Ethnic Costumes
Jews of Ethiopia, Kurdistan and Salonika
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Issue: February 1997 Artist: A. Vanooijen Size: 40mm x 25.7mm Plate #: 306 Sheet of 15 stamps Tabs: 5 Printers: E. Lewin - Epstein Ltd. Printing Method: offset |
or many years, knowledge of the existence of Jews in Ethiopia was based
entirely on rumors. Only in the mid-19th century did contacts begin between Jewish emissaries from Europe and Ethiopian Jewry. The Ethiopian Disapora is on the verge of extinction: the Jews have been arriving in Israel since the end of the 1970's, mostly within the framework of an impressive series of operations: Operation Queen of Sheba, Operation Moses and most recently, 1991's Operation Solomon.
Weaving was one of the mainstays of Jewish life in Ethiopia, and Ethiopian Jewry's impressive traditional garb, which they wore upon their arrival in Israel, has ancient roots. It is identical to that worn in the high plateau regions of Tigari and Gondar, the seats of authority of the ancient Ethiopian kingdoms. The outfit was sewn from white cotton fabric woven on a portable loom.
An important item, common to both men's and women's attire, was the outer wrapping known as the "shamma", consisting of a rectangular cloth covering the shoulders.
The women's traditional garb also included a long and wide dress decorated with a multi-colored strip of embroidery running down the center from the neck opening. The strip ended in a beautiful and complicated pattern of a cross, and an identical pattern was embroidered on the back of the dress. In recent times, this pattern has been replaced by the Star of David, which is used to decorate other objects as well, such as pottery and gourds.
An additional item of clothing was the belt, comprised of a band of fabric with a colorful edging.
Traditional garb played an important part in the culture of Ethiopian Jewry. Even today in Israel -- especially during ceremonies -- the men can be observed wearing the "shamma" over their modern garb, while the women don their embroidered dresses.
Ora Shwartz-Be'eri
Jews of Kurdistan
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Issue: February 1997 Artist: A. Vanooijen Size: 40mm x 25.7mm Plate #: 307 Sheet of 15 stamps Tabs: 5 Printers: E. Lewin - Epstein Ltd. Printing Method: offset |
he Jews of Kurdistan lived in the lofty Zagrot mountains, in an area divided today among five countries: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia. By their account, they are descended from the Ten Tribes exiled from the Land of Israel and are known as "Those Lost from the Land of Assyria." They have, in fact, preserved many ancient customs, and many still speak Aramaic.
They were master weavers and dyers, creating spectacular woollen fabrics in multiple colors and patterns. The fabric for the men's clothing was made from goats' hair, for women's, uncultivated silk.
The women were the weavers and sewers. They would wash and comb the shorn wool and spin from it dozens of meters of thin thread, from which they wove the fabric for a single suit of clothes. After weaving the fabric, they would sew and embroider the clothing.
The men typically dressed in an outfit consisting of two main parts: long and wide pants, and a long-sleeved open-front jacket over a a white cotton short and a short vest. Around the waist they wrapped a long and wide strip of cloth woven from silk or cotton, which also served to hold the outfit together. On their heads they wore a skullcap which they wrapped in a scarf. In cold areas they would also wear a wide woollen coat.
To this day, some fifty years after the ingathering of this Diaspora, the older people of the community can be seen walking about in original outfits. Dance troupes of Kurdish extract perform in traditional costumes, helping to preserve the community's sartorial heritage.
Ora Shwartz-Be'eri
Salonika
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Issue: February 1997 Artist: A. Vanooijen Size: 40mm x 25.7mm Plate #: 308 Sheet of 15 stamps Tabs: 5 Printers: E. Lewin - Epstein Ltd. Printing Method: offset |
he Jewish community of Salonika was established mainly by the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, who arrived there after their expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1496.
The community of Salonika became a prominent Jewish center in the Ottoman Empire, its culture shaped mainly by the Sephardi heritage. The Jews of Salonika engaged in trade, banking, the tobacco and the textile industries, and specialized in weaving woollen textiles used by the Ottoman army.
They were also involved in a variety of trades related to the port of Salonika, ranging from porterage to the ownership and leasing of seacraft. By the end of the 19th century, the community had greatly expanded to number some 75,000 people, conferring on the city a Jewish character and a Jewish nickname: the Balkan's Jerusalem.
In WWII, the community was destroyed. The Jews were transported by the Nazis to concentration camps, where most of them perished.
The traditional costume of the Jewish women of Salonika was highly distinctive, making them easily identifiable among the city's population. This dress integrated elements from the Greek folk costume, the Ottoman costume and possibly even remnants of the Spanish. The whole outfit is called Kofya, after the special headgear which was the Jewish woman's most characteristic feature. This headgear consisted of several caps and scarves covering the woman's hair and gathering it into a snood. The snood was decorated with an embroidered panel bearing an amuletic significance.
The costume included two patterned silk coat dresses, worn one on top of the other, both with a deep decolletage. The breast was covered by a fine lace dicky, and a decorative silk apron completed the costume. At an earlier stage, the outfit also included wide baggy "sharwal" trousers and a chemise. This costume continued to be worn by some members of the Jewish community into the 1930's.
Esther Juhasz
