Palestinian women knit Jewish skullcaps

[question everything]

DEIR ABU MESHAL, West Bank (Reuters) – Of all the cottage industries you might expect to find in the Israeli- occupied West Bank, the crocheting of Jewish skullcaps by Palestinian hands seems one of the oddest. But creating the colorful cap, known in Hebrew as a "kippah," keeps hundreds of women busy in villages like Deir Abu Meshal, which have been making the religious headgear for their Jewish neighbors for some 40 years. Almost every house in the village of 3,000 west of Ramallah makes the little caps. It's a social event as well as a helpful cash-earner. Women bring their wool and needles to each other's home to crochet and chat.

"We make qors (the Arab name for kippah translates as 'disc') while having a gossip," said Umm Ali. "We meet each other and we make money at the same time," added the mother of three, whose husband is unemployed. The women make around five caps a day, worth about 12 shekels ($3) each. "Women here can't sit down without knitting. We've gotten used to it," jokes Ruqaya Barghouthi.

(snip)

"The kippah business is what makes my shop busy. Women buy stuff from the kippah money they earn," said Riyad Ata, whose grocery store serves as a collection point for finished caps from some 100 women... "Without this knitting business, people here would be very poor," said Nema Khamis, 50, who passed on her skills to her five daughters and daughter-in-law. Palestinian weavers used to make the traditional keffiyeh, the checkered Arab headscarf that late leader Yasser Arafat made a national Palestinian symbol. But much of that business has now gone to China, where costs are lower.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090823/lf_nm_life/us_palestinians_israel_scullcaps

[Ken Burch]

1. This is actually part of a long-standing tradition.

Palestinians and Israeli Arabs also work making menorahs and, IIRC, prayer shawls as well.

The question is: Do they work under good conditions, with decent wages, and with the respect of their employers?

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Are you suggesting the Palestinians are running sweatshops?

[Ken Burch]

5. No.

obviously that wouldn't apply to the women doing this as piecework in their homes.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. So, just throwing out red herrings. Just checking.

[Ken Burch]

7. No read herrings. And you know it. You're attacking me here for no reason.

n/t.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Ken Burch]

9. That's YOU doing a strawman

Give it a rest. BTW, I'm alerting on that post.

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Try again.

A "strawman" is taking a position and manipulating it then "winning" the argument based on the new position. You fail. I do suggest you read this site: The Nizkor Project. While there, look up "RED herring." So, you can play the victim all you want but you are the one who started with a red herring and casting lots against Israel with your remarks about working conditions of Arabs in Israel. While you are at it, read the rules.

[Ken Burch]

11. I wasn't casting lots against "Israel"

At most, I was commenting on whichever companies employ Palestinians in making these objects. That wasn't a comment on "Israel" as an entire nation and you know it. Stop attacking me when nothing I posted did Israel as a nation any harm. You are showing extreme paranoia in reacting to this extent about a single post on a message board.

[Behind the Aegis]

12. Why is Israel is quotes?

You can pretend whatever you want, but you weren't commenting on the article you were tossing out a red herring about employment conditions of Arabs in Israel. An article about Palestinian women in the West Bank and you attempt to disparage working conditions in Israel. And get this straight, I am not attacking you but what you have posted, unlike your posts to me.

[Ken Burch]

13. Israel was in quotes to illustrate the notion that I was supposedly attacking the entire country

I wasn't attacking Israel here as an entire country. I probably shouldn't have posted in this thread at all, but I did so with no malice. You need to chill. Your anger here is completely unjustified.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. I am not at all angry.

I am quite used to your use of logical fallacies. They don't anger me. And, further point of correct use of quotes in English, had you wanted to imply you weren't attacking Israel, the quotes should have been around the phrase "casting lots against," not the word 'Israel.' If, as you claim, you posted with no malice then why throw in a red herring about working conditions in Israel?

[Ken Burch]

15. Israel has the strongest army in the Middle East

There's no way I could have endangered its survival with a single post. Let this go already.

[Behind the Aegis]

16. A strawman.

Very good example. As I never said any such thing, you have won the argument, Ken....with yourself. Do take a look at the site provided above, you sorely need to read and understand it.

[Ken Burch]

17. I didn't claim you had said that.

I made the statement to illustrate how harmless my original statement had been...you know, the one you can't let go of for some reason.

[question everything]

3. Not any worse then their own homes

from the story:

Women bring their wool and needles to each other's home to crochet and chat.

[Mosby]

4. According to the article

The women knit the kippot at home.