Bobov, Lelov, Sanz, Nadvorna, Erlau, Shomrei Emunim, Seret Vizhnitz, and 7 other Hasidic groups order: Young boys should wear flat caps only

Several Chasidic sects in Israel have instructed parents to buy young teenagers flat caps instead of fedoras.

In a letter sent to parents of students in 15 haredi schools, the institutions' management instructed that beginning at the start of the next school year, young teens must come to school wearing flat caps only.

Among the hasidic sects to make the change are Bobov, Lelov, Sanz, Nadvorna, Erlau, Shomrei Emunim, Seret Vizhnitz, and others.

"Preserving the Jewish dress which has been accepted for generations was one of the foundations of the ways of behavior in hasidic communities for generations," the official letter to the parents read. "As part of this, it was customary among hasidim in previous generations that the young married men and the boys would wear a wide hat on their heads, or a small hat called a 'kasket' (flat cap - ed.)."

"The common denominator between these two types of hats is that they showed that the wearer was one of the hasidic community and one who fears G-d. It is true that since the Second World War, since this has become more common, the custom is to wear a wide hat, and the number of those who wear the flat cap has diminished."

"As those who merit to stand at the head of the educational systems, we have learned from experience that while older teens know how to take care of their hats for several years, the boys who are still in their bar mitzvah year, within the walls of the school, have a hard time taking proper care of their hats. And so in many cases, just a few months after the bar mitzvah, the hat is no longer usable, and the parents are forced to buy a new hat for a high sum of money."