The Jewish Power Blog: Fashion Statements
Several passages in the Torah are associated with the requirement that Jews be distinguished by their appearance; perhaps the clearest and best-known is the commandment to wear blue fringes on the corners of one’s garment (tzitzit – Num. 15:38-40). Today this ordinance is observed by Orthodox Jews, so it serves not as a general sign of Jewish identity, but identifies members of Orthodox communities. After the destruction of the Temple, the ancient recipe for blue dye was believed lost, so it became customary to wear only white fringes. In our time, some Jews who feel the messiah approaching have restored the custom of blue fringes. Other distinctive signs include head-covering (not of biblical origin) and side-curls (pe’ot).
It is surprising, therefore, that in his survey of gentile literature about the Jews in post-biblical antiquity, historian Shaye Cohen could find no evidence of Jews being recognizable by their clothing or hairstyles. (Diasporas in Antiquity, 2020, p. 10) But apparently his conclusion is correct, for throughout the middle ages we have texts and artwork showing that Muslim and Christian rulers required Jews to wear a distinctive badge (or hat, or sash) so that they could be recognized as Jewish, to prevent mixing. The color was usually yellow, but sometimes white or red-and-white; and usually a circle. It was never a Star of David.
This practice was eliminated by the end of the 18th century, only to be revived by the Nazis. They preserved the custom of the yellow color, using different shapes in different places; apparently the Star of David was most common; it is of course the yellow Star of David which has come to symbolize Jewish victimization by the Nazis.
Now, in our perfect storm of Islamist terrorism, Christian nationalist extremism, and anger at Israel’s messianic violence, some Jews accustomed to declaring their identity through their dress are wondering if it is worth the risk.
In 2005, an orange Star of David badge was adopted as the symbol of the resistance to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, and the dismantling of the settlements there. It is not clear why orange was the color; the Star of David badge seems to have been a historical hint expressing the resisters’ feeling of victimhood: being ousted from their homeland by an evil power.
That victimhood symbolism was certainly the message of Israel’s UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, when he wore a yellow Star of David badge to the General Assembly after October 7 2023, implying that Hamas’ brutal attack and the UN’s perceived both-sides-ism echoed events and reactions from the Holocaust era.
Meanwhile, in 1973, Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, based on a Civil War story about a returning soldier asking his girlfriend to tie a yellow kerchief in front of the house if she was still waiting for him, became a huge hit, and inspired the use of yellow ribbons as symbols of support for the US hostages in Iran in 1979-81. In the 1991 Iraq war, in the United States, yellow ribbons became a ubiquitous symbol of support for the troops, but not necessarily for the war itself. This dichotomy led to a number of local conflicts: Could one support the troops without supporting the war? Could one even support the troops by opposing the war? Ribbons were hung everywhere – and here and there they were angrily torn down, or prohibited. And of course they were coopted by commercial interests.
It seems that the yellow ribbon as a symbol of support for hostages and/or troops abroad became universally recognized, so it was not surprising that soon after October 7 2023, the yellow ribbon became the symbol of support for Israel’s hostages in Gaza. And so the country was festooned in yellow ribbon loops, from jewelry to bumper stickers to projections on skyscrapers. Also unsurprisingly, the meaning of the symbol was ambiguous. Merely a non-political expression of support for the families of the hostages? Or a symbol of protest against the government’s apparent policy of rejecting proposed deals for freeing the hostages? The ribbon “tried” to be a universal, human, uniting symbol – but it was impossible to keep it from sliding into the political struggle and serving as – and/or being seen as – a symbol of resistance. So while the country was practically painted yellow for two years, there were still incidents of ribbons and flags being vandalized. The Prime Minister wore a ribbon lapel pin; but not all the ministers in his government did so.
Now that all the hostages have been returned except for the remains of one, Ron Gvili, the banners are fading and the yellow flags fraying, and the magnets are being put in the drawer.
A few weeks ago, Israel’s Minister of National Security (head of the “Jewish Power” party), Itamar Ben-Gvir, came to the Knesset to advocate for a proposed law that would require the death penalty, with no appeal, for terrorists who kill Jews (but not for those who kill gentiles). To date, Israel does not have a death penalty law; the only person ever executed (judicially), a special case, was Adolph Eichmann. The minister arrived wearing a yellow lapel pin in the form of a noose, both mocking the yellow ribbon loop and borrowing another cultural symbol from the United States’ experience: the noose is a well-recognized and chilling symbol of racist lynchings, which still carries great emotional weight. But all’s well: Itamar Ben-Gvir wears blue fringes.
