Episodes

  • Yiddish versus Hebrew the battle of two Jewish languages | In Conversation with Eddy Portnoy

    Yiddish versus Hebrew the battle of two Jewish languages | In Conversation with Eddy Portnoy
    May 8 2024
    Video version of this segment: https://youtu.be/tq8y3KkAWTk

    As many of you know, my first language is Yiddish. It is the language of the Satmar Hasidic community I come from. The story of why I grew up speaking Yiddish, and not Hebrew, is intimately tied to the story of the birth of Israel, Zionism and Jewish language. And so, today I want to delve into the history of how two Jewish languages came to represent contrasting Jewish ideologies.

    I was inspired to do this segment after visiting the wonderful YIVO exhibit in Manhattan titled: 'PALESTINIAN YIDDISH: A LOOK AT YIDDISH IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL BEFORE 1948'
    Link: https://cjh.org/visit/exhibit-info/palestinian-yiddish
    Address: 15 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011

    About my guest Eddy Portnoy, the curator of the exhibition: Eddy Portnoy is an expert on Jewish popular culture. Portnoy earned an MA in Yiddish Studies from Columbia University and a PhD in Jewish History from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He currently holds the position of Senior Researcher and Exhibition Curator at YIVO.

    You can follow Eddy on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/eddyportnoy
    You can see his book Bad Rabbi on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/cLuRcup
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Why do we love to talk about Cults? | In Conversation with Guinevere Turner

    Why do we love to talk about Cults? | In Conversation with Guinevere Turner
    Apr 6 2024
    For the video version of this discussion, see here: https://youtu.be/S2LMqtNjg6c

    The Hasidic community has been the subject of great, lurid fascination. People love to hear the stories of its unusual customs and darker sides. I see this fascination as part of a larger fascination with subcultures and cults. For instance, Youtube is full of channels that tell ex-Hasidic, ex-Mormon, ex-Amish and ex-Cult stories and these videos draw hundreds of thousands of views.

    Guinevere Turner grew up in a cult. In the Lyman Family cult. What's unique about her is that she doesn't give the audience the lurid story they want. She also has written about how cults are talked about in the larger society. Her essay in the New Yorker, 'My Childhood in a Cult', influenced my own writing, 'Is the Hasidic Community A Cult?'


    In this episode, Guinevere joins me to discuss our experiences as women with life stories that draw so much fascination. We talk about why we think the world wants our stories, and why we might not want to give them up. We discuss the Lyman family cult and other groups that are perhaps communes, perhaps cults. A discussion that touches the tip of the iceberg!
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • The Chained Wife / the Jewish Aguna Crisis | In Conversation with Keshet Starr

    The Chained Wife / the Jewish Aguna Crisis | In Conversation with Keshet Starr
    Mar 17 2024
    Video version of this segment here: https://youtu.be/_H1hjrS2MLo

    A chained wife is a woman who is chained to a man in marriage, even after the relationship ends. This can happen in Jewish marriages when one partner refuses to give or accept the Get, the religious divorce. Malky is a Hasidic woman in Kiryas Joel who has been a chained wife for 4 years. In recent weeks the activist Flatbush Girl has spearheaded a campaign to pressure Malky’s husband to give a Get, by protesting in the strict and insular village of Kiryas Joel, by entering synagogues, and most controversially, by calling for a sex strike.

    In this segment, I talk to Keshet Starr, the CEO of the organization ORA, or Organization for the Resolution of Agunot. We talk about how the problem of chained wives comes to happen, how these problems are unique in insular communities, how it impacts the children, the types of pressures that are applied, and more.

    Some links related to this segment: ORA’s website: https://www.getora.org ORA’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oraagunot/ Keshet Starr’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keshetstarr/ Flatbush Girl (Adina Miles)’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flatbushgirl/ Thanks for watching!
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • The Satmar Rebbe's Life and Controversial Anti-Zionism | In Conversation with Rabbi Ysoscher Katz

    The Satmar Rebbe's Life and Controversial Anti-Zionism | In Conversation with Rabbi Ysoscher Katz
    Mar 10 2024
    Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/8oVcC5z24c4

    The Satmar Rabbi is one of Hasidic Jewry's great figures, yet his legacy is mired in deep controversy. He is credited with much of the revival of Hungarian Hasidism post-holocaust. Still, his anti-zionism draws deep criticism, especially since he was rescued during the holocaust by the Kastner train, a special rescue train that was negotiated by the zionists.

    In this episode, I bring you a conversation with Rabbi Ysoscher Katz on the life and controversies of the Satmar Rabbi. Rabbi Katz was raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and attended Satmar Hasidic Yeshivas. He now is a renowned Rabbi outside of the community. He has a lively presence on Facebook where you can read his writing and thoughts at: https://www.facebook.com/ysoscher
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    1 hr and 43 mins
  • What are Hasidic Jewish SECTS?

    What are Hasidic Jewish SECTS?
    Mar 7 2024
    For the video version, see here: https://youtu.be/ywWcEMPALlM

    You might have heard that in Judaism, there are Hasidic sects. What do we mean by sects? What are the sects, and what’s the difference among them? In this segment, we’ll do a brief introduction to what Hasidic sects are. Please feel free to leave a comment with your questions!

    The book referenced in this video is ‘Hasidism, A New History’
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    13 mins
  • Am I disrespectful?

    Am I disrespectful?
    Feb 25 2024
    A candid vlog with my thoughts on appropriate dress in Hasidic Williamsburg. Discussing tourist dress, the model Marisa Papen who walked through Williamsburg without any clothes, and my own choice to wear pants as an ex-Satmar woman.

    Video version: https://youtu.be/bE4mSWJzk3I
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    25 mins
  • The Secret Stories of Hidden Heretics | In Conversation with Ayala Fader

    The Secret Stories of Hidden Heretics | In Conversation with Ayala Fader
    Feb 8 2024
    Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/2BmWbcCMW3M?si=B3yDwGD7exBuY4fc

    In many of my videos, I've explored how Hasidic Jews live in the 21st century.
    *But what happens to those for whom this way of life doesn't work?*

    Some, like myself, leave. But not everyone who has doubts or different beliefs leaves. Some stay. And in this interview, I explore the stories of what we'll call here "the double lifers". The people who stay, despite rejecting the Orthodox Jewish core theological tenets.

    Why do they stay? What's it like to live a double life? What are the moral quandaries of leaving or living a double life? Is it moral to have an affair after an arranged marriage? My wonderful guest delves into so many fascinating topics.

    Ayala Fader is Professor of Anthropology at Fordham University. She is the author of the book 'Hidden Heretics, Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age', which tells the stories of a group of hidden heretics, how they lost faith and how they navigated life in the community in their new ways of understanding the world. The book also explores the impact of the internet on Hasidic Judaism, a topic which as the viewers of this channel will know, has fascinated me greatly and been the subject of several of my videos, including my major documentary on how an insular society deals with the internet Ayala also wrote the award-winning book Mitzvah Girls Bringing Up the Next Generation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn.

    You can get Ayala Fader's books here.
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Do Hasidic Jews Vaccinate? | Dr Howard Rosman, Pediatrician to Hasidic Community, in Conversation

    Do Hasidic Jews Vaccinate? | Dr Howard Rosman, Pediatrician to Hasidic Community, in Conversation
    Jan 22 2024
    Video link: https://youtu.be/TkUS0jzJci4?si=QJJ8X5PKB_KKFNrq

    This is a conversation with Dr. Howard Rosman, the longtime pediatrician serving the Williamsburg Hasidic community. When I first heard about him from his granddaughter, I spoke to some people in the community to ask them what they knew of him, and it was soon clear that he was a beloved icon in this community.

    My aim in this interview was to learn how this very devout community approaches modern medicine. Do they vaccinate? Do they take all medicine - what about kosher concerns? What about genetics? There was so much to talk about. The only reason the interview wasn't longer was because we had enormous technical issues which despite my best ability, we could not solve, and Dr. Rosman had a really muffled audio reception.

    I want to clarify that my aim in this interview is not to debate approaches to health and medicine. While I understand that there are now very contentious and heartfelt views on the topic, and I believe the debate is legitimate, this is not the place for that debate. My goal here was simply to hear the insights from a community doctor about the population he served. I would appreciate it if you could consider this when you leave a comment.
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    1 hr and 5 mins