Joseph: So you are saying that your Minhag to wear a hat and jacket to Daven came from the fact that 50 years ago your Rebbeim and parents and everyone were too Gaava’dik to not dress differently than Goyim and therefore we should dress the same way they do? That;s absurd.
DY: Sometimes, often, politics come from religion. I have seen communities like that. And it’s not politics. If I walked into some Shuls in Efrat or other DL wearing a hat, it would mean a lot more than just “I want to wear a hat for Davening”. Like it or not, in E”Y wearing a hat is very politicized, on both sides. And yes, I would think it incredibly rude to wear a hat into many Shuls in Yehudah V’Shomron, because they see it as saying, “I’m better than you”. A lot of DL vs Chareidi politics in E”Y aren’t pretty. And sometimes we have to acknowledge that.