Fake toes hoax Haredim, ultra-Orthodox MK tricked into debating Maimonides 

Advertisement for “toe sheitels” prompts questions; TV journalist uses Maimonides to argue for secular education in Haredi schools.  

An advertisement for prosthetic toes to allow Haredi women to wear open-toes shoes without exposing their feet has prompted speculation and a little soul-searching in the Haredi community.  

Nicknamed “toe sheitels” after the wigs Orthodox women use to cover their hair, the silicone toes prompted online debate about whether they could possibly be real.  

The ad resembles the real ones circulating in the Haredi community, but the Orthodox women’s group Chochmat Nashim says it’s a fake.  

“What happens when we are so far gone that you can’t tell the difference between reality and satire?” the group asked in an Instagram post. The question is how do we ensure that it always will be? How do we push back the sexualization of everything female and the warping of Judaism that we see now, which let’s face it, isn’t too far off from this?” 

A potential customer shared a video of a conversation with a woman named Chana, who answered the phone number on the ad. She said the fake toes can be customised in different skin tones and enhanced with nail polish in shades named after Orthodox schools. 

JTA made several calls to the New York number in the advertisement but only reached voicemail.  

But it reported parodies of “what might or might not have been a parody” had begun to pile up, including ads for fake breasts as well as T-shirts depicting breasts, designed to allow modest toplessness, and for plastic “collar concealers” meant to allow strapless tops without revealing too much collarbone.” 

In Israel, Haredi MK Moshe Gafni was subject to a stunt during a debate on Haredi education. Last week, in order to mend a rift between the two factions of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) Party, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu agreed, in principle, that if he returns to power, he will fund Haredi schools regardless of whether they teach the core curriculum.

UTJ leader Gafni is in favour, National Unity Party candidate Matan Kahana wants Haredim to be required to receive secular education.

Channel 12 host Amit Segal tricked Gafni into debating medieval scholar Moses Maimonides on the subject when he asked Gafni, “Did you see what Matan Kahana said this week? He said a person who doesn’t learn a trade, turns the Torah into an instrument of profit.”

Gafni responded with sarcasm, saying, “I really must listen to Matan Kahana, a light among the nations,” before writing him off completely: “Matan Kahana doesn’t interest me.”

Segal pressed further, again falsely quoting Kahana as saying that anyone who does not learn a vocation “insults the Torah and defames God.”

When Gafni once again wrote the comment off, Segal pulled out a copy of Maimonides’ tract on the laws of Torah study, known in Hebrew as Hilchot Talmud Torah.

“But Matan Kahana didn’t say that. Rambam said it, in Hilchot Talmud Torah, chapter three. And I quote: Anyone who comes to the conclusion that he should involve himself in Torah study without doing work and derive his livelihood from charity, desecrates [God’s] name, dishonours the Torah, extinguishes the light of faith, brings evil upon himself, and forfeits the life of the world to come, for it is forbidden to derive benefit from the words of Torah in this world,” Segal said.

Somewhat flustered, Gafni responded that elsewhere Maimonides wrote that people who set themselves apart and focus their lives entirely on worshiping God do not need to work and will receive their sustenance like priests.

READ MORE 
Fake toes for sale? An ad aimed at Orthodox women provokes questions about modesty rules gone too far (JTA) 

Haredi MK finds himself debating Maimonides in TV interview (Times of Israel) 

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