Women covering the head, shoulders, knees and...toes?

With Jews, Muslims and Christians all in one crazy city, when we first came here I used to wonder, "should I be wearing a head covering?" But there is no law (as there might be in a Muslim city/country) saying what I have to wear, and what I do wear may actually speak volumes on what I believe.

For the woman wearing a hijab, obviously Muslim. I am no expert, but a nice head covering but showing the neck (and wearing sleeves past her elbows and a skirt), is probably a kind of orthodox Jew. Another orthodox covering is a wig. I have become pretty good at recognizing these wigs by the similar hair cut (neck to just touching shoulder length, slightly layered at the face, probably no bangs, and usually a dark brown color - this is the style right now). These orthodox women shave their heads and the wigs are their head coverings (and are probably wearing long sleeves, dark skirts, and maybe stockings to cover their ankles). For Jewish women, covering their head is something they do when they get married.

A kippah for Jewish women seems to be a whole different story. I've only seen one woman wear a kippah. She's an unmarried student here at the university (from the States), and I think she is either Reformed Jewish or Conservative Jewish (keep in mind that the words "Reformed" and "Conservative" have very different meanings in Judaism). Here in Israel she gets asked often if she's a boy. I've also heard that some feminist Jews encourage female Jews to wear kippahs.

But what about me? When I cover my head its with a hat to keep out the sun (which usually identifies me as a tourist!), otherwise an uncovered woman here will probably be seen as a secular Jew, an unmarried religious Jew if dressing very modestly,  or a Christian. It also depends on where I am at the moment. In the West Bank its pretty easy to see who is a Christian woman as the hijab is very popular for Muslims right now.

I do try make sure I am respectful and modestly dressed according to specific areas of the city. In the old city, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall (Kotel), and the Temple Mount all have dress requirements and I can satisfy them all by covering my shoulders and wearing a skirt that covers the knees. Although I tend to cover the elbows and wear a skirt that goes down to the ankles if I am visiting these sites. In East Jerusalem and Arab neighborhoods I make sure I cover my shoulders, and if I ever go to Mea Shearim (I haven't been inside this neighborhood except on a bus), I'll be wearing long sleeves, a long skirt, and covering my collar bone because of their specific dress code.

By the way, different religious folks may have requirements for the feet, but I've yet to hear of anyone being offended of my showing off of the toes.

Nails and pedi by sister-in-law Crystal