The wider acceptance of wearing a cloth, satin or velvet kippah indoors began around the 18th century and today the wearing of a skullcap has been largely adopted and integrated into most strands of the Jewish tradition. Newman and Sivan attribute the origins of the knitted or crocheted skullcap (also known as a kippah serugah) to students of the religious Zionist Bnei Akiva youth movement that was based in the State of Israel. From 1948 onwards this type the knitted kippah has become increasingly popular in many Diaspora communities, especially among those Jews who seek to combine modern living with Jewish tradition.

Today the wearing of a kippah appears to be in serious decline and, especially among the new young and trendy Jews, seriously out of fashion. When I was in my late teens I remember feeling embarrassed to be seen wearing my skullcap particularly outside the Jewish community. At the first moment possible, when I was in a place where few Jews (or no Jews who would recognise me) lived, I would subtly slip the material off my head and into my pocket. The kippah hindered my confidence around the secular world but the second my head became bare I felt my confidence instantly return to me. Today I questioned the reasons and motive behind this action and the associated feelings that they induced and realise that they reflected my own insecurities about my identity as well as a lack of understanding as to the positive that can be yielded from wearing a kippah.

One of the largest problems that we as individual human-beings face is loneliness; the feeling that we stand by ourselves, disconnected from the other people that fill the world. The kippah helps break down this isolation by showing us that we have shared values and a history that is connected with others. Wearing a kippah represents a series of flexible yet related interests that I have with a variety of people from backgrounds both similar and vastly different to my own. The kippah is similar to wearing the football shirt of your favourite team. It affects the wearer on two levels: firstly, it gives them a sense of pride and secondly it translates this feeling into a symbol that can be recognised by other supporters of the same team. Though the football shirt singles out the individual as rooting for a specific team it does not remove the wearer from being part of a larger system. Issues that impact the rules and regulations of football are felt by all supporters regardless of their team. It is the same with the kippah. I do not wear a skullcap to separate myself from the rest of humanity but to remind myself that I proudly stand for certain values and a particular goal. The stronger we relate to and understand the goal of Judaism in the modern world to be, the prouder we feel to wear a kippah. If the rabbis of the Talmud understood covering ones head to be a reminder of the presence of God than perhaps today we can also understand the kippah to act as a reminder that the world is bigger than merely our own individual needs and wants.

Like the yellow rubber wristbands that were so popular just a few years ago, the kippah reminds me to take into account the concerns and needs of those who I share the world with and in doing this, helps me to create proactive relationships. Leading on from this, the kippah also prompts me to conduct my behaviour in a manner befitting these ideals. I am easily identifiable as a Jew when I wear my kippah and this means that the people around me may judge any negative behaviour that I perform as being reflective on all Jewish behaviour. Similarly, when I behave in a way that exceeds society’s expectations of good behaviour the reputation of the kippah, and perception of the Jewish people goes up in the world. The easy option is to take the kippah off every time you are about to commit a bad deed and put it on just before you are about to perform a good act, but this is just cheating your self-development as a strong, moral character.

I would like to end with the statement that “kippot can be trendy!” Search online, Google your local Judaica shop, or find a friend who can knit and you will find that there is almost no limitation to the potential styling’s of your headgear. My personal collection includes a kippah that glows in the dark whilst reading ‘Save Darfur,’ a small white and blue kippah with psychedelic swirls, and a large plain black kippah for smarter occasions. Don’t limit your collection to one or two and don’t be afraid to mix and match. If the trend catches on it will only be a short wait till Abercrombie & Fitch launch their first ‘Kippah Kollection’. The kippah has the potential to be so much more than just an outdated tradition, rather it can transform the way we behave and help us build stronger relationships with those around us.