A considerable amount of objects have been placed in genizot for reasons that were likely to be other than purely religious – in particular, shoes and various items of clothing, such as a stomacher for a woman’s bodice, and a hat. Although head coverings are of symbolic importance in Judaism, it was not required to place them in a genizah. Religious Jews traditionally cover their heads as a sign of humility before God and in awareness of divine omnipresence. A married observant Jewish woman is required to cover her head as a sign of modesty and virtue. For the most part, however, the Jewish women’s world is represented in the genizah by prayer books with ownership inscriptions and bookmarks.
