some of those who live in Jerusalem.

The gold kaftan[4][6] is generally worn after marriage; before marriage, either a black bekishe or weekday-style clothing is worn on days when a bekishe is usually worn. Some of those who wear the gold bekishe switch to black on Shabbat afternoon before Mincha. That is seen in Dushinsky and with many of the Prushim.

Kapoteh

Married Chabad hasidim wear a long black kapoteh (frock coat) instead of a bekishe.[5] The kapoteh or frak, besides its unique waist seam construction, has four buttons in the front (as opposed to six or eight in Nadvorna - Kretschnef, on the front of a bekishe), as well as slit in the back, which is lacking on the bekishe. The kapoteh may be made with either wool or silk.[7] Although black is the preferred predominant color,[8] other hues can be present, including on the buttonholes.[5]

References

  1. ^ Solomon, Elena (June 25, 2024). "The Ottoman Origins of the Hasidic Kaftan". Iudaica Russica (1(12)): 1–21. doi:10.31261/IR.2024.12.06. ISSN 2657-8352.
  2. ^ Jainchill, Johanna (October 16, 2005). "Two Brothers, Two Paths, One Photo Album". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  3. ^ Joseph Berger (July 28, 2010). "Dressing With Faith, Not Heat, in Mind: Hasidic Jews in Heavy Dress Bear Up in Summer". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Goldberg-Mulkiewicz, Olga. "Dress". YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Sarah Kleinberg (September 11, 2009). "Now Plugging My Yiddishe Tailor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022. in bright hues
  6. ^ Brederic Morton (October 18, 1970). "Jewish Is Beautiful". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022. in kaftan and yarmulkah
  7. ^ Joseph Berger (December 8, 1986). "Basement Synagogue Causes a Clash in Rockland". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022. and a kapote, or silk robe.
  8. ^ Robert Mcg. Thomas Jr. (October 16, 1997). "Isadore Twersky, of Harvard and the Hasidim, Dies at 67". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022. his long black kapote
  • Media related to Category:Bekishes at Wikimedia Commons
  • Why the Long Black Coat?
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