# Reform Jews: Wear a yarmulke on first night of Hanukkah? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358 "2011-02-06T03:22:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358/1 "2011-02-06T03:22:05Z")
Question (or informal poll, if you like): Do reform Jews in the USA typically wear a yarmulke on the first (or subsequent) nights of Hanukkah? Specifically, boys who have not yet been bar mitzvahed. I realize there are not necessarily hard and fast rules here; just try to get a sense of what’s usual. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358/2 "2011-02-06T03:24:57Z")
In my experience as a Reform Jew, generally yarmulkes are only worn in synagogue if at all. Some might put one on for the prayer over the candles and that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358/3 "2011-02-06T05:39:14Z")
I’m at the liberal end of Conservative, and I put my kippa on whenever I do any sort of official ritual, and take it off as soon as the ritual ends. That means head covered when I light the candles, head bare when I eat the latkes. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358/4 "2011-02-06T18:19:19Z")
Conservative and Reformed don’t wear yarmulkes outside of synagogue (some Reformed don’t wear them inside, either). More orthodox will wear them at all times. So it’s either always, or only at services, not for a particular festival (and Chanukah is a very minor festival, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358/5 "2011-02-06T18:50:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Conservative and Reformed don’t wear yarmulkes outside of synagogue (some Reformed don’t wear them inside, either). More orthodox will wear them at all times. So it’s either always, or only at services, not for a particular festival (and Chanukah is a very minor festival, anyway). I agree with the above. Some Reform jews will wear a kippah at specific, fairly important, out-of-synogogue ceremonies, such as a wedding or a bris. Or even a first-night Passover seder. But channukah is nowhere near that important. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reform-jews-wear-a-yarmulke-on-first-night-of-hanukkah/570358/6 "2011-02-07T16:17:47Z")
Great. Thanks, all.