what “coercion” and “kefiyyeh” have in common in Hebrew
having trouble seeing the print?
This issue is such a hot, loaded topic in Israel and among Jews (and people of other religions) everywhere that I’m having trouble formulating what to write, lest I step on someone’s toes.
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| כיפות |
What’s that hot topic? Religious coercion. In Hebrew, it’s כְּפִיָּה דָּתִית (keh-fee-YAH dah-TEET).
כפייה is the gerund/noun form of the simple verb, to coerce or to force something upon someone – לִכְפּוֹת (leekh-POHT). The root is כ.פ.ה (k.p.h).
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| كوفية |
Another Hebrew word employing this root is כִּפָּה (kee-PAH), meaning yarmulke or dome; a כיפה is something shaped in a way that comes down upon someone’s head or the top of building.
In Hebrew, the Dome of the Rock is כִּפַּת הַסֶּלַע (kee-PAHT hah-SEH-lah).
The Arabic word كوفية (keh-FEE-yeh) – kefiyyeh – comes from the same idea.
