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PRgal
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Just binged The whole series today. I’m watching the “Making Of” episode now. Highly recommend that, as well. I thought this was really well-done. Everyone (except Moishe) was sympathetic, in their own way. 

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I loved this mini series. the story is so different from the original they could easily do another season as there are so many interesting individuals and stories. Moishe, Yanky, Esty's parents and of course Esty.Y

I felt sorry for Yanky. He was a product of his upbringing and did not get to know his wife until she left him and he was out of the community. 

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6 minutes ago, NoThyme said:

 felt sorry for Yanky. He was a product of his upbringing and did not get to know his wife until she left him and he was out of the community. 

I fully agree. In the making of, the actor mentions that Yanky only new one truth. And that’s exactly right.  He’s not in any way a bad person. He just doesn’t know any other way. I felt so sorry for him. 

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9 hours ago, NoThyme said:

I loved this mini series. the story is so different from the original they could easily do another season as there are so many interesting individuals and stories. Moishe, Yanky, Esty's parents and of course Esty.Y

I felt sorry for Yanky. He was a product of his upbringing and did not get to know his wife until she left him and he was out of the community. 

 

9 hours ago, Tisharp said:

I fully agree. In the making of, the actor mentions that Yanky only new one truth. And that’s exactly right.  He’s not in any way a bad person. He just doesn’t know any other way. I felt so sorry for him. 

Yes, this is why I said everyone was sympathetic.  They easily could've made Yanky a villain and made him abusive (either physically or verbally), but they didn't.  He knew his truth, his community and his beliefs and he thought that was what Esty wanted too.  I was almost rooting for them to work out, except with Yanky also leaving and moving to Berlin, but I also really liked the new guy too. 

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I have to admit that I'm only half-way through the show, but after two episodes, I, too, feel badly for Yanky.  He seems very awkward around Esty, kind of like a middle schooler's first school dance.  

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I thought the story line in Berlin had too many coincidences that combined to make Esty's transition unrealistically easy.  Interestingly, according to the making of video, that's the part the show runners created in order to protect the author's privacy to some extent, while the scenes in Brooklyn are supposed to be drawn more directly from the book.  But I loved the characterizations and performances.  Shira Haas is a marvel, of course, as Esty.  Amit Rahav was also wonderful as Yanky.  The open-ended conclusion seems to be setting us up for further episodes.  I would continue watching.

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Binged this last weekend. Then I read the book on Kindle and am currently reading the second book, Exodus.  All are very good.  The actress who plays Esty is excellent.  The real story is more tense that the mini series.   

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Cool factoid: I once worked with Deborah Feldman's mother. She was a science teacher in the same school. I don't know how good her relationship with Deborah was, but I know she was always really proud of her daughter. 

It's not mentioned in the book or series but Deborah also has a little sister. Deborah's grandparents still had custody of her when I knew the mother, but Deborah's sister frequently called her mother and the two of them seemed to have a good relationship. 

I like Unorthodox but I like the book better. The immediate move to Berlin doesn't make that much sense if you know about the long, drawn out process of leaving the Hasidic community.

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7 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

The immediate move to Berlin doesn't make that much sense if you know about the long, drawn out process of leaving the Hasidic community.

Also, how would Esty be fluent in German? I assume that was the language everyone in Berlin was speaking.

Nitpick aside, I loved this. I loved the beautiful irony of Germany being the place of liberation and freedom. Societies really can change.

A good companion film if you can find it is 2102's Fill The Void https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fill_the_void. Here, a young Hasidic Woman goes about getting married with a bit more agency.

Edited by marinw
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After I had finished Unorthodox, both Netflix and a friend recommended Shtisel, an Israeli about a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) family in Jerusalem.  My husband and I have watched the first 4 episodes (there are 2 seasons, 24 eps in all) and like it very much.  I've opened a topic thread in the Other Dramas forum, if anyone else decides to watch it.

 

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17 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

I thought the story line in Berlin had too many coincidences that combined to make Esty's transition unrealistically easy.  Interestingly, according to the making of video, that's the part the show runners created in order to protect the author's privacy to some extent, while the scenes in Brooklyn are supposed to be drawn more directly from the book.  But I loved the characterizations and performances.  Shira Haas is a marvel, of course, as Esty.  Amit Rahav was also wonderful as Yanky.  The open-ended conclusion seems to be setting us up for further episodes.  I would continue watching.

I agree about the coincidences in Berlin.  She immediately meets a group of music students who immediately take to her seemed off.  And then the group coincidentally has an Israeli who should have some context of Etsy's world, but has to be a bitch.  I was also thrown by her almost immediate acceptance of the gay couple when she ran away from her lesbian mother just the day before.  

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I wish they had told us what Esty decided to do with her pregnancy. She was raised to believe that abortion is one of the worst things imaginable, but she is so young and isn't that far along, so terminating the pregnancy is still a possibility.

Esty's signing was moving but how much had she been rehearsing? I have zero musical talent but do know that a musical person has to practice a LOT. My neighbour down the hall in my condo plays the French Horn, and even with the rest of his symphony's season being cancelled  🥵 he still practices. 

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On 4/12/2020 at 11:12 PM, Growsonwalls said:

Cool factoid: I once worked with Deborah Feldman's mother. She was a science teacher in the same school. I don't know how good her relationship with Deborah was, but I know she was always really proud of her daughter. 

It's not mentioned in the book or series but Deborah also has a little sister. Deborah's grandparents still had custody of her when I knew the mother, but Deborah's sister frequently called her mother and the two of them seemed to have a good relationship. 

I like Unorthodox but I like the book better. The immediate move to Berlin doesn't make that much sense if you know about the long, drawn out process of leaving the Hasidic community.

And I would think it’ll be difficult to integrate into secular society, too.  I too was surprised how unbothered she seemed to be with the gay couple making out.  Or any couple making out.  

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I loved this series. It was beautifully acted and well researched. Everyone should watch the 20 minute clip about the making of this story. I would have liked to have known what happened afterwards to Esty and the baby she was pregnant with.

If anyone is interested in the Ultra Orthodox Jewish community in New York there is a documentary on Netfix called One Of Us which is very interesting as well. 

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Let me start by saying that I know absolutely nothing about the orthodox Jewish community.  Nothing I say here should be taken as a comment on that community.  But, I can comment on what was presented, and that is all I'm doing here.

Etsy (Shira Haas), was such a sympathetic, endearing, powerful and likable character.  I can't recall another female character that has had that effect on me recently, if ever. Every male instinct I have wanted to protect her with all my might.  Mock me if you will, call me a Neanderthal or a sexist.  I don't care.  Any man that denies those instincts is either lying or not a real man.  It's how we're wired.  

There may have been some plot holes in this story, but at the end of the day it was extremely moving and poignant. This was so much more than a 'coming of age' or a 'finding your own way' story.  The fact that it was, to some degree, based on a true story makes it that much more powerful.  

The poetry of this story moved the cowboy in this Texas boy.

 

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On 4/13/2020 at 5:43 AM, marinw said:

Also, how would Esty be fluent in German?

Esty spoke Yiddish which is a German dialect.  If you speak Spanish you can get by in Italy.  I suspect this is similar.

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I have to admit, I had a little sympathy for Moishe. He's caught, too - he is still observant, keeps Kosher, prays, but also has a smartphone, gambles, smokes, and drinks. He's caught between his two worlds, and he knows he doesn't fully belong in either one.

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2 hours ago, AnnieBananie said:

I have to admit, I had a little sympathy for Moishe. He's caught, too - he is still observant, keeps Kosher, prays, but also has a smartphone, gambles, smokes, and drinks. He's caught between his two worlds, and he knows he doesn't fully belong in either one.

Being caught is also the experience of many whose parents are immigrants - I saw an interview with Deborah and she said she related more with children of immigrants (though I could be imagining things).  However, in a way, I think Moishe is doing this out of rebellion, but he can't fully leave the community without feeling guilty.  Again, it's something many children of immigrants feel.  

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On 4/13/2020 at 3:43 AM, marinw said:

Also, how would Esty be fluent in German? I assume that was the language everyone in Berlin was speaking.

She spoke fluent Yiddish with is an offshoot of of German, so it's not a stretch that she'd understand German as well.

There was a great documentary I saw on PBS's POV last year, called 93Queen. It's about a group of Hasidic women who want to start their own all-female emergency response ambulance service in NYC. It's a fantastic documentary and gives a real life look at this world from the inside. The link below gives options of where to view it:

https://www.93queen.com/watchnow

Edited by gingerella
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On 4/13/2020 at 6:43 AM, marinw said:

lso, how would Esty be fluent in German? I assume that was the language everyone in Berlin was speaking.

My parents, though American born, spoke Yiddish to each other when they didn’t want us kids to know what they were taking about. As a result, I know a fair amount of Yiddishisms (which are incredibly descriptive and lose a lot in translation). In college I took two semesters of Beginning German. It is very similar to Yiddish. It’s a bit sad to think that the language is dying out.

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Many people here have corrected me on how German and Yiddish are familiar. Thank you. Being a very secular jew myself, I should have known that!

6 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

As a result, I know a fair amount of Yiddishisms (which are incredibly descriptive and lose a lot in translation)

Yiddish does have some great descriptions of people that have made it into the larger culture which describe people in specific ways: schmuck, mench, putz, the list goes on...

Edited by marinw
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I watched over the weekend and also really liked it. I read the book a few years back and I've also read about women who have left the Hasidic community and have struggled to keep in contact with their children. 

I also felt for Moishe. The Rabbi said something like he would be accepted back and could return to his wife and children if he brought Esty back. So his actions were, for him, totally justified. 

As an American in Berlin, it was fun to try and spot the places I knew. Esty probably could have spoken Yiddish to most people and everyone would have just assumed she spoke semi-German. (Sort of a foreigner's German. It's not perfect, but the mistakes are easy enough to overlook). As a musician myself (opera singer), Esty would not have been accepted into the school. I know the Israeli character was supposed to be the bitch, but she was right. The second song she sang was very moving and definitely showed potential, but most candidates for a conservatory are past the potential stage. They're looking for people with more polish.  

 

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You know what really struck me whilst watching this series was just how overwhelmingly sad it is that much of their faith is based in fear.... every main character was in some way living in fear..... even Moishe. 
 

The children growing up in Hasidic communities are lied to from day one...I don’t think that speaks very highly of that faith. 

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2 hours ago, BellyLaughter said:

You know what really struck me whilst watching this series was just how overwhelmingly sad it is that much of their faith is based in fear.... every main character was in some way living in fear..... even Moishe. 
 

The children growing up in Hasidic communities are lied to from day one...I don’t think that speaks very highly of that faith. 

What struck me during the series is also how much the cult has warped even the men especially Yanky.  Throughout the marriage when they can't get sex to work right, never does he get any pointers.  Etsy gets the Hasidic sex ed teacher, but no one talks to him about how to help his wife.  The onus is on Etsy to fix her problem.  His joy when they finally do it is heartbreaking to me.  He is so happy that it finally happened, but it doesn't dawn on him how bad that sex actually was.  

I see them as being just as messed up as any other religious cult.  There are a lot of parallels to the different fundamentalist Christian churches that are found in every state, and the Amish.  

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3 hours ago, BellyLaughter said:

You know what really struck me whilst watching this series was just how overwhelmingly sad it is that much of their faith is based in fear.... every main character was in some way living in fear..... even Moishe.

Yeah, it is sad that 6 million of us were murdered by our own governments and people we knew as neighbors and friends and it could easily happen again.

I'm not saying the reaction to the Holocaust should be as extreme as the isolationism in some Hasidic circles, but the fear that gave rise to movements like that is extremely real. Hell I'm secular and childless and I've already extracted a promise from my best Catholic friend to hide any children I may have if need be.

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42 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

What struck me during the series is also how much the cult has warped even the men especially Yanky.  Throughout the marriage when they can't get sex to work right, never does he get any pointers.  Etsy gets the Hasidic sex ed teacher, but no one talks to him about how to help his wife.  The onus is on Etsy to fix her problem.  His joy when they finally do it is heartbreaking to me.  He is so happy that it finally happened, but it doesn't dawn on him how bad that sex actually was. 

That's not a religious thing, it's a family thing. Yanky shouldn't have been asking his mother what to do, he should have been asking his father, his brothers and his Rabbi. They would not have told him it's Esty's fault, especially for having a medical condition. Any Rabbi with a lick of sense would have told him to try out some romance and look up foreplay. Esty quoted the Talmud about how it was Yanky's duty to make sure sex was pleasurable for her. Even if she's not supposed to read the Talmud, that doesn't make it wrong.

It's amazing to me how in so many religious situations, women can get the most grief and judgement from other women. I wish Esty had just gone to the Rabbi and told him of her troubles. "My husband will only listen to his mother" is probably the most common thing he hears. "My husband and I are having trouble in bed" is probably the second most common.

I've had my brushes with the Orthodox community, including overhearing a conversation a Rabbi was having over the phone with a man: "Look, your wife doesn't want pornography in the house. You can't keep it at the office?"

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6 hours ago, BellyLaughter said:

You know what really struck me whilst watching this series was just how overwhelmingly sad it is that much of their faith is based in fear.... every main character was in some way living in fear..... even Moishe. 
 

The children growing up in Hasidic communities are lied to from day one...I don’t think that speaks very highly of that faith. 

The same can be said of any religion.  Or even culture (especially cultures which have historically faced A LOT of hardship).  

I think they're also shamed for being "different" - something that is in with many other groups (I can only speak for East Asian communities, or at least MY community).  I can't tell you how many times I've felt that sense when people comment on my Cantonese-speaking skills (or lack there of) or if I'm not making certain dishes the "proper" way, even by English (only)-speaking, Canadian born people of Hong Kong (or ANYONE from the Chinese diaspora/Asian diaspora).  Sorry, but I speak Cantonese better than many Canadian-born people AND guess what?  My grandmother never taught me how to cook.  She wasn't good herself (growing up, her had help) and only cooked and cleaned after she married because she HAD TO (family lost money/WWII kind of screwed things over).  She didn't think it was lady-like to do housework.  Actually, the food shaming thing comes even from non-Asians (usually people who are children or grandchildren of immigrants (the ones I know are, for the most part, Italian or (non-observant/not-too-observant) Ashkenazi Jews)).  From the sense I got out of the show, it's even MORE amplified in Hasidic communities, especially Esty's.  Different is bad.  You have to stay within the box.

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5 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

That's not a religious thing, it's a family thing. Yanky shouldn't have been asking his mother what to do, he should have been asking his father, his brothers and his Rabbi.

Yes, the Israeli series Shtisel (which I also watched recently on Netflix) portrays a more functional Hareidi family in Jerusalem.  While problems abound in that series, just as with any group of people, I was struck by the underlying sense of love and commitment they had toward each other.  Shira Haas, who played Esti, has a supporting role in Shtisel, filmed when she was quite a bit younger.  She's equally compelling there!

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6 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

Yanky shouldn't have been asking his mother what to do, he should have been asking his father, his brothers and his Rabbi. They would not have told him it's Esty's fault, especially for having a medical condition. 

Exactly.  I wouldn't have even gone to my dad.  Brothers, yeah.  Ugh.  Why would someone even ask a parent for sex advice?  It's WEIRD.  

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On 4/11/2020 at 12:45 AM, ChelleGame said:

What a beautiful show. I loved every minute and I outright sobbed when Esty started singing.

I agree the show was beautiful.

I watched the show in two chunks. Eps 1 and 2 one night, and then a few nights later, Eps 3 and 4.

After seeing 1 and 2, I thought, "Shira Haas--THAT'S who they should have cast as Judy Garland in that movie. She's a dead ringer as well as an amazing actress."

And that's before I knew she could sing!

When I heard her sing in Ep 4, I knew it was an even greater loss that she didn't get that role.

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Esty spoke Yiddish to her family and friends but knew how to speak English. The young German musicians, being cosmopolitan and educated, spoke German and English. An Israeli would speak Hebrew and English. English is taught at schools around the world; in this case it was everyone's common language. 

I doubt modern-day Germans would know Yiddish, a very old language that actually varies from region to region in Europe, because it picked up words from the surrounding community.

 

 

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On 4/23/2020 at 8:41 PM, Kiss my mutt said:

Was she up for the part of Judy Garland? She would have been great in that role. 

You mean for Teen Judy?  Shira's only 25, so a little too young for 1960s Judy.  

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On 4/22/2020 at 4:51 AM, BellyLaughter said:

You know what really struck me whilst watching this series was just how overwhelmingly sad it is that much of their faith is based in fear.... every main character was in some way living in fear..... even Moishe. 
 

The children growing up in Hasidic communities are lied to from day one...I don’t think that speaks very highly of that sect faith

I would like to suggest the word 'sect' rather than 'faith' because in your comment you're intimating that Judaism on the whole is a lie, and we're really talking about a very small sect of Judaism. Just as there are Muslims who distort their faith for various reasons (political and/or gender-based oppression). There are also different sub-sects of Hasidim, with each following their own Rebbe's court (Rabbi's posse, if you will). Some courts have thousands of families while others have a few hundred. So specific quirks abound depending on which sub-sect you are a part of. So even within Hasidic practices, not all might the same as what we saw in this series. So yeah, this sect and sub-sects of Judaism can be bizarre, antiquated and have levels of gender oppression, but please don't think that they represent the modern Jewish practices of Reform and Conservative Jews, and even some Orthodox are not like this.

On 4/22/2020 at 11:18 AM, PRgal said:

...I think they're also shamed for being "different" - something that is in with many other groups (I can only speak for East Asian communities, or at least MY community)... Different is bad.  You have to stay within the box.

^This^ If you explore the roots of any seemingly extreme social/cultural practices, you will always find a reason or root cause of why people do what they do. It doesn't mean they're wrong and we're right, it means in order to understand differences and not just condemn them, we must dig deeper and explore the WHY in any situation.  To be a part of a community that is looked down upon for being 'old fashioned', 'out of touch', 'filled with gender inequity', etc., it's not surprising that the Hasidic community sticks together in it's tiny enclaves. They are free to live life the way they want to, and the more they stick together in one bubble, the less headaches having to defend themselves. I can absolutely understand that. I'm not condoning the way women appear to be treated, but I get why they prefer to self-isolate. So when one among the many decides to do things differently, that is unsettling for the majority. It's the Jonathan Livingstone Seagull conundrum! Esty was Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and while Yanky approved of her being 'different' at first, he didn't really know what that mean in reality. He realized too late, that he was willing to be different with her, that was the saddest part to me - When he cut his earlocks off, that was the ultimate sacrifice, anyone looking at him would see he too, was now different. That was a heartbreaking scene because I think in different circumstances, Yanky could have become a good husband and made Esty happy. But it's too late now.

I hope we get a second season because after watching these four episodes, I am so invested in these characters and want to see where they go next!

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On 4/13/2020 at 9:52 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

 I was also thrown by her almost immediate acceptance of the gay couple when she ran away from her lesbian mother just the day before.  

Well...Esty did disclose to Yanky when she first met him that she was a little “different”. And in spite of her strict orthodox teachings she did question a lot of things, so she was probably more open-minded, and with time would’ve evolved her understanding of alternative relationships. Her mother’s gay relationship, I can imagine, would’ve taken longer for her to process.

So I’m willing to accept a little creative liberty taken that she would be accepting around an amorous gay couple given it’s a compressed timeframe in a 4-part miniseries. 

On 4/26/2020 at 6:07 PM, Milburn Stone said:

IMO, she has the right look for 1960s Judy, regardless of Shira's actual age. 

I think she has the bone structure to pull off a young Judy. Shira Haas was giving me the fiery passion of Sinead O’Connor; and while in the club scenes a younger, less emotionally broken  Rose McGowen. Shira can easily say very little and yet be that captivating with her expressive face. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

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I just watched the first episode of this, after seeing it on Netflix and thinking it looked interesting. And it is. A really compelling performance by Shira Haas, who evokes such a sense of innocence and vulnerability, but also toughness and a resolve that is hard to imagine - to leave the neighbourhood she's lived in her entire life and just fly to Berlin? How many people could do that?

I love Berlin, and it was fun seeing places I've been, as well as the open, friendly nature of the people Esty meets. It's such a cool place. Cosmopolitan, accepting, a true melting pot of cultures, which was nicely reflected in the different backgrounds of the people Esty meets.

And I love New York as well. Last time I was there I did walk through some Orthodox Jewish neighbourhoods en route from Park Slope to Williamsburg, and it's so strange. The streets and buildings are 100% New York, but the Jewish people living there are thoroughly of the old world. It's an odd experience. They live in the craziest, most exciting, most unlimited city in the world, and yet they live apart. This episode was an education on parts of the culture that I had no idea about, or at least only had a vague idea about. When I watched the trailers I assumed she shaved her head as an act of rebellion, not of conformity. 

As someone who has no time for any organised religion, let alone one as ascetic as Orthodox Judaism, it's difficult to not see her husband's family as pure villains. I don't like any belief system that sets such constraints on people - Esty can't actually do anything for herself, she's essentially a designated broodmare, and even Yanky is trapped in being what a Hasidic Jewish man is supposed to be (of course, the men do get leeway that women don't. Smoking, mobile phones, being permitted to travel and work). But he seems to be aware of Esty's less-than-acceptable ways, and accepting. There's no doubt that he loves her, and seems like a nice guy.

On to episode two.

Edited by Danny Franks
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Okay, so I watched all of that in one sitting. Really good, and unexpectedly affecting in a number of ways.

I really liked the scene between Moishe and Esty in the park, where Moishe was pointing out the amount of pain and suffering inflicted on the Jewish people in Berlin, only for Esty to rejoinder that it doesn't matter where they are, the Jewish people carry that grief with them.

Moishe himself ended up being quite a tragic character. He clearly doesn't operate well under the strictures of Orthodox Judaism, but he's as much a prisoner as Esty was. And I guess Yanky was too, but he doesn't seem like he's equipped to survive without that structure.

He seemed to like the idea of an exotic and 'different' wife, when that meant she might like to secretly learn something as tame as how to play the piano, but he still expected her to be the suitable Jewish wife, and had little appreciation of her having any sort of inner life. He also didn't really have a hope of winning Esty back once she'd discovered the wonders of the absurdly handsome and kind German guy.

I was genuinely moved by Esty singing. Not so much the first song, although it seemed like she nailed it to me, but the second one was just packed with emotion. I assume it's a religious Jewish song that Esty has heard many times, but never been allowed to sing.

And it's a certainty that she's getting that scholarship, after they heard her sing and, just as importantly, heard her story. Who wouldn't want to be able to talk about the untrained singing prodigy who lived under an oppressive, stringent religious lifestyle.

I can see how they might make a second season, and I'd be interested to watch more, but if this is all they do, then I'm satisfied. The world of opportunity and experience that's opening up in front of Esty can be imagined easily.

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I really liked the show, though I have some nitpicks. Shira Haas is a very good actress but her Israeli accent is so strong that it was hard to believe her character grew up in Brooklyn speaking Yiddish. Even the actress who plays Yael didn't have such a strong accent.

Also, everything that happens in Berlin is way too "charmed" - she immediately falls in with a beautiful, multicultural, talented crowd her own age who accept and trust her right away, no questions asked. It seemed more like what her fantasy of Berlin life was than actual Berlin life.

On 4/10/2020 at 11:15 AM, PRgal said:

I have to admit that I'm only half-way through the show, but after two episodes, I, too, feel badly for Yanky.  He seems very awkward around Esty, kind of like a middle schooler's first school dance.  

There are no romantic relationships allowed in that community outside of marriage, so his experience level with women was similar to that of a middle schooler.

On 4/19/2020 at 11:40 AM, gingerella said:

She spoke fluent Yiddish

Not entirely fluent. The younger characters (including Esty's aunt and Yanky's mother) all spoke what I would call Yinglish, saying things like "zi hat nisht allayn ge-ruined di marriage." The local language always bleeds into spoken Yiddish - my grandparents spoke a Yiddish-Russian hybrid - very few people speak "pure" Yiddish.

Also, to me, Yiddish and German are quite different. I'm fluent in German and heard a lot of Yiddish growing up, but I'm still nowhere near fluent in Yiddish and would not have understood half of the Yiddish dialog without the subtitles. There are differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

On 4/20/2020 at 10:15 AM, TrixieTrue said:

As a musician myself (opera singer), Esty would not have been accepted into the school. 

We don't know whether she was accepted, do we? I thought we were only shown the audition but not the committee's decision, unless I missed something.

Fun fact: this show was directed by Maria Schrader, who is also a famous actress in Germany. She often played ingenue roles when she was younger, so I see a parallel to Shira Haas.

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59 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Not entirely fluent. The younger characters (including Esty's aunt and Yanky's mother) all spoke what I would call Yinglish, saying things like "zi hat nisht allayn ge-ruined di marriage." The local language always bleeds into spoken Yiddish - my grandparents spoke a Yiddish-Russian hybrid - very few people speak "pure" Yiddish.

My mother (who like my father was also brought up overhearing enough Yiddish-Russian to be close to fluent) absolutely loved "ge-ruined". I kept doing a double take whenever they said "Amen", because it's so ingrained in me to pronounce it "Uh-Main", but that's apparently very specific to Satmar Hebrew pronunciation.

As for Esty's audition, by going with voice she's giving herself a huge step up, in my experience. My voice teacher refused to teach pre-menstrual girls on the basis that their vocal anatomy was too delicate, and on the whole I've found that many classical voice teachers don't want to get serious until college, so about age 18. Esty is 19, and her technique is incredible for someone completely untaught.

On another note, the song was beautiful, but I would have preferred a song in Yiddish as opposed to Hebrew. There's an enormous world of nearly forgotten Yiddish music that deserves to get a leg up.

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6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Also, everything that happens in Berlin is way too "charmed" - she immediately falls in with a beautiful, multicultural, talented crowd her own age who accept and trust her right away, no questions asked. It seemed more like what her fantasy of Berlin life was than actual Berlin life.

Yeah, it definitely seems like she lands perfectly on her feet. I know that most of the Berlin stuff is fictional, while the flashbacks of her life in Brooklyn are the parts more closely based on the book.

I think if they'd written this over more than four episodes, they might have included more struggles and travails, but it could easily veer into miserable territory if we saw much of Esty penniless and frightened and possibly victimised in Berlin.

And maybe it was an idealised version of Berlin that the first people she meets are a cosmopolitan, diverse group of young people who are incredibly open and generous but... it's not that idealised in my experience. Berlin is an incredibly welcoming, diverse and progressive city.

5 hours ago, PinkRibbons said:

On another note, the song was beautiful, but I would have preferred a song in Yiddish as opposed to Hebrew. There's an enormous world of nearly forgotten Yiddish music that deserves to get a leg up.

Apparently that song was the same on that the men sung at her wedding. Google tells me it's a traditional wedding song, so Esty choosing to sing it as a heartfelt lament was really quite powerful.

Another couple of performances I really enjoyed in this - Esty's grandfather was great. A sweet, well-meaning old man who did a lot with his time on screen. Being the warm, venerable elder to the kids, the strict, disgusted father and the grieving, confused husband.

And Jeff Wilbusch, who played Moishe. He had so much charm and louche charisma, with an edge of danger. He hasn't done much English language work, that I can see, other than appearing in the BBC's Little Drummer Girl a couple of years ago, but he needs to be added to Hollywood's list of 'European villains' for movies and TV shows. He's really good.

 

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(edited)
14 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Shira Haas is a very good actress but her Israeli accent is so strong that it was hard to believe her character grew up in Brooklyn speaking Yiddish.

I grew up in the NYC area and I've been around plenty of Hasidic folks and quite a few have accents from the mother country, it felt real to me.

ETA: We watched the Making Of Unorthodox last night and if you havent watched it, I highly recommend it!

Edited by gingerella
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