JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A group of Chabad women in Israel is urging rabbinical intervention after the price of some premium sheitels, or wigs worn by many married Orthodox Jewish women, climbed to as much as 48,000 shekels (about $16,000), arguing that the cost of what they consider a religious necessity has become unaffordable for many families.
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The campaign is being led by attorney Nechama Tzivin of Kfar Chabad, who filed a petition last month with the Beis Din Rabbonei Chabad in Israel seeking rabbinical review of sheitel pricing. According to the Israeli Hebrew-language newspaper Yated Ne’eman, Tzivin is asking the court to determine whether Jewish law permits establishing pricing guidelines for an item she argues has become an essential religious expense for many married women.
Tzivin said Chabad has long encouraged married women to cover their hair with a sheitel, citing the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. She argues that because demand is largely driven by religious observance, consumers have little choice but to pay rapidly increasing prices.
According to the petition, premium sheitels that once sold for only a few thousand shekels now commonly cost around 30,000 shekels (about $10,000), while the most expensive models can reach 48,000 shekels. Tzivin said the goal is not to prevent manufacturers from earning a profit but to ensure prices remain reasonable and reflect actual production costs.
The petition asks the rabbinical court to consider appointing experts to evaluate manufacturing costs, labor expenses and profit margins before deciding whether pricing standards or other consumer protections are warranted. It also seeks greater price transparency and the availability of quality sheitels at more affordable prices for larger families and households with limited incomes.
According to Yated Ne’eman, the campaign has received support from activists outside Israel, including members of FairWigs, a French advocacy group that says rising sheitel prices have created financial hardship for Orthodox families in Europe as well. The group has called for greater transparency in pricing and wider access to affordable options.
Manufacturers and sheitel professionals have disputed claims of excessive profits, saying the industry’s costs have risen sharply because of the limited global supply of high-quality human hair, higher labor expenses and the extensive handcrafting required to produce custom wigs. They also note that many clients seek highly customized products requiring multiple fittings, adjustments and ongoing service, and that sheitels are also purchased by women experiencing medical hair loss, including cancer patients and those with alopecia.
According to Yated Ne’eman, Tzivin has previously led consumer and religious advocacy efforts involving kosher standards and product labeling. She said she intends to bring similar petitions before additional rabbinical courts representing other Orthodox communities.
The Beis Din Rabbonei Chabad had not publicly responded to the petition as of Tuesday.
Yes, wigs are essential.
High end luxury wigs are not. As long as the market supports it, they will remain.
This is why people laugh at the Haredim. Even if you think a wig is an essential item, and many Rabbonim forbid the wearing if wigs, as opposed to a more modest head covering which is essential, who says you need to go for the most expensive item. It is like saying I find a car essential, even though I could go by bus or even taxi, but I can only drive a high end Mercedes, which I cannot afford. What a joke.
In a capitalist society, if high quality, more affordable wigs are able to be produced, one would think that there would be some entrepreneurs, bringing the cost down as a business initiative.
Admittedly, I do not understand this product and market enough to speak from an informed place, but I have seen that luxury has crept into the world of necessity, especially with younger people. There is a very big divide between the wealthy and the population that is just getting by. But, the things that are becoming standard are increasingly unaffordable, and there’s a sentiment that there is an entitlement to what is becoming the standard, as opposed to ‘settling’ for normalcy and affordability within one’s means.
What about the cost of shtreimels?!?!
That’s dumb. Just don’t buy them. Basic supply and demand.
Don’t buy them if it’s to expensive. There’s other options out there
That’s like saying, cars are essential so bring down the prices of Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces. You can just drive a Chevy.
And women could just wear a Chevy (or is it Shevy?)
Just buy Lab Grown. It’s much cheaper, and nobody knows that it’s not real. It feels very authentic.
First and foremost, there is no religious necessity to buy these stupid, ridiculous hairpieces.
You cause your own crisis. And then complain about it.
Shtreimels are a uniform indicating membership to chassidus. There’s no issur d’oraysa involved in not wearing them. A sheitel, on the other hand, comes to fulfil the mitzva d’oraysa of kissui rosh for a married Jewish woman. It’s very important that a woman should feel comfortable in her head covering and it should be respectable. A snood is definitely more geared for comfort than style. A decent sheitel fulfils the head covering requirement and meets the self esteem needs of a normal woman. Now it doesn’t have to be 16K! That sounds insane. And it shouldn’t have to look like its growing out of her scalp! It’s intended to be a clear distinction indicating her status. And yes, some women do look much better in a shaitel than their natural hair which might have been thin, scant or frizzy. But ask any frum woman wearing a shaitel if she is aware it’s on her head, and thus serves as a reminder why its there, and she will answer in the affirmative. When its hot, or itchy, or little hairs fly in your eyes and face, you say uh-huh, I’m wearing a shaitel and I know it, and I am fulfilling my mitzva
Wear a tichel. The sheitels amy be a chilul Hashem. Goyim laugh at us for saying that it is tsniusdik to wear a wig to cover the hair. The wig is often nicer looking and more attractive than the hair underneath.
טז וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְ-הֹוָ֗ה יַ֚עַן כִּ֤י גָֽבְהוּ֙ בְּנ֣וֹת צִיּ֔וֹן וַתֵּלַ֙כְנָה֙ נטוות נְטוּי֣וֹת גָּר֔וֹן וּֽמְשַׂקְּר֖וֹת עֵינָ֑יִם הָל֤וֹךְ וְטָפֹף֙ תֵּלַ֔כְנָה וּבְרַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם תְּעַכַּֽסְנָה׃ יז וְשִׂפַּ֣ח אֲ-דֹנָ֔י קׇדְקֹ֖ד בְּנ֣וֹת צִיּ֑וֹן וַי-הֹוָ֖ה פׇּתְהֵ֥ן יְעָרֶֽה׃
But what would a man know about “quality” in shaitels?
Streimels can go for ten dollars but no grand rabbi has the guts to put his foot down. You go to Purim store like Hokus pokes and get ten dollars strikes. As far as wigs you can get a nice snood that’s comfortable. Leadership has no guts. The poor middle class is getting taken advantage of from weddings to home furnishings.
OK. We already have lab grown diamonds, so we need the same for human hair strands. C’mon I see the $ wheels chrurning!
A most fancy scarf would cost less than 1000 shekel
Wigs are not essential for married women but a modern innovation that many rabbis strongly disagree with
Something missing. In new-york city. Wigs are from 1000 to $5000. There’s no prices more then that as of today.
Shameful.
These exact wigs premium quality wigs are purchased from Chinese companies for $300 each. Maybe $400.
There is no yiddishe “craftsmanship” that goes into the creation of any premium wigs, except perhaps cutting and styling, which anyway takes place after purchase.
Comparing a high end shaitel to a high end car is disingenuous. You can get where you’re going in a Ford or Chevrolet. You cannot look your best in a low end shaitel. Most women would like to look as nice as they can. I’m not saying that requires purchasing a $16,000!!! Shaitel. That’s absolutely ridiculous!!! but even a mid- priced shaitel costs a fortune and the cheaper ones need to be replaced very frequently so there’s really no bargain there.
After this investigate the high price of those fancy streimels with the hair standing up on the top. According to people who wear them, not only are they expensive they also are very hot and uncomfortable.
but may the buyer beware and I am happy that the late Lubavitcher rebbe never wore a streimler just a simple back had so few chabadniks wear or buy streimels.
I hope the price goes up to $32,000
If you’re crazy enough to spend it
Don’t complain to the Rabbanim
Go to tlwig.com
They have good quality wigs at unbelievable prices
We have no leaders with guts. Each one is controlled by a committee. Their hands are tied. Put on a ten dollar streimel and save all these poor souls ten thousand dollars. You think mossiach will wear a streimel two feet high. He probably will look more like the Lev Tahor group. They dress like the ancient Jews. It would be interesting.
covering the hair may be a religious requirement, but a sheitel that looks better than the woman’s own is not. tzniyut, which is a religious requirement, would forbid it, both because it flaunts the woman’s beauty, and as a conspicuous waste of money. $10,000 for an “ordinary” item of clothing is actually more outrageous than $16,000 for the “deluxe model”.