Should Kippahs be removed in public to protect safety?

Menachem Bluming Muses

Lately, some are cautioning against wearing a Kippah publicly due to mounting Anti Semitism. Should Kippahs be removed in public to protect safety?

Here’s a thought:

There are two ways to wear a kippah. You can wear it on your head, or you can wear it in your head.

Wearing a kippah on your head means it is an article of clothing, an accessory, an external addition to your self.

Wearing it in your head means it is part of you, it is a fixture, a piece of your very self. It is not just what you wear, it is who you are.

If your kippah is on your head, you can take it off. If it's in your head, then you can never remove it. It is you. And you can't stop being you, even if others don't like it.

We need to take every precaution to ensure our safety. Take a course in martial arts, go out in groups. But we can't stop being who we are. Once we retreat from our own identity, we are already a victim, even if no one tries to harm us.

Learn self-defense. But never forget who that self is that you are defending. It is a head with a kippah.

Credits: Rabbi Moss and Mendel (Menachem) Bluming of Potomac, Maryland

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