Re: Can a Jewish Brother Wear a Yamaka in a Lodge
I will start out by saying I have never seen this issue come up, and in my current location it likely won't in my lifetime. As far as I know, the closest Jewish house of worship is in Knoxville more than an hour away. If it did, my personal opinion is that it wouldn't be a big deal. I feel absolutely certain that if a man was a Mason, he wouldn't come to Lodge trying to make some sort of statement as in, "I'm not the Master, but I am wearing a hat, too, la, la, la," etc. The same would be true for a member needing his head covered fore medical reasons.
We host an annual outdoor degree. Just about everyone on the sidelines has a cap on during the meeting. The officers don't, with the exception of the Master, but the members do. Of course, it is in an open field on top of a mountain, so the definition of sidelines is pretty broad. It's just wherever you can find a level spot to put your lawn chair!
In my area, I can't think of a single Lodge where the Master doesn't the standard "crown" type hat you can get at any Masonic regalia seller. I don't know if it's defined anywhere as to what type of hat you are supposed to wear, but that's the standard. The GM wears a Fedora or top hat most times, but at regular Lodges it's just the crown. At my Lodge, the Master's chair has a high back - it's a throne, after all - so wearing a cowboy hat with a big brim would make it cumbersome to lean back.