Abstract
Footage from the 1997 documentary “A Life Apart: Hasidism in America” (directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky), the first in-depth documentary about Hasidic Jews, members of a distinctive group within Judaism that has roots in pre-World War II Eastern Europe.
Interview with scholar Samuel Heilman (Part 2)
00:00:37 - Interview with Samuel Heilman: About Hasidim having no choice after World War II but to come to America, a treyfe medina. About how he himself, an Orthodox Jew, grew up not wearing his yarmulke on the street.
00:03:27 - About a synergy between the rise of the rebbes and the communities coalescing around them being responsible for the growth of Hasidic communities.
00:05:05 - About Hasidim's realization that America was very different than Europe. Brooklyn not originally a center of Hasidism. In the 1960s, changing sexual mores, rise of youth culture, violence strengthened Hasidim's decision to create an enclave. A counter-culture of Haredi Judaism as a response. This also the case for other fundamentalists: Western civilization as a toxin. Television as a window bringing in an alien culture. A decision not to Americanize. Yiddish as a way of creating a barrier.
00:11:54 - More about how the Hasidim viewed the outside world as an existential threat. Outward manifestations of Hasidim became important, e.g., beards. In Nazi times, outward signs of Hasidim were the opposite: placed you in danger. Hasidim were Holocaust survivors, but also survivors of assimilation. About Hasidim seen as "authentic" Jews. The resurrection of Belz, Ger as nostalgic. Modern Orthodoxy as a threat.
00:17:59 - Hasidim are in America but not of America. Modern Orthodox Jews are in America and of America. An ongoing debate. The university perceived as a locus of particular danger.
00:21:07 - About ambivalence of other Jews toward Hasidim: authentic but abhorrent. Anecdote about stereotype about Hasidim smelling bad.
Interview with scholar Samuel Heilman (Part 2)
00:00:37 - Interview with Samuel Heilman: About Hasidim having no choice after World War II but to come to America, a treyfe medina. About how he himself, an Orthodox Jew, grew up not wearing his yarmulke on the street.
00:03:27 - About a synergy between the rise of the rebbes and the communities coalescing around them being responsible for the growth of Hasidic communities.
00:05:05 - About Hasidim's realization that America was very different than Europe. Brooklyn not originally a center of Hasidism. In the 1960s, changing sexual mores, rise of youth culture, violence strengthened Hasidim's decision to create an enclave. A counter-culture of Haredi Judaism as a response. This also the case for other fundamentalists: Western civilization as a toxin. Television as a window bringing in an alien culture. A decision not to Americanize. Yiddish as a way of creating a barrier.
00:11:54 - More about how the Hasidim viewed the outside world as an existential threat. Outward manifestations of Hasidim became important, e.g., beards. In Nazi times, outward signs of Hasidim were the opposite: placed you in danger. Hasidim were Holocaust survivors, but also survivors of assimilation. About Hasidim seen as "authentic" Jews. The resurrection of Belz, Ger as nostalgic. Modern Orthodoxy as a threat.
00:17:59 - Hasidim are in America but not of America. Modern Orthodox Jews are in America and of America. An ongoing debate. The university perceived as a locus of particular danger.
00:21:07 - About ambivalence of other Jews toward Hasidim: authentic but abhorrent. Anecdote about stereotype about Hasidim smelling bad.
Collection
Subject
Duration
00:22:59 (HH:MM:SS)
Language:
English
Copyright Date
1997
Rights Declaration:
This recording is protected by copyright. You are free to view it but not download it. Please contact the Brooklyn College Archives for further information about how you may use this recording.
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https://54098.surd9.group/show.php?pid=njcore:194964
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pid=njcore:194964
PID
njcore:194964
Metadata