An Orthodox lawyer has launched a campaign for rabbinical intervention over the soaring cost of wigs in Israel, arguing that prices have risen to levels that are placing an unsustainable financial burden on religious families.
Nechama Tzivin, from Kfar Chabad, is petitioning the Chabad Rabbinical Court to introduce oversight of wig prices, saying the cost of high-quality sheitels has climbed from a few thousand shekels to tens of thousands.
Some premium wigs are now selling for as much as NIS 40,000 (around £8,000), according to the latest figures.
Tzivin argues the increases cannot be justified and says many women feel they are being exploited because wigs are regarded as an essential item for married Orthodox women, who cover their hair in accordance with religious practice.
Speaking as part of the campaign, she said there was “a feeling of exploitation” and that, if her initial appeal succeeded, she intends to ask additional rabbinical courts to consider introducing price controls.
The issue has sparked wider debate within Israel’s Charedi community, where modest lifestyles often coexist with significant spending on religious clothing and accessories.
While previous public discussion has focused on the rising price of traditional fur shtreimels worn by some Chasidic men, campaigners say women’s wigs have quietly become one of the community’s most expensive purchases.
Wig makers, however, reject suggestions of profiteering.
They argue that demand has grown substantially in recent years while manufacturing techniques, craftsmanship and the quality of human hair used have all improved, driving up production costs.
They also claim to have incurred increased labour costs and higher standards of customisation for premium products.
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