Page 59 - HaMizrachi #33 Sukkot 2021 USA

The father of the kippah srugah generation: Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriah. (PHOTO: ZVIKI EIGNER)

After Gush Etzion fell in the War of figures of Religious Zionism, were the Akiva building in Tel Aviv, and Rabbi
Independence, we set up the yishuv of rabbis who officiated at their chuppah. Neriah, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat
Ein Tzurim in the Judean hills.” (Editor’s Kfar HaRoeh, came in. He saw my knit-
note: When Israel reconquered Gush In those early years of the state, the ted kippah and asked if Pninah could
Etzion in 1967, Ein Tzurim was re-es- country was different from the Israel make one for him too. Pninah agreed,
tablished there.) we know today, including its dress and Rabbi Neriah replaced the black
norms. “The fashion was that in the
Pninah is also originally from Tel cities men wore berets, and in the Kib- kippah he had worn with the knitted
Aviv, and she tells us the story of the butzim men wore flat caps,” Ovadiah kippah Pninah made for him. After
first kippah srugah. “It all began in the remembers. that, all of the Religious Zionist youth
Bnei Akiva branch in Tel Aviv, where started to wear the knitted kippah.
some of the madrichot would regularly In 1956, Ovadiah worked for the Youth Rabbi Neriah is often called ‘the father
embroider clothes together. I was one Aliyah Department of Bnei Akiva. of the kippah srugah generation,’ and
of the knitters, and some of us tried Pninah knitted a kippah for him, this this is true not only in the ideological
crocheting kippot, one of which I gave time a large one, and without the sense but in practical terms too.”
to Ovadiah. The original design had a pompom! This new kippah started to In this way, the trend was born, and
pom-pom on top – needless to say, that become popular among religious men, from humble origins, the kippah srugah
design did not take off!” and more women began crocheting has grown to become the symbol of a
kippot. movement.
Pninah and Ovadiah got married in
1950 and recently celebrated their 71st Ovadiah recalls when kippah srugah
wedding anniversary together with went from the fringes to the main-
their three children and many grand- stream due to one of the leading
children. Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriah and Religious Zionists of the time, Rabbi Haggai Huberman is an Israeli journalist and
Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli, two of the leading Neriah. “One day, I was at the Bnei author, and the editor of Matzav HaRuach.

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