Kippahs, also known as yarmulkes, are the traditional caps Jewish men have worn for hundreds of years as a reminder of God’s omnipresence. Though the tradition does not have any biblical derivation, its widespread acceptance as a Jewish custom has imbued it with religious significance. Why then are custom yarmulkes, featuring everything from New York Knicks logos to Bart Simpson, on the rise? Reverence is a lively, entertaining debate on the matter, featuring Jewish scholars, rabbis and branded kippah-clad students offering an array of perspectives on this peculiar juncture between faith and popular culture.
How branded yarmulkes combine traditional Jewish values with popular culture
Director: Collin Kornfeind
Producers: Sarah Pappalardo, Matthew Waysdorf

videoSubcultures
Being a stand-up comedian is hard. It’s even harder when it’s against your religion
24 minutes

videoValues and beliefs
Have you got it or not? London Jews argue the existence of ‘mazel’ or luck
11 minutes

videoRituals and celebrations
Delicious? Gross? The great fish dish that divides – and unites – families on Passover
11 minutes

videoGender
Goddesses of antiquity offer Moses a path away from patriarchy – via funk and soul
3 minutes

videoMood and emotion
The 94-year-old Holocaust survivor who makes every Purim costume contest count
10 minutes

videoValues and beliefs
How a God-fearing Jewish woman found atheism – and bacon – in her later years
9 minutes

videoSubcultures
What’s behind the urban meme of shoes hanging from overhead wires?
14 minutes

videoSocial psychology
Feeling connected to objects is a fundamental – and fraught – part of human nature
5 minutes

videoFood and drink
‘The next best thing to a sexual fantasy’ – hanging out at London’s all-night bagel bakery
10 minutes