Branch of Jews

[lynbrown]

What branch of jews wear long curls down the side of their face and large black hate, with black clothes? Lots live in New York. I am doing an Anne Frank project.

[dundurn]

(If there's a Jewish contributor out there please feel free to correct me.)
These are Hasidic Jews (in Hebrew hasidim). They are Orthodox Ashkenazi Jews originally from Central Europe. Their (now) traditional dress was normal street wear in Poland or Hungary back in the 1800s. They started wearing it as a sort of revolutionary statement to show they were different from other Jews. They continue to wear it as a very visual statement that they are different and separate from everybody else. Even within the overall group of hasidim there are quite significant variations in the style of coat, girdle, hat etc although the basic black/ white colour scheme is pretty general. Most of this applies to men only. Women are much freer to choose what they wear.

[Clanad]

dundurn is essentially correct with the exception of Hasidim... this is merely the plural form of Hasidic (pious ones). Israel ben Eliezer founded the movement in the mid-18th century in the Ukraine in opposition to the mysticism of Kabballah. The adherents believed (and stll do) in the miraculous and healing...

[Lonnie]

I'm Jewish, and I concur 100% with dundurn and Clanad.

As a little bit extra, dundurn is correct in that the style of dress originates from Poland, just not Hungary, although it would have spread to that country with migrations.

[Clanad]

Good to see you after so long an absence, Lonnie...

Barukh Adonai yom yom ya'amos-lanu...

Shalom!

[Octavius]

Many non-Hasidic (and even some non-Orthodox) Jews have adopted the custom of uncut sideburns called payot.

Haredi, Yemenite, and Hasidic Jews often sport distinctive long curled payot, while those of Modern Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism wear more varyingly sized sideburns; the Yemenite Jews refer to their sidelocks as simanim.