This is a great video! When Unorthodox came out, I was spending a year in a fellowship through my university’s center for religion. It was an interfaith fellowship focused on education and activism, and it was amazing. One of our fellows is Orthodox Jewish and wrote a super thought-provoking article about the impact of mainstream media’s presentation of Orthodox Judaism on Orthodox Jews. From being treated as a victim of a vicious patriarchal cult to being pitied as a weak woman to even being seen as a violent extremist, she has dealt with real fallout as an Orthodox Jewish woman as a result of the constant negative portrayal of Orthodox Judaism. Especially here in Wisconsin where there is not a large Jewish population to begin with, and the Orthodox communities are very small. So she is the one Orthodox Jew most of her acquaintances will ever meet, meaning it is her (undeserved) burden to be the one person to break down the stereotypes perpetuated in the media. That’s not to say people shouldn’t critique their own communities, which clearly isn’t what your video is saying, despite the negative comments. But how many genuinely positive portrayals of Orthodox Judaism exist that offset the negative ones? I’m a Hellenistic neopagan and we have a somewhat similar deal happening, where there are very few of us, and yes, some of our communities boast harmful ideals. But the only portrayals of neopagans tend to be that we’re cultists and neonazis, which has real world consequences for us as people. Whenever I see a video or article like this, I think about when Unorthodox came out and in seminar that week, she looked so tired from having to defend her culture against multiple rude, bigoted, and inappropriate comments and questions that she’d been approached with. She explains in her article exactly what you did here, that it’s not that this particular show told one woman’s difficult story. It’s that this one negative, stereotypical narrative is the one glimpse of Orthodox Judaism most people will see, and this is the trope that is repeated over and over and over again every time Orthodox Judaism is mentioned, with little to no break in that terrifying, culty, inaccurate, monotony.

As a Hasidic (Satmar Williamsburg born and raised...) I just wish the whole world would see this video....thanks 🙏💪

As someone who is Jewish, I loved this show. This show shows a very specific group of Hasidic Jews, Satmar.. The story is based upon Deborah Feldman experience, and they absolutely nailed their traditions and the whole atmosphere… You’re right that this show doesn’t represent even a small amount of the Jewish community. This story just shows the one girl, in one group. And it never claimed to be anything else.

I'm so glad that you clarified that how Estie was treated is evil. A whole world spanning faith should not be judged on one women's story. But that one women matters. And she's not the only one. Across cultures and faiths stories like he's happen and it's evil.

Thank you for the lovely and passionate commentary. I saw the story as one women story from a fringe part of chassidic community. I too am sephardic and don't see us represented in jewish stories. So happy you are speaking up!

I'm a writer and I am planning to write a story with a character who I want to be Jewish and I am really drawn to all the traditions of Orthodox jews, but I don't want to misrepresent the community because as a Muslim woman, I know that the film and media can always show religious communities as oppressive or backwards when in reality we are all literally just vibing. :'D Thank you for this video! I'm honestly learning so much through youtubers like you ^-^

Late to this party: but as unorthodox was based on a memoir, could it be that they were showing and depicting things from Esty’s perspective. If you feel a lot of pressure, then a wedding could seem bleak, rather than the amazing party we have seen. I think nuance is something we lack here, too. I definitely appreciate what you’re saying, and that the stereotypes are tiresome. Maybe it was showing her view of the community (not that it isn’t detrimental to those that live there). Not necessarily the truth, but her own truth. It would be another thing to show the other side, of course.

I’m Catholic, grew up in Greenpoint, worked and spent lots of time around Satmar. Even I know Unorthodox is not accurate. Or if it is, I feel very sorry for that one very miserable family. The fact is, ANY culture or religion can and does have a minority of highly dysfunctional families.

As an atheist outsider watching unorthodox, I was under no illusion that the show was depicting modern orthodox Jewish life. It wasn’t supposed to be a moderate, light depiction of Jewish life, it was a drama, and was so beautifully acted. My take home was this was a tragic story of generational trauma and psychological damage stemming from the holocaust that manifested as a cult like take on religion. I really enjoyed watching it , it made me think,and it motivated me to learn more about Judaism and in part led me here to your channel :)

One important and positive thing Unorthodox did is bring Yiddish forth onto a mainstream platform, it helped spark interest in the language itself. I know I watched the show pretty much just because of that, and even though there are hiccups here and there I myself am thankful they did it, as a linguist and Yiddish researcher (Shtisel does some of the same thing, but more inside Jewish communities and less internationally). Like I'm sure as an Iraqi you and your family might appreciate Farewell Baghdad (The Dove Flyer) which highlighted the Jewish Baghdadi dialect and Jewish Arabic and helped preserve it. So with all the justified criticism I still think it had some positive and important aspects.

Jewish world is not just Sephardic and Ashkenazi, we have mizrahim and teimani who are neither sephardic or ashkenaz plus Ethiopians and so many others

Love love love the Jewish faith. I'm a Christian and went to Israel for 3 months to see all the places mentioned in the Bible. I fell in love with the land and the people. I was lucky to be able to stay so long and learn. I wish I had more Jewish friends here in the states. Great video, and btw you are gorgeous 🤩

I was raised as an atheist, but I was baptised into a local baptist church when I was 25. My family still thinks that I’m somehow of lesser intelligence or that I’ve been brainwashed, so I know how it feels to have something important be so misunderstood. Thanks for sharing this video x

All I see from this video is this: _I_ did not experience this and therefore this show is misrepresenting my experience, and the experience of some of the hassidic people I know. You did a great job describing the variety of Orthodoxy and I think it's important for people to realize that unorthodox doesn't represent all of orthodoxy. But don't act as if Unorthodox is a crime against you, and don't downplay the authenticity. This is a real, it happens. And because you are privileged enough for that to not have been the case, don't act insulted about it. You can show the variety and other parts of the Orthodox spirit without having to downplay the experience of a community you seem to not know anything about.

This was honestly so entertaining and informative you put this video together so well good job

Yay! Loved it! I love how you said that one person's story shouldn't be a reflection of an entire culture or religion. I've seen videos that reflect this idea, and that it's a real concern for minority groups and religious groups. Bringing important topics to the table here. :)

My husbands family is from satu mare Romania and my mothers family is mizrahi from Italy. We never knew about it until 2019. now we are finding our way back to our traditions. I always love to learn new things about both our cultures. Thanks a lot for uploading this video und keep up the good work! Shavua tov!

Love your outlook. Keep up the good vibes and educating the rest of us.

I am converting to Judaism (Reform sect) and thank you for giving your perspective on the show! I actually met an Orthodox woman right before I decided to convert, and she was lovely. I've only seen one episode of Unorthodox, and I was quite shocked by it because it wasn't at all what I had comes across during my research of Judaism. I looked up, and it is a true story, however I look at it as one woman's story where belonging to her specific sect of Orthodox Judaism didn't work out for her due to her severe mistreatment by those in her specific community. I don't think there's anything wrong with telling these sort of stories, but I do agree that it's a very oversaturated type of storytelling when it comes to Jewish women, and that there needs to be better representation of all Jewish stories from all sects and backgrounds. Unfortunately, Hollywood would make you think that Jewish people only have roots in Eastern Europe and are only Hasidic Orthodox or completely secular.

First of all, I am also Jewish, and I have had people ask me these stereotypical questions of if I do things that only a certain group of the Jewish culture does, and I can find it offensive. Also, to answer your question, I am vegetarian, and I see value in respecting life in everyone. Some people I tell just look at me judgingly or treat me like I am in a whole other world just because I eat differently than most of the people in my commmunity. Love your vids :)

I love this. Thank you for the eye-opening chat.

Thank you so much for talking about this! I also am studying Korean and I feel like so many of us are misrepresented. There is so much more to Judaism and the Jewish people.

I worked overnights during the Unorthodox days.. I was watching one night, cause it was slow, and a customer (who was an orthodox jew) noticed what I was watching..he told me he loved the show, and said his mother's story was almost similar. She took him and his siblings and left... she didn't like living in the community in ny and had issues with his father... everyone's situation is not going to be the same... I also growing up in ny noticed that the wigs that were used in this movie was very very similar to what I was used to seeing.. and only more recently there are different lengths and textures.. also doing my research on the movie the costume director had a hard time finding the fur hats that were not too expensive, so unfortunately they had to be made from a cheaper material..

This was so enlightening! Thank you for sharing insight into your Jewish experience. I am from an entirely different religious background and live in NYC. There are questions I've had as an outsider that are just hard to approach others about even when you have Jewish friends because you don't want to say the wrong thing or accidentally stereotype. You've done a great job here and in your channel of normalizing these culturally diverse groups for some of us, and it makes me love my city even more.

What a phenomenal video! You were extremely clear, entertaining to watch, but most importantly whatever you said is true and accurate. Keep up the good work. Thank you.

I love how this show (cough!) unOrthadox has pushed people like you and other awesome people come out to the light.

Very interesting video! I actually seen that series on Netflix! Thank you for shedding light on your faith. :)

thanks for a great video! love the honesty and being so open. i have not watched this movie yet, but glad you explained your thoughts about it! can't wait to watch more of your videos!

great video! it was nice to hear an insight from someone who is familiar with orthodox culture

I find this topic so interesting! Thank you for doing a video about it

Just found your channel and you my dear have an engaging authentic voice that needs to be heard. I just paused the video as you mentioned Ruchi Frier as I’m always saying I’m so happy I’m raising my daughter (only 1.5 😂) in a world where there is Ruchie Frier, Beatie Deutch and Chanie Neuberger just to name a few. And you’re right, it would be nice if there stories were made into films too. Balance.

This was so eye-opening and informative. Thank you for sharing this! 😍 I watched Unorthodox but felt that it was very depressing and showed a very negative perspective of orthodox jews in NYC.

I loved watching this! It’s very educational and interesting :)

I feel like something to keep in mind is that this was based on someone’s ACTUAL life. And it isn’t meant to represent everyone or speak for everyone. It’s more meant to show her specific journey like a documentary type situation. It’s just telling her story specifically so of course it wouldn’t be the same as everyone else’s so I don’t like when ppl say “oh this isn’t what my life was like, this wasn’t my situation, this isn’t what it’s actually like”. I feel like ppl forget that just bc something didn’t happen to you doesn’t make it any less valid or real. In this case Netflix didn’t get anything “wrong” as ppl seem to say. They told her story and in a beautiful way for it being a temporary series. I’m glad she got the opportunity to share her story to a wider audience than her book did.

Amazing video, I love the vibrance and passion you express yourself with!

So good to hear your thoughts on this!

Shalom Aleichem Ma’am! This was really well done and educational. I’m a conservative Muslim, and Islam and Judaism have many striking similarities. So for me, I’m really disappointed in American Tv shows and movies portraying our religions as archaic tribal cults almost. That’s not who we are and God willing we never will be. JazakAllah!

I really enjoyed this. Thanks for the break down. I absolutely love your ummp!! 😆

In our house we don’t have a lot of alcohol. Only sometimes. It depends on the household.

I love learning about different religions!!! I was baptized Catholic and west to a 12 year Catholic school. I have retired from Catholicism due to concerns about teachings I was taught. But I am very opened to other religions in my life. I did watch Unorthodox. Oh my goodness!!!! I have albinism and my condition has never been represented well. I can totally relate.

I watched the show ! And I was wondering how many things were facts and not ! I’m glad you cleared a lot of of that up!!!

This is like a Catholic giving the scoop on what it's like being Mormon. You're not Hasidic nor did you grow up Hasidic, so what is your frame of reference to what we saw in the movie?

Yes, we all know what negative videos can do and say about any religion. It is good to hear the making of one from a positive perspective sharing your knowledge and experience with us all. Thank you. Shalom.

Beautifully summed up!

Thank you so much so sharing the story of your life !

This was interesting and informative. Thank you.

You’re killing the game batsheva. I love it. I would even say that in the Jewish communities you mentioned there is so much more to say. in LA there a significant amount of diversity and you do have the out of town versus in town dichotomy. If you look at the vast population of the more Yeshivish BYLA and that sector of the community you’ve got that same more in the box mindset and I would argue that it’s more in town than even some places in NY like Queens LIKE WE CROSSING ALL THE BOUNDARIES UP HERE

Thank you so much for making this video. Very helpful on my journey. :)

Very nicely done, very plain and straightforward.

I have so much words to say but Thank you for this!!

You’re a beautiful lady and you are very passionate and very knowledgeable about your orthodox Jewish religion! That is wonderful to see! I really enjoyed this video ! Very informative about a culture which is unfortunately misrepresented and misunderstood! God bless the Jewish people !

Great vid homie!

Awesome video!

Very interesting video! Really enjoyed getting to know more about your backround ☺️☺️ also LOVE LOVE LOVE your curls! Very beautiful! ❤️👏🏻💖

Observing shabbat is one thing many people find odd and difficult that is just part of my life and I love it! I describe it to people as 2 Thanksgiving meals every week (Friday dinner and Saturday for lunch), lots of quality time to hang out with friends or family, read, talk, play games, go for a walk...all without distractions from electronic devices. Btw, I went to a professional conference and the non-Jewish speaker was talking about how taking a 24 hour electronics break is super healthy for mental well-being. I guess God was really ahead of the times 😉. The other tough thing for me was keeping kosher. Both on campus and as a working adult, the separation from my friends and colleagues that comes from not eating the same food was really hard for me, a constant struggle. I made it work, but that doesn't mean it was easy.

Amazing! Thank you 🙏🏽

Thank you my sister ! Thank you I loved loved love this video ! Great video ! Definitely a subscriber now !

Your channel is a TOTAL GEM! You're very thoughtful and eloquent. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Shtisel; I loved this show.

Thank you for sharing. Much appreciated.

I agree with your take on this. Love the sign off :)

I agree that there is a conversation to be had about the representation of people in minority groups and there is an overwhelming amount of media that portrays religious Jews in a negative light, but it is important to acknowledge that while the media should display positive perspectives of those who live religious lifestyles, it is just as important to acknowledge the stories of people like the protagonist in Unorthodox. To say that all Hasidic Jews value quality and luxury is very broad generalization, especially since it is very expensive to be a Hasidic Jew. Glatt Kosher meat and Cholov Yisroel dairy products aren't cheap, not to mention how most Hasidic families typically have 4+ kids to feed. Many Hasidic Jews are on welfare and struggle to keep their large families afloat. While the Lubavitch community (and perhaps the Borough Park Hasidic community that you mentioned, I'm not familiar with it personally) are more open minded, many Hasidic communities carry isolationist mentalities that prevent children from learning secular studies among other damaging things. It is amazing how you balance your religious life in this secular world and audiences have a lot to learn from your experiences, but that doesn't mean that positive experiences like yours are the only ones that should be discussed.

Very very well said. Appreciate this take

Your passion to spread the truth! I LOVE THIS!!

Thank you, I learned so much

Thank you for taking the time and energy to educate people! I learn so much from you, Batsheva! One thing that I value as a Swede is a closeness to nature (I also come from a more traditionally Swedish family), and having easy access to it basically anywhere you go in Sweden. My grandparents swam (often naked and early, before anyone else had woken up) in the lake every morning before breakfast and so does my mom and aunt, from April to September! All Swedish cities that are coastal or by a big lake have swimming places all over, even in the city. I miss that here in Boston! Here you have to pay to get onto some beaches and the water in the city is dirty. I don't mean at all to say Americans don't value nature, but in Sweden it's less privatized and more easily accessible I think.

The way you describe your Jewish neighborhood makes me envious. I’m a scholarly Jew in Syracuse, NY still looking for a nice woman in my 40s.

amazing video 😊

I live in Costa Rica so I really don't know about judaism in USA. But here we have a Chabbad sinagoge and everytime I go there I just feel renewed and energetic. I really love how you express your joy about being and orthodox jew I also love it. And I really appreciate to have someone like you making this videos to spread light and joy. I am honored to have such pure soul in our precious Am Israel. Shavua tov!

I can sympathise with your frustrations of misrepresenting your culture and I do think not all orthodox are as extreme as in the documentary. However it is based on a real story from someone's experiences and struggles, is there not a lot of value to be gained from seeing the problems that arise from certain orthodox communities? She was not the only one who had to run away from such abuse, it might not be incredibly widespread but it does seem to be noticeably problematic. Not to mention it is a story about a personal journey, not meant to portray all of orthodox Judaism or even all of Hasidism, but of one woman from one community who unfortunately are quite controlling. Although it is unfortunate many people do take it as a representation of all of orthodoxy.

There are lots of different kinds of chassidic Jews, also.

You have a wonderful personality! :D

thank you for the much needed explanation

So I also grew up in the Orthodox community in LA but I totally disagree with you. After talking with a lot of Satmir people, or formerly Satmir people, it seems to me that unorthodox is pretty accurate for that community. I wish they hadn't named it "unorthodox," but the story needed to be told. The chassidish community in New York is really different and so much more extreme than anything I could have ever imagined, even someone who grew up Orthodox in LA. I was told that chassidim consider Modern Orthodox people to be the same as non-Jews, because of the level of interaction with the outside world. They specifically have rules about only wearing short wigs, as long ones are considered immodest. And this is the vast majority of NY chassidim. They also don't even consider Chabad to be real Chassidish because they are so liberal relative to other chassidish sects. Most chassidim in NY are extremely strict.

First time watching. Liked, subscribed, and smashed the bell.

You nailed it! Hopefully you will find the right quickly and easily

I'm an Indian Singaporean Jew and I attend the local Maghain Aboth synagogue here in Singapore, which is a mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardi. I love going to the synagogue as it gives me a peace of mind and for the spiritual ambience. Also I'm passionate about Physics and plan on getting a degree in Physics.

This was awesome 😎

HI. I just want to how I appreciate your videos all of the different ones that I have seen. This particular one is a favorite. I completely agree with what you said about movies, films or even "documentaries" can be miss leading because the portrayal is not totally true to how the real aspects of your faith (diverse sects) and families reality. I can say this is true about most faiths, cultures and lives led in all parts of the world. The statement of do not believe everything you see or hear is completely realistic. I am a born and raised NY'ker and I lived around the Jewish Community in Brooklyn, NY for the better part of my youth to young adult (23 y.o). I am a Muslim and I had and have friends to this day that are still close and are very much supportive and appreciate our respect and for each others friendship throughout the 30 years. We choose to be friends and hope to continue through our journey in this life and world shared with all of the people in this world. We are all part humanity and we should try to get along regardless of the diverse walks of life. Growing up in a city that allowed me to live close and in the neighborhood in Brooklyn with Jewish practicing their faith and knowing we were at peace and neighbors gave us an appreciation towards each other in our neighborhood. Respect and peace is what I grew up with and taught my children to have respect towards our "neighbors" because that is how we should view those around us. Treat them as we would want to be treated. I understand that this may not always be the case throughout the world, but it is what I learned and I hope my children would be of the same thinking. Hate is learned not something we are born with. Yes differences are a part of life but those differences should be a opportunity to learn from each other to improve the world we share, not make it a way to be hateful towards those who are different, by faith or cultural backgrounds. Peace and respect for all, that is my philosophy for my life.🙏🤲🇮🇱⛪🕌🤝

Thanks, I was planning to watch the movie, but still had not have a chance to to so. Thanks for offering a balanced perspective.

love your presentation

here from your jewish fashion in brooklyn video -- already an instant subscribe from me, AND now you're a syrian jew?? (me too). loving your channel, l'shalom ❤

I've recently been watching the show and when I heard everything I thought to myself surly not EVERY orthodox person is like this so I'm so glad I found your video and thank you for educating people on this

Uhhh you literally have so many good videos !! I just watched a documentary over the orthodox Jewish community ... I’m a culture / language / people person I love to learn about new ppl and their cultures ...

Jewish girl from Dallas/Fort Worth here! SO refreshing to see this, because so many people do NOT understand! They think we're a cult 😅 Or that we're all oppressed and it's so NOT true. I love your style and you've inspired me to expand my wardrobe. Absolutely love your channel! Thank you for representing! 👊

great vid :)

Great video

This world needs more people like you.

Great Video! I am Christian but grew up near one of the biggest Hasidic Jewish communities in the UK. It wasn’t until I moved to the the capital (London) I realised their are so many different Jewish groups. I also traced my ancestry dna and realised I have Jewish European ancestors.When I first watched the show I immediately knew they were exaggerating the Jewish community and painting it completely different. Even the Hasidic ones that lived near me we’re never mean or rude always polite.

Thanks for explaining

That was awesome and something that I wanted to share with non Jewish friends for so long. I feel like what they liked about Unorthodox is the "quirky-ness" so there is not so much interest when I tell them that Hassidim are "normal people". Thinking about it now, I should recommend them to watch Menashe (2017) as a follow up

I appreciate you sooo much !!!!!!!!

What I took away from watching Unorthodox is that the community portrayed is a close-knit and warmhearted place to live, but with little tolerance for the people who decide that they don't want to follow the traditions and rules any more... and watching this video hasn't really changed my mind on that. Your experience and the experience of your Hasidic friends is from the perspective of being happy to live by traditional rules and expectations; what about the voices of those who are not? You're giving examples of career women who can pursue their dreams while continuing to live within the "rules" of their family and community, but what would the outcome be if they wanted to go further and reject their traditional upbringing entirely? That is what the series was about to me. I fully agree that more diverse representation of the orthodox jewish community (or just the jewish community in general) is very much needed, but that doesn't by itself mean that doesn't invalidate the real lived experience represented in the show or mean they shouldn't be portrayed. Part of ackowledging the diversity of orthodox jewish culture is accepting its diversity - including all the less positive aspects portrayed in Unorthodox! Hopefully the next show will have a different, more positive perspective.

I think u ou did a great job on this. Thx

I really loved this video

Great vid !! I was born in cali and raised in nyc

I'm glad you didn't throw "ultra-orthodox" Judaism under the bus as well. I've seen some videos of religious Jews who tried to defend "modern-Orthodox" because of the anti-orthodox agenda of netflix, and they end up saying that they're not like "them" (hasidic Jews). For example, "Jew in the city" host was very weak in my opinion and I think ended up hurting more than helping.

Great video, thanks for the knowledge my dear. We have same problem as Arab Muslim my kids are probably around your age and they always wonder of the way presenting us on TV. Keep doing more videos cuz people need to know the truth. I'm Egyptian also. Wish you a lot of luck

Shit, I learned more from this video than the Jewish vloggers I watch. Great job! When you say you don’t touch men, does that include handshakes? Because some religions include handshakes as well.

I was raised as a reform Jew, but I LOVE my friends in the other sects of the religion. My family is from Poland and Germany, as well as Russia and Ireland, so we are Ashkenazi :)

Wow love the video