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Fashion police

With last week’s arrest of Deborah Houben for wearing a ‘masculine’ tallit during Women of the Wall’s Rosh Hodesh services, it seems that law-enforcement officers are now deciding the style for ritual garments.

Deborah Houben detained at Western Wall
Photo by: Women of the Wall
Jerusalem’s newest spiritual expert in Jewish observance doesn’t have a long beard, sidelocks or even a kippa. The new spiritual expert in Jerusalem wears a blue uniform and packs a gun and handcuffs. After all, who needs to consult a rabbi when the Jerusalem police are on the scene?

In a surprising event last Thursday, police detained Deborah Houben for wearing her tallit (prayer shawl) “like a man” during the Women of the Wall monthly Rosh Hodesh service. Though technically women are forbidden to wear tallitot at the Western Wall, police have allowed the practice since the Women of the Wall movement was founded 23 years ago. But with Houben’s detention, police made their case clear: “female” tallitot are acceptable, but ”male” tallitot are not to be worn by women.

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