Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/NXpO0THnx3g

A woman who believes that Jews are prohibited by the Torah to fight, to have an army and nation, shares her theology.

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Since I did my first video with Pearl nearly three years ago, my friendship with her has deepened and become richer. Still, we have always had deep ideological differences. I am no longer Hasidic and I reject some of the beliefs of my upbringing. Pearl is a deeply believing Hasidic woman who not only lives a joyous life in the heart of her world, but in a way, she is also a vanguard of the views of the post-Holocaust generation. Her passion for anti-Zionism is, I believe, partly animated by her sense that this view is being lost among the younger generation in her community. I think this motivated her to make this interview about how faith relates to the Holocaust.

During the interview, I was fairly certain I would not air it—partly because I felt an urge to protect Pearl, and partly because I felt an urge to protect Zionism. After some consideration, I came to believe that neither of these impulses was the right one. I’m grateful to live in a free society where we can disagree and not shy away from difficult discussions, even if someone might try to weaponize them. And so, with that in mind, I decided to share the interview.

Video format of this interview: https://youtu.be/lzVUnyxpcEE

The most beautiful media content created about the Hasidic community is, arguably, the Israeli hit TV show Shtisel. It was co-created by Yehonatan Indursky, who grew up Haredi in Jerusalem, left the community, and is now in some sort of place of return. He calls it "living on the border," the most interesting place to be. You might have read about him in a profile in The New York Times. I was so glad he agreed to talk to me for this interview—he was charming, forthcoming, fun, and deep. I felt his outlook and place in the world matched much of my own, and it was so nice to talk to a kindred spirit of sorts. It was also amazing to hear about his work, his views, his love for poetry, and his outlook on life. A man truly beyond borders.

➡️ Check out Shtisel the TV show on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CTLJB7HN/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
➡️ Check out Kugel the TV show on Izzy: https://www.streamisrael.tv/kugel
➡️ Yehonatan's website: https://www.yehonatanindursky.com/
➡️ Yehonatan in the NYT in the spring 2025: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/magazine/yehonatan-indursky-shtisel-kugel-orthodox.html
➡️ Yehonatan's wife Instagram I follow and enjoy called Hassidish: https://www.instagram.com/hassidish/
You can find a transcript of this video here: https://friedavizel.com/2025/05/02/transcript-of-the-interview-with-the-creator-of-shtisel-yehonatan-indursky/

Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/teadpfXWCO4

Martha Ross grew up Old Order Amish in Middlefield Ohio, left it, and now does YouTube videos about it on the channel  @AmishTransformed  . Please check out her fundraiser for her husband's much needed dental work here: https://gofund.me/d49b3276

Link to video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/MnFddZtaWdQ

This is the song to advertise the Tzohar organization, which I have referenced in the episode comparing the Netflix Unorthodox show to this song. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/78XBSSDdwjo?si=aXMAEQ4pOPnYhbwZ
I am sharing the music since it's essentially and ad and it will help create a fuller resource/reference to my commentary

Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/78XBSSDdwjo

The stories we tell affect the ways we process events around us. How we make sense of things like someone's departure from a community. Every society has their own stories; their own mythologies, their own tropes.

In this video, I do an analysis of two different societies and their tropes, by comparing the Netflix show Unorthodox with the music video "Mein Kind, Eiku". Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Filmed by Ryan Scharfenberg / https://www.instagram.com/mmm_moire/

Edited by Lee Korak / @LeeKorak Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mayo.nap?igsh=ZXp4bm8zZTJ2aXVr

1. Music: Dark Investigation by Soundridemusic Link to Video: • NoCopyright Panic Tension Suspense Th...
2. Credits: Music: Dark Investigation by Soundridemusic Link to Video: • NoCopyright Panic Tension Suspense Th... 
3. Chillpeach - In Dreamland : • [no copyright music] 'In Dreamland ' ...

Video link: https://youtu.be/28lP8j8swA0

Please support Rochel Yenty Bodek's wonderful work by donating: https://insightbeyondeyesight.org/donate Rochel Yenty Bodek is a Hasidic woman who lost her sight as a young woman due to a genetic condition. She has faced tremendous challenges as a wife and mother in the Hasidic community and has risen to the challenge with tremendous resilience. In this interview she talks with a lot of candor about the challenges and strengths of the Hasidic community and how she approaches her disability in this realm.

If you appreciate my work and think it's important, please consider financially supporting it by becoming a channel member or sending a donation. It takes a team of multiple people to make this channel run and your support means so much.

Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/hKN0_75EuqE

Anna Shternshis is a Professor of Yiddish studies and the director of the department of Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto and the author of "Soviet and Kosher", "When Sonia Met Boris" and the forthcoming "Jews in the soviet union: post war life, hopes and fears". In this interview we talk about the fascinating history of the Jews of the Soviet Union, the oral histories Anna collected from Yiddish (and non-Yiddish) speakers born before 1929, and the Yiddish songs she recovered from during the holocaust.

Some links for Anna Shternshis here:
Soviet and Kosher: https://amzn.to/4irTnT6
When Sonia Met Boris: https://amzn.to/4bxypzC
Her project to set holocaust songs to lyrics, titled Yiddish Glory: https://www.yiddishglory.com/
Link to the University of Toronto: https://german.utoronto.ca/anna-shternshis/
Twitter: https://x.com/shternsh

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/pVfY5wZlPec

There's a whole emerging world of Hasidic theater, acted by men, and including a cast and stories of men only. This has been a tiny element of the Hasidic world for years - it definitely wasn't a viable career for anyone until recently. In recent years, the Hasidic theater scene has exploded. So much talent is coming to the fore. It was so much my pleasure to talk to Ari (Arye) Abromowitz, who is a veteran of this scene, who has been there from the beginning of this "revolution" and has been in many ways its face as he acted in many productions. I learned so much about this arts scene from Ari and this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Link to Ari and Friends: https://mostlymusic.com/products/ari-friends-season-1-episode-1-video
Edited by Lee Korak / https://leekorak.site/

Video version of this interview here: https://youtu.be/kMxyRkjljm8?si=hcjjD0_-izvquKxB

Today's interview is about psychedelics, Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, and one extraordinary woman's journey! Please join me for the interview with Bruchy Moskovics. Bruchy was raised in the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel. Her story is like no one's I've ever heard, and the way she tells it will take you to another world -- a world of faith, thoughtfulness, and living connected with something very alive within. Bruchy is now a child therapist and also does post-psychedelic integrative therapy, and her work often addresses a Yiddish-speaking crowd. In this interview she both shares her story and also explains what psychedelic therapy is, and how it's coming to play a role in the contemporary Hasidic community.

Bruchy's Instagram account is: https://www.instagram.com/bruchymoskovics/
Thumbnail photo credit of Hasidic man smoking: Abe Kugielsky - https://www.instagram.com/hasidiminusa/