Jews can frequently learn a lot about each other just from looking at their kippot. A quick glance at your friend’s head covering can usually tell you his ideological and sectarian affiliation and, if he has a design on it, even his alma mater or sports team of choice.
Material, shape and style all speak volumes to those versed in the subtleties of Jewish sartorial choices but what if a kippa could also send a message, and a lifesaving one at that, to anyone who looked at it?
Chanie Apfelbaum, a young mother in Brooklyn, has come up with an idea that could do just that: an “allergy alert” kippa.
According to the JTA, Apfelbaum was worried that her three year old son Peretz, who has severe allergies to a number of common foods, could have an an adverse reaction while visiting friends or relatives.
Deciding that a MedicAlert bracelet or necklace wasn’t sufficiently visible, she designed a new kippa featuring a red patch marked “Allergy Alert” and stating, in big bright letters, “flip for info.”
On the inside of the kippa is space for a parent to scrawl out a list of forbidden foods. While it is not yet being sold in stores, the kippot are available online and are said to be selling well.
"I wanted something on him so that when someone looks at him, they say, ‘I can’t just give him food from my kitchen,’” Apfelbaum told JTA. “It just makes me a little more secure.”