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I'm from Israel, and when I just moved to the US, I went to one temple where things were different. I saw some women that wore kippot (plural kippa in Hebrew). Also, why is the kippa referred as a "yamaka" all the time? It's wrong pronunciation anyway. Kippa is more common anyway, and easier to pronounce.

Question: Why in America are the traditions of the kippa so different?

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closed as not a real question by Seth J, Isaac Moses, msh210 Feb 22 '13 at 17:01


Related: What does Yarmulka mean? –  HodofHod Feb 22 '13 at 3:01
It's not clear to me what you're asking. Are you asking multiple questions, or strains of one question? Or are you just noting some differences and expecting an all-encompassing explanation? –  Seth J Feb 22 '13 at 3:58

1 Answer 1

up vote 5 down vote accepted

In America Orthodox Jews wear Kippot the same as in Israel. The temple you went to was probably a Reform or Conservative temple where the practice is for women to do more things like the men, and wear kippot.

Yamaka is just Yiddish for kippa, like kippa is Hebrew for skullcap.

Therefore, answer: The traditional traditions of the kippa are actually not so different from Israel.

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