Manhattan, NY – A man has invented what he calls the “yamulkap,” a yarmulke with a brim like a baseball cap so religious men can get some shade.
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Seth Mosler, 59, who is Jewish but not strictly observant, was walking through Central Park two summers ago when inspiration struck near the Great Lawn’s ballfields.
He saw Orthodox kids throwing frisbees and tossing softballs, all wearing yarmulkes that offered no shade from the sun.
“I noticed they were hot and getting sunburned,” said Mosler, a charter school business manager who lives on the upper East Side. There must be a way to wear a yarmulke and sun-shading brim at the same time, Mosler said he thought.
He cut up an old baseball cap as a prototype, then searched for a manufacturer.
“It could be a trendy thing to wear, but I think it will probably appeal to people who are already wearing yarmulkes,” Mosler said. “Hopefully, word of mouth will get it going.”
To make sure that the cap met religious standards, he consulted with two rabbis, one Orthodox and the other conservative. Both gave him the go-ahead.
“When you’re talking about yarmulkes, you are talking about thousands of years of tradition,” Mosler said. “But this has a practical purpose.”
The yamulkap business has been a family affair. Mosler’s 28-year-old daughter, Rachel, and her boyfriend, Nick, helped set up his Web site, www.yamulkap.com.
Mosler began selling the caps for $12.99 online about two months ago and has sold about two dozen so far, he said.
Reviews around the city were mixed. Manhattan mom Lea Haron said she thought the yamulkap was a little silly, since religious rules say wearing a baseball cap is fine, just so one’s head is covered.
“I feel bad,” Haron said. “I hope he didn’t put too much money into it.”
But others thought that the invention was great.
“It’s a cute idea. For kids, it’s wonderful, I think,” said upper West Side Orthodox mom Chassida Landy, 32, as she tried the cap on 6-year-old son, Tzvi.
Landy said Tzvi’s yarmulke can get in the way when he plays baseball or tag in Riverside Park.
“Sometimes when you play sports, it always falls off,” she said. “It’s just not comfortable; sometimes it slips.”
Moslem women take note: “Burqa-Cap can not be far behind.
First glance, I though many orthodox kids were baseball caps on top of their kipa. It doesn’t hurt what he is doing. The price of it is definitely a good deal.
It is the style that makes it seem a little outdated if made incorrectly. It just looks like someone took a visor and a kipa and added a few pieces of cloth to hold it together. Then again it would be nice to put on the elderly man and kids and protect them from rays.
I think if he revamps this baseball cap it could look kind of nice. Perhaps if the attachments came based on hair color. black, brown and blonde to disguise the attachment.
Lets say, you have the attachment strap as Velcro or snapped in, then it would be removable straps. That way this invention would be multi-purpose-ful. I sew so ofcourse I like this idea. If the strap were also removable, you would then have three ways of wearing it, As a visor, As a kipa alone, or as a Kosher Ball cap.
The ugliest thing I have ever seen,I have trouble believing he sold a dozen of these things
Ummmm…..Am I missing something? What’s wrong with wearing a baseball cap as a head covering when you’re playing ball?
“To make sure the caps met religious standards”
What standards exactly?
i wish him much hatzlacha
great for bald men ! why not just wear a reg cap?
stupid invention
Only by a freir who somehow is misled into thinking there is something holy about a yarmulke and needs to build a frame around it. A reg cap does fine. Meshugga, mitorof.
Another person trying to make a fast buck. Silly idea.
If he has any hopes of the frum velt buying his caps, they MUST be black.
He meant well but should have done more research before investing $$$$$$.
I guess it’s good for a laugh or shtick… When will we be seeing it at Tuvias ?
The major drawback is that the top of your head is not in the shade. For those with thinning or no hair on top, the problem of sunburns still exists. What is the issue with a baseball cap anyway????
I always wear caps. In my line of work, it’s not always safe to wear a kippa. kind of makes you a target. If only some guy like Mr. Mosler, would make comfortable, lightweight for Summer, heavy for winter, baseball type caps, without emblems, messages, etc. They should come in a few colors.
I need a cap with a “loch” “Vie a loch in kup!”
Many of the chashuve rabbonim wear baseball hats in the summer, especially at the beach or when they go to the mountains so I think this guy is simply trying to reinvent the wheel.
Agreed the need a bigger kippa for bold people like me.
another brilliant idea by an uneducated person.
Well, ya gotta start somewhere. Maybe he’s gonna parlay the publicity he gets from this, into something bigger.
This is a great invention for the frum traveller who wear baseball caps (especially in airports and planes) , who don’t want to stick out. They will never guess you are a jew now!
How foolish. Either wear a baseball cap or a visor and a yarmulka. I guess he just has a need to try to build a better mouse trap. I guess he never heard of not bothering to fix something that isn’t broken.
hey come on its a cute idea don’t knock it 🙂
Great! Now I can wear my baseball cap and Tefillin Shel Rosh at the same time.
Ummm…wasn’t the visor invented in the 1960s or earlier? This is nothing new.
What a maroon. Search the internet for ‘tennis visor’ and ‘ kippah clip.’ I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a goofy thing like that .
Sounds like this “inventor” has been sitting out in the sun too long himself to come up with a stupid “idea” like this!
Hey, Seth. I wear a Streimel. Can you make something like this, with the center of the strimel cut out? lol
This guy has a yiddishe Kop. He is trying to make some money, creating a “need” in the market & trying to fill it by selling something. Shame he isn’t a bit more educated / done his research to find that it wont really sell. Good luck to him.
This ingenious combination baseball cap/yarmulke was designed by a Brooklynite to simultaneously shield both the face and souls of Chosen Ones, because if God’s not burning his eyes, why should you your forehead.
Schlep over to Yamulkap.com and get ready for your next outdoor bar mitzvah.