Objects

The shtreimel (Yiddish: shtraymlen) is a fur hat worn as men's headgear, sometimes called a spodik or kolpik. Nowadays, it is mostly worn by Hasidic men during Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. The traditional shtreimel consisted of a semicircular black headdress, trimmed with thirteen brown fur skins (sable skins were preferred) . Symbolically, they were intended to refer to the thirteen attributes of mercy. The shtreimel probably originated from Old Polish nobleman's costume (R. Żebrowski, Sztrajmel [in:] Polski słownik judaistyczny, Warsaw 2003, vol. 2, pp. 656–657).

The shtreimel from the Education and Museum Centre "Świętokrzyski Sztetl" collection shows wear and tear on both the rim and the material.