The word “cult” is trending right now in conjunction with the words “Orthodox Jews.” We can likely thank Julia Haart for that uptick on Google, as she’s the anti-Jewish gift that keeps on giving. I haven’t watched season 2 of My Unorthodox Life yet. I already gave up too many brain cells on watching most […]
Many think they know about Orthodox Judaism thanks to TV shows like “Unorthodox” and “My Unorthodox Life,” a.k.a. media that shows off the community in a negative light without any sort of context that these are dysfunctional families. But where are the stories of inspiration? Where are honest, nuanced alternative narratives to balance that out? […]
We see Hasidic women in Hollywood all the time, but far too often they are negative and over the top fictional portrayals. Many real-life Hasidic women, especially in more insular sects like Satmar, have no idea what Hollywood is. But then there are women like Bylu Wertheimer. Wertheimer first attended and then taught in Satmar girls’ schools before […]
Understanding the Dress Codes of Orthodox Jewish Women and Their Diverse Interpretations One of the most talked-about aspects of the show Unorthodox is the clothing, which shapes lead character Esty’s story from beginning to end. The show’s costume designer Justine Seymour spent hours on meticulous research, including a week-long stint within the Satmar community in […]
Coronavirus has taken a toll the world over, from death, to illness, to economic upheaval, to job loss, to mental health challenges. There is almost no one who has not felt its negative effects. In a time when everyone is desperate for good news, some Satmar Hasidim in Blooming Grove, a small village in upstate […]
A Hasidic Jew and a pastor walk into an ambulance. This is not the set up of a joke – this what life for Pastor William Richard Harrel Junior, of blessed memory, looked like for decades before he succumbed to Coronavirus several weeks ago. It was around 35 years ago that Pastor William became a […]
