Summer is often synonymous with less clothing to cope with the summer heat. For religious women who dress according to modesty precepts, this is not an option.

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The warmer months pose the hurdle of staying cool while covering up – even more so in hotter regions such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Modestly dressed ultra-Orthodox women attend a high-tech conference (Photo: Eli Mandelbaum)

For Orthodox Jewish women, tzniut, or modesty, involves wearing shirts that cover the collar bone and have three-quarter sleeves past the elbows. Their dresses or skirts have to be at least knee-length. In addition, married women cover their hair, either with a scarf or a wig called a sheitel.

Religious Muslim women also wear a head scarf, commonly called the hijab, but which has different names throughout the MENA region depending on the style and country.

They generally wear clothes that cover their entire body except the hands and face. Some observant Muslim women also wear a full-length robe over their clothes, sometimes called a jilbab. In other countries, a full-body robe called a chador (Iran) or burqa (Afghanistan) also covers the face.

Bracha Ben-Haim, an Israeli clothing designer for Orthodox women, says: “It can be so hot in summer and our clothing cannot be open…. I like the challenge.”

For Ben-Haim, the type of material is key.

“I think about the fabric a lot and how to be more comfortable in the summer,” she says. “I use a lot of cotton because the fabric doesn’t absorb the sun.”

Illustrative: A Muslim woman wearing head covering ((Photo: Shutterstock))

In addition to cotton – the material of choice for most women in the area – Ben-Haim uses certain types of Lycra.

In mostly Arab East Jerusalem, Amina, who runs an embroidery store and declined to give her last name, said other popular alternatives include polyester and linen.

Amina believes the world has the wrong impression of Muslim women because of how they dress.

“They think that Muslim women don’t have freedom, that they don’t represent themselves. They believe her husband is forcing her to do things, like wearing a hijab. (But) I can go everywhere,” Amina says.

For the owner of the nearby New Style Store, who declined to give her name at all, summer fashion is preferred over winter fashion.

“In the summer, everything is better. The clothes are lighter, more colorful,” she says.

Like many other shops in the area, her store imports clothing from Turkey due to its proximity and the quality of the clothing available there.

“It’s the closest hub for Arab clothing and the fabric is much better than in China,” she says.

While religious women wear specific clothing that is appropriate for the summer weather, being modest can still be uncomfortable.

“I wear flowy clothes like bell skirts,” says Li-or Cohen, a Jerusalem resident. “Sometimes it’s hot, but air conditioning helps.”

Riham Rajabi and Sudqia Nassaw, employees at the Banateen Boutique in East Jerusalem, say they are used to the heat, adding that one way they cool off is by taking cold showers.

Riham Rajab and a friend in East Jerusalem

But according to co-worker Riham Ayyabi, there is nothing they can really do to gain relief from the hot Middle Eastern summers.

“We dress this way because we are Muslim, not as a fashion statement,” she says.

For some religious women, being too warm is an afterthought. Jerusalemite Rivka Berger says: “God wants me to (dress modestly). It’s not really a question of whether it’s comfortable.”

Rivka Berger

In West Jerusalem, Yocheved Druke says: “Now it’s hot for everyone. Physically it’s not a big deal… when you know why you’re doing it spiritually.”

Amd while there is no end in sight to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, religious Muslim and Jewish women can find at least some common ground in trying to stay cool while still dressing with modesty.