Chabad Woman Challenges Soaring Prices of Wigs Essential to Religious Observance
Nechama Tsivin, a Chabad Hasidic woman and lawyer from Kfar Chabad, is leading a campaign against the rapidly increasing prices of wigs (sheitels) worn by many married women in the ultra-Orthodox community. While wigs have long been a key part of religious head covering following the directive of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in the 1950s, Tsivin argues that the cost has become exorbitant and exploitative, with prices now averaging around 30,000 shekels and sometimes reaching 40,000 shekels. She recalls that when she married 50 years ago, wigs were much cheaper and less natural-looking, costing only a few thousand shekels.
Tsivin is petitioning the Chabad rabbinical court to impose price controls on wigs by defining them as "essential items for life" (chayei nefesh), a halachic category that would justify setting maximum prices. She emphasizes that the issue is not about banning profits but preventing excessive markups, which she claims can reach 200 to 300 percent. She also highlights the costly ongoing maintenance products sold at inflated prices. Tsivin rejects the notion that wig purchases are purely consumer choices, stressing their religious necessity in Chabad.
The campaign has attracted attention beyond Israel, with support from French activists who report similar struggles against high wig prices. Gila Maman, founder of FairWigs in France, praised Tsivin's efforts and called for a global movement to address the issue.
On the other side, Zehava Weitzman, a wig boutique owner with 30 years of experience, explains that rising prices reflect increased demand, higher quality standards, and more expensive raw materials, including human hair that now costs up to $6,000-$7,000 per kilo compared to $400 two decades ago. She also notes that most wigs are now produced in Israel with higher labor costs and that the extensive customization and aftercare justify the prices. Weitzman denies exploiting religious women and says the profit margins are not as high as claimed.
The debate highlights tensions between religious obligations, consumer costs, and market dynamics in the ultra-Orthodox community, with Tsivin pushing for rabbinical intervention to regulate prices and protect women from financial exploitation related to a religiously mandated item.
