Growing up not religious, I distinctly remember noticing Orthodox Jews passing by on the streets of New York City with seemingly no emotions. I saw men walking quickly and not smiling and women pushing strollers filled with children, and not smiling. I simply assumed they didn’t smile, laugh, feel, or have emotions like the rest […]
Whenever I see an Orthodox rabbi on TV or in movies, I brace myself for impact. While I have personally had a couple disappointing interactions with a couple rabbis in over 2 decades of being observant, by and large I’ve had positive, supportive and meaningful experiences. The rabbis that I am privileged to know are […]
Netflix brought Israeli hit TV show Shtisel back for a third season, but inconveniently released it right before Pesach, so my Shtisel season 3 watching has only just begun. I watched the first episode Monday night, and I was blown away on many levels. Twitter users have told me it only gets better! So excuse […]
While Akiva Shtisel may technically not be Hasidic (as Yerushalmim look the part, but have different customs than Hasidim) and Zalmen Glauber is not angst-ridden like the fictionalized TV character, seeing a traditionally-dressed Jewish man from a close-knit community creating art that captivates the outside world, naturally reminds any Shtisel fan of the show’s protagonist. […]
Watching Haredim on TV is all the rage since Shtisel came to Netflix. Everyone told me I HAD to watch it, but committing to being awake enough late at night to read subtitles was not something I was ready to do right away. Finally, last month, I took the dive and joined the masses. (I […]
Growing up as a Reform Jew in Southern Connecticut, I knew very little about the Orthodox Jewish community, let alone Hasidim. I knew that theirs was a separate kind of Judaism. I knew that many religious Jews wouldn’t even consider me a Jew. At least this is what my father would tell me. (Though in […]
