Life

The 5 Best Places To Buy A Tallit For Every Jewish Denomination

Image by Getty Images

By Danna Lorch October 10, 2018

A tallit (or tallis, for some) is a deeply personal garment, and choosing the right one is not to be taken lightly.Today’s tallitot come in all sizes, colors, and styles just like the individuals making up the increasingly inclusive Jewish community. Whether you’re hunting for a rainbow tallit gadol (big tallit) that allows for joyful dancing, or a baby pink bat mitzvah special sure to make bubbe bawl, or a traditional number to pray in every day, or a bespoke treasure, it’s available in the greater New York area.

Here is The Forward’s guide to tallit shopping around the city:

Yussel’s Place

Touting Judaica for every moment of life, the welcoming vibe of Yussel’s Place is worth a special schlep to Long Island just to choose the perfect tallit for a bar or bat mitzvah to-be. There’s nothing like trying on the real thing at age 12 and imagining standing at the bimah. Yussel’s has a vast selection of reasonably priced tallitot from an understated wool line by Talitania to woven three piece sets by Gabrieli. There’s even a hand painted lavender and pink Jerusalem skyline on silk.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Yussel’s Place Judaica (@yusselsplace) on Jun 18, 2018 at 7:14am PDT

30A Merrick Avenue, Merrick, NY
(516) 223-7050
http://yusselsplace.com

The Cooper Shop at The Jewish Museum

Those with an eye for functional luxury should peruse the beautifully curated options available at The Cooper Shop at The Jewish Museum. Keen to tap into your Italian roots? Spend $850 (or $765 with a museum member discount) for a silk tallit by Talled di Seta, an heirloom quality shawl that channels the old country’s tradition of wearing a white tallit with royal blue silk stripes to mark meaningful life ceremonies. This one’s sure to become a family heirloom.

Image by Jewish Museum

1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, New York, NY (212) 423-3211 https://shop.thejewishmuseum.org

Eichler’s

This classic Judaica shop on Coney Island provides “tallitot for men” specifically. Those considering a visit can first try out the snappy “Tallis Wizard” search feature on Eichler’s website to generate highly personalized suggestions for flattering, timeless prayer shawls in every fabric — from acrylic to 100% virgin wool to embroidered cotton, with an impressive stock of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi designs.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KolHaolam (@kolhaolam) on Aug 18, 2017 at 11:05am PDT

1401 Coney Island Ave (Between Avenue J & K)
Brooklyn, NY 11230
(800) 883-4245
https://www.eichlers.com

Zion Talis

Founded in the Lower East Side in 1920 by Polish immigrant Samuel Yaroslawitz, and now in its fourth generation of Judaica design, Zion Tallis is still based in New York but now exclusively sells online. This is the place to find the quintessential (and affordable) rainbow tallit or to order a personalized set with a uniquely embroidered atarah (neckband) and matching bag to honor someone who matters.

Image by Zion Talis

(917) 520-9702
http://www.ziontalis.com/

Tallit by Ina Bearak Helfand

Still struggling to find the tallit that perfectly suits your taste, character or prayer style? Consider commissioning Yorktown Heights-based artist Ina Bearak Helfand to create something deeply personal by incorporating sentimental textiles such as a departed grandfather’s neckties, meaningful musical scores, a vintage wedding gown or even old family photos.

Image by Ina Bearak Helfand

(914) 656-2816
[email protected]

Danna Lorch is an American arts & culture writer based in Boston. She recently relocated back to the US after seven years spent covering the emerging art, fashion, and design scene in Dubai. Recent work has appeared in Vogue Arabia, Architectural Digest Middle East, L’Officiel USA, ARTnews and elsewhere. She holds a graduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard and is interested in the intersection of art, fashion, and faith. Find her on Instagram and Twitter

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO