Hit shows with Jewish themes or Israeli casts are certainly nothing new for Netflix. But perhaps none have been as controversial and widely discussed as “Unorthodox,” a four-episode series based on the memoir of a woman who left a large Satmar Orthodox community in Brooklyn.
Some see the show as an entertaining and fascinating look at a community many of us know little about. Others say it’s an inaccurate and even dangerous simplification of a complex group, sensationalizing and “othering” Satmar Chassidic Jews without the context necessary to understand their way of life.
And that’s just what the hosts of this podcast say! Dozens of articles and webinars have featured debates over the virtues of the show. But we thought it was time for a fact-check from the experts—two women who have personal experience with Chassidic Judaism: Layah Kranz Lipsker, a Chassidic educator in Boston, and Miriam Anzovin, The Vibe of the Tribe co-host and former Orthodox Jew.
Tune in as they discuss the wigs, hats, Brooklyn and Berlin plot lines, the real challenges of leaving Orthodoxy and answer burning questions from show viewers.
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
