THIS WEEK IN…

PHOTOGRAPHY

SHEITEL

A Photography Portfolio by Tamar Shemesh

At sundown on September 22, Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year celebrations have begun and will end at nightfall of September 24,2025. The celebration starts the year 5786 in the Hebrew calendar.

“Shanah tova”, a good year –

We take the occasion to show Tamar Shemesh’s wonderful photography project on the traditional head coverings worn by married women in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

The Sheitel—the wig worn by ultra-Orthodox married women, is a ritual rooted in both religious devotion and personal style. For over two centuries, Jewish women have shaped their sense of beauty and femininity within the boundaries of modesty (tzniut), while also adapting to modern aesthetics and cultural shifts.

Through close access to women from the Crown Heights community in Brooklyn, this project traces the relationships women cultivate with their sheitels as an extension of the self; from the transitional moments of wedding ceremonies to everyday practices in wig salons and private spaces

You can explore more about Tamar Shemesh and her work:

Website https://tamarshemesh.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tamarshemesh_photography/