Wearing a religious head coverings

[Quizlet04]

How do people handle this during school? Will I get pushback if, as a female, I start wearing a kippah? Most Jewish women do not wear kippot, though it is technically not forbidden. My branch of Judaism permits it and I am feeling closer to my faith, especially as I study for Step 1 (mostly kidding). However, more traditional Jews might seriously object and I worry about challenges as to my motives or my religion.

I am prepared to talk about my religious restrictions, which I have chosen to limit to diet. I will practice on Friday and Saturday because I am putting my patients first. I am worried about putting people off or causing people to get angsty. No one gives the hijab-wearing students at school any problems but I'm probably much rarer.

Or it could be a non-issue, in which case, keep on kippah on.

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[emergencycat]

How do people handle this during school? Will I get pushback if, as a female, I start wearing a kippah? Most Jewish women do not wear kippot, though it is technically not forbidden. My branch of Judaism permits it and I am feeling closer to my faith, especially as I study for Step 1 (mostly kidding). However, more traditional Jews might seriously object and I worry about challenges as to my motives or my religion.

I am prepared to talk about my religious restrictions, which I have chosen to limit to diet. I will practice on Friday and Saturday because I am putting my patients first. I am worried about putting people off or causing people to get angsty. No one gives the hijab-wearing students at school any problems but I'm probably much rarer.

Or it could be a non-issue, in which case, keep on kippah on.

If you're in the US, you're protected by the First Amendment, and beyond that, I don't think anyone will care. It's very much your choice and your freedom to do so, don't worry so much.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Have got to say this is fairly unconventional from my own observation. But hey, its a free country.

 

[DokterMom]

I can't imagine anything that is less anybody else's business than your personal religious self-expression. I'd come up with three standard answers -- super-short [and perhaps borderline snarky] for intrusive or snarky comments, short but very polite for polite questions, and a longer explanation for the genuinely curious.

 

[WingedOx]

Have got to say this is fairly unconventional from my own observation. But hey, its a free country.

Kippahs, Hijabs, full Jewish orthodox dress code including wearing skirts over cadaver lab scrubs... we see it all.

 

[Rumor13]

How do people handle this during school? Will I get pushback if, as a female, I start wearing a kippah? Most Jewish women do not wear kippot, though it is technically not forbidden. My branch of Judaism permits it and I am feeling closer to my faith, especially as I study for Step 1 (mostly kidding). However, more traditional Jews might seriously object and I worry about challenges as to my motives or my religion.

I am prepared to talk about my religious restrictions, which I have chosen to limit to diet. I will practice on Friday and Saturday because I am putting my patients first. I am worried about putting people off or causing people to get angsty. No one gives the hijab-wearing students at school any problems but I'm probably much rarer.

Or it could be a non-issue, in which case, keep on kippah on.

I have classmates who regularly wear religious attire. Your classmates won't care in the least and your professors and clinical instructors also won't care, and even if they did, they would never say anything to you because challenging a student's religious dress is a guaranteed way to get written up or outright fired depending on their seniority.

As for patients, if someone is in a bad mood, they will find literally anything they can to take their negative feelings out on you. It's just the way it is. If it is important to you and your beliefs, wear it proudly. You need not explain your religious customs to others unless you feel so inclined.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Kippahs, Hijabs, full Jewish orthodox dress code including wearing skirts over cadaver lab scrubs... we see it all.

How do they keep it clean from the smell? Washed often i hope?

 

[Keladry]

How do people handle this during school? Will I get pushback if, as a female, I start wearing a kippah? Most Jewish women do not wear kippot, though it is technically not forbidden. My branch of Judaism permits it and I am feeling closer to my faith, especially as I study for Step 1 (mostly kidding). However, more traditional Jews might seriously object and I worry about challenges as to my motives or my religion.

As a Reform Jew myself, I can see this is as the biggest possible issue - Orthodox Jews may disagree with you, or just be confused. If you want to have a discussion with them, great! If not, it's your body, and your religion, and your interpretation of Judaism, which is equally valid, and you don't have to justify it to others, even if they might want you to.

Good luck!

 

[Goro]

You should inquire into the Touro- or Albert Einstein school-specific forums, and see what their Orthodox students say.

I really doubt that it would be a problem, except maybe at MCG. Right @familyaerospace?

How do people handle this during school? Will I get pushback if, as a female, I start wearing a kippah? Most Jewish women do not wear kippot, though it is technically not forbidden. My branch of Judaism permits it and I am feeling closer to my faith, especially as I study for Step 1 (mostly kidding). However, more traditional Jews might seriously object and I worry about challenges as to my motives or my religion.

I am prepared to talk about my religious restrictions, which I have chosen to limit to diet. I will practice on Friday and Saturday because I am putting my patients first. I am worried about putting people off or causing people to get angsty. No one gives the hijab-wearing students at school any problems but I'm probably much rarer.

Or it could be a non-issue, in which case, keep on kippah on.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

You should inquire into the Touro- or Albert Einstein school-specific forums, and see what their Orthodox students say.

I really doubt that it would be a problem, except maybe at MCG. Right @familyaerospace?

One of Einstein's affiliate hospitals, Maimonides Medical Center, has a lot of Jewish people on their medicine staff. Seemed like half the male doctors there wore the kippah. Also, all their meals are kosher and they have a Shabbos program as well.

Anyway, I really do not foresee anything happening to you if you keep the kippah on. I've been to many other hospitals during the interview season where I saw residents and attendings alike wear it.

 

[Quizlet04]

Thank you for the comments. I am a little nervous and at the same time somewhat grateful to be in a place where, well, most of my neighbors are relatively bland Midwesterners who know nothing about Judaism and won't give me a hard time. A few students have commented but most haven't cared, which is what I'm going for.

 

[familyaerospace]

You should inquire into the Touro- or Albert Einstein school-specific forums, and see what their Orthodox students say.

I really doubt that it would be a problem, except maybe at MCG. Right @familyaerospace?

I told the class dean about the kippah early on and she was fine with it. Only the students seemed to have an issue with the kippah to which I told them to take it up with the class dean or the vice dean.

Our vice dean is a religious Jew and he doesn't wear it though. He is probably smart.

I assume it would be fine for women as well, although my co-religionists at MCG are too busy being ashamed of being Jewish that I was the only one in the class that admitted to being Jewish. Even the FFB Orthodox one doesn't which it is probably smart to do as one can be targeted easily for it. I had one week where anti-Semitic things were said to me on three separate occasions and they were all affiliated with MCG and two were on the campus directly (one was by staff).

I willingly gave up my tzitzit which was probably a very bad idea though. I should go back to wearing it even if I have to tuck them in. I'm a little overly proud to be a Jew.

Keeping kosher is really difficult at school events and everything is on Shabbat which I try not to violate.

I do recommend listening to Goro to go to a Jewish school if possible just to make it easy on you.

 

[Favoritefarm]

you should stay true to your beliefs. the only problem is if you continually have to forego your obligations as a med student for your religious beliefs - then people will have issues, in my opinion

 

[Mad Jack]

I've got a classmate that wears a headscarf for religious reasons. No one cares or judges her in the slightest, it's totally fine. I've worked with attendings and medical students in the past that wore everything from kippahs to turbans, it's all good.

 

[familyaerospace]

However, more traditional Jews might seriously object and I worry about challenges as to my motives or my religion.

As a Reform Jew myself, I can see this is as the biggest possible issue - Orthodox Jews may disagree with you, or just be confused.

As an FYI, I am a yeshiva-educated Jew who hangs out with a lot of kippah-wearing women as I hang out with a lot of Reform Jews, but I practice very traditional Judaism and became a BT and now practice Orthodox Judaism. Many Reform Jews make fun of my tzitzit and kippot and my tefillin, but yet no Orthodox person I know has made fun of Reform. I was nearly lynched at a Reform shul that I pay dues to because I came into a gathering looking fully Hassidic. Since I am a BT that is a common look for me. (I calmed down a little for medical school!)

If I can speak for Orthodox Judaism for a second because it seems that I always have to be the bridge between Orthodox and Reform since everyone seems to think they know what the other is thinking. I personally have yet to meet an Orthodox person who was confused at liberal Jewish women wearing kippot. So I do not understand why we would be confused. Orthodox and Reform are not really required to agree on anything outside of HaShem and the Torah. Do all mitzvot, only do some, don't do them, it doesn't really affect me since that is between you and HaShem and that is how it should be based on the Torah and Talmud. All I can do is encourage the keeping of mitzvot and keeping whatever your community's minhagim are. If your minhag is to wear a kippah, go for it. If you are worried about the fact that Orthodox Jews would consider it a "male garment," that is not something to be worried about as there are kippot that are more feminine and more masculine. The same applies to tallitot with it being considered male or female based on what the average person would think when seeing the garment (or kippah) as to who the owner is. I have a kippah that is traditionally more feminine for Purim while the others tend to be dark leather and such with my favourite being a woven multi-coloured one. I know women who wear feminine tallitot so there is no mistaking it for being a man's garment.

Also remember in Orthodoxy, women cover their heads upon marriage by custom. Ballcap, wig, nice hat, really big feminine style kippot like things, whatever. Covering one's head outside of prayer is minhag not halacha so they cannot say anything to you about it.

I do apologize on behalf of the Orthodoxy if you have in the past met Orthodox Jews who were rude or made comments about your kippah as that is not something that should have been done especially since it is your personal minhag. They are no more correct than if they got on me for my milk/meat wait time of 72 minutes. (Dutch Jew).

 

[Keladry]

As an FYI, I am a yeshiva-educated Jew who hangs out with a lot of kippah-wearing women as I hang out with a lot of Reform Jews, but I practice very traditional Judaism and became a BT and now practice Orthodox Judaism. Many Reform Jews make fun of my tzitzit and kippot and my tefillin, but yet no Orthodox person I know has made fun of Reform. I was nearly lynched at a Reform shul that I pay dues to because I came into a gathering looking fully Hassidic. Since I am a BT that is a common look for me. (I calmed down a little for medical school!)

If I can speak for Orthodox Judaism for a second because it seems that I always have to be the bridge between Orthodox and Reform since everyone seems to think they know what the other is thinking. I personally have yet to meet an Orthodox person who was confused at liberal Jewish women wearing kippot. So I do not understand why we would be confused. Orthodox and Reform are not really required to agree on anything outside of HaShem and the Torah. Do all mitzvot, only do some, don't do them, it doesn't really affect me since that is between you and HaShem and that is how it should be based on the Torah and Talmud. All I can do is encourage the keeping of mitzvot and keeping whatever your community's minhagim are. If your minhag is to wear a kippah, go for it. If you are worried about the fact that Orthodox Jews would consider it a "male garment," that is not something to be worried about as there are kippot that are more feminine and more masculine. The same applies to tallitot with it being considered male or female based on what the average person would think when seeing the garment (or kippah) as to who the owner is. I have a kippah that is traditionally more feminine for Purim while the others tend to be dark leather and such with my favourite being a woven multi-coloured one. I know women who wear feminine tallitot so there is no mistaking it for being a man's garment.

Also remember in Orthodoxy, women cover their heads upon marriage by custom. Ballcap, wig, nice hat, really big feminine style kippot like things, whatever. Covering one's head outside of prayer is minhag not halacha so they cannot say anything to you about it.

I do apologize on behalf of the Orthodoxy if you have in the past met Orthodox Jews who were rude or made comments about your kippah as that is not something that should have been done especially since it is your personal minhag. They are no more correct than if they got on me for my milk/meat wait time of 72 minutes. (Dutch Jew).

I do appreciate this - I don't usually wear a kippah, but I have faced criticism from Orthodox Jews for how I practice Judaism. Then again, I've faced criticism from Conservative & other Reform Jews too, so hey. 99.9% of the Orthodox Jews I know (and all the ones I interact with regularly) do respect my way of practicing my religion, though, and I didn't mean to imply otherwise.

 

[bc65]

So far as I have been able to determine, the custom of Jewish men covering their heads only dates back about 1,000 years or so. It's a custom, not a requirement. Even then, it was originally only done during prayer, and any head covering is sufficient. When the custom was extended to full time head covering, the kippah, aka yarmulkah, was utilized for those times when a hat wasn't worn, but any head covering would do. For some Orthodox married women, the custom is to completely cover the hair. So while I respect your religious fervor, it seems to me that there's really no religious reason for you to wear a partial head covering outside of prayer times. Sure, you can probably do it if you want to, but honestly, it's not fulfilling a religious requirement, so it ends up being a political statement of some sort, especially since you could probably wear some other sort of head covering if simply covering your head was the goal. Given that this is a symbol that almost no one will understand, you will just end up appearing eccentric or peculiar to most people, both Jewish and non-Jewish. If you want to publicly declare your religious affiliation, just wear a necklace with a six-pointed star on it ( another symbol dating to the middle ages, by the way).

 

[WingedOx]

So far as I have been able to determine, the custom of Jewish men covering their heads only dates back about 1,000 years or so. It's a custom, not a requirement. Even then, it was originally only done during prayer, and any head covering is sufficient. When the custom was extended to full time head covering, the kippah, aka yarmulkah, was utilized for those times when a hat wasn't worn, but any head covering would do. For some Orthodox married women, the custom is to completely cover the hair. So while I respect your religious fervor, it seems to me that there's really no religious reason for you to wear a partial head covering outside of prayer times. Sure, you can probably do it if you want to, but honestly, it's not fulfilling a religious requirement, so it ends up being a political statement of some sort, especially since you could probably wear some other sort of head covering if simply covering your head was the goal. Given that this is a symbol that almost no one will understand, you will just end up appearing eccentric or peculiar to most people, both Jewish and non-Jewish. If you want to publicly declare your religious affiliation, just wear a necklace with a six-pointed star on it ( another symbol dating to the middle ages, by the way).

I'm glad you've decided to become an expert on what particular individuals should or shouldn't do with regard to their own personal religious practices.

 

[bc65]

I'm glad you've decided to become an expert on what particular individuals should or shouldn't do with regard to their own personal religious practices.

Anyone can do what they want, but my point was that it's precisely a "personal practice". No branch of any religion mandates that behavior, so it's purely a personal choice. It's no more a requirement than someone wearing a large cross or Star of David on their white coat. It might reflect your beliefs but it's not mandated by any religion. However, a woman in a hijab or man with head covering or beard is mandated by some religious practices, and therefor should be treated differently. Otherwise, everyone could take the day off for Festivus. ( for those who don't know what that is, google it)

 

[Cytarabine]

One of my classmates wore a hijab. I would bet good money she experienced some derogatory statements from patients, but I never heard a word about it from another classmate

 

[bc65]

One of my classmates wore a hijab. I would bet good money she experienced some derogatory statements from patients, but I never heard a word about it from another classmate

The supreme court recently sided in favor of a young woman who was rejected as an employee by Abercrombie and Fitch because she wore a hijab. That's clearly protected in some contexts. On the other hand, the military routinely denies beards and special head coverings, citing unit cohesion, discipline, and fitting of gas masks, although I believe they recently allowed special permission for two chaplains to wear beards ( I think one Muslim and one Jewish ) and for a dentist to have one ( Sikh, I believe). Tolerance of many religious practices is protected under law, but deciding what does and does not merits legal protection under the law and the constitution is apparently still contentious.

 

[DrMikeP]

Not a problem at my hospital or university, as long as its not something religious that directly interferes with your ability to perform you duties.

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