This H&M Scarf Looks Suspiciously Like a Tallit
H&M seems to be lacking a Jewish eye on their design team.
that a scarf being sold for a mere $17.99 is eerily similar to the tallit, the traditional Jewish prayer shawl. The scarf even has tzitzit-like knots, ressembling the knotted fringe at the bottom of the tallit. H&M is also selling a matching poncho (in case customers are feeling especially offensive?). Needless to say, the Internet is not happy.
Dear Fashion: Please step off other ppl’s ritual items (or symbols of liberation, really.) https://t.co/NGZ6jYqp48 pic.twitter.com/bXIQuX1JRx
— Rav Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) January 6, 2016
@JewishTweets @YeahThatsKosher $18 is about the right price for a tallit just one penny off. Oh and wow just wow.
— Karma Mechanic (@bweesdad) January 6, 2016
Yo @hm this is exceedingly uncool. https://t.co/CjkTKMGuuj
— Sara Taylor Woods (@sarataylorwoods) January 6, 2016
@hm SHAME ON YOU using a sacred Jewish symbol this way? https://t.co/g4vR9fZas1
— Elli TheKingOfB’way (@tkob) January 6, 2016
@hm is selling a shawl that looks like a tallis bc being jewy is so on fleek! https://t.co/Cs4sdj1K2N
— Allison Josephs (@jewinthecity) January 6, 2016
This isn’t the first time H&M has sold clothing that makes Jews recall their Torah portion days. A 2011 Forward article reported on a poncho sold at H&M that also bore a striking likeness to the religiously significant garment.
To add to the controversy, the scarf, which resembles a holy garment traditionally worn by men, is being sold in the ladies’ section.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
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 the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.