Jewish Williamsburg, the neighborhood from the series 'Unorthodox'
In New York they resist cultural bubbles resulting from decades of waves of immigration. We find the russian community in brighton beach , the indian in jackson heights and the polish in greenpoint . But none causes as much fascination as the Williamsburg Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Quarter . Many visitors associate this name with all things hipster, and for good reason (although Williamsburg has become less hip and more family-friendly in recent years). but the series Unorthodox has put the focus on the south of the neighborhood where one of the hasidic communities most numerous and conservative in the world.
The adaptation of the book Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots takes certain liberties in recounting its author's flight to Berlin, Deborah Feldman , embodied in the character of esty in TV. Still she has been extremely faithful to the recreation of the traditions of the Williamsburg community which allows us to infiltrate the day-to-day life of a community that many people only know in passing, from organized tour buses.
Jewish Williamsburg, the neighborhood from the series 'Unorthodox'
One of the most surprising revelations occurs as soon as the first episode begins, discovering something that we have had in our noses on walks in New York and that many will never have seen. It is a circuit of fishing line , almost invisible, that winds through streets and avenues atop lampposts and electric poles . is the call Eruv , an essential element for Jewish families who want to go outside during the Sabbat, the sacred holiday of Saturday . According to Jewish law, during this Sabbath, the faithful cannot carry anything outside the home or vice versa . This includes keys, purses, or even babies and wheelchairs. The Eruv extends the domestic borders to the street to make the celebration more bearable. The perimeter of Manhattan covers almost 30 kilometers and stretches from Battery Park to 126th Street . The borough of Brooklyn has 10 circuits more or less interconnected . Without him, Jewish families remain prisoners in their homes, as seen in the series.
Perhaps the most striking thing about Williamsburg's Hasidic community (most of the dynasty Satmar with roots in Hungary ) is his attire and predilection for black or dark colors . the little cap Kippah , generally, under a hat and long coat, for men, and flat shoes, long skirts below the knee and sleeves past the elbow, for women. The Torah requires discretion in clothing and the skin disappears under the fabric even in summer , no matter how sizzling it is. The contrast with the tourists who usually visit the neighborhood, along lee avenue , has led to more than one discussion about propriety.
Esty tries to get away from her community
Another debate is generated by the hair. Especially the women's. In a chilling scene from Unorthodox , Esty is shaved to zero. It is a ritual that all newly married women must go through . Tradition requires that, once the wedding is sealed, her natural hair cannot be visible to any other man. Thus, many have to wear their hair very short and covered by a wig that can cost between 500 and 1500 dollars . Women usually have more than one, daily and for celebrations.
In addition, the style marks the degree of rigidity of your faith. From less to more: simple wig, wig with hat or scarf that covers the whole head, the option of older women. It is a way of making women invisible in a society where men cannot succumb to temptations . As soon as they the law prohibits them from shaving and cutting the hair from the temples . Hence, when they are little, they hang those curls next to each ear.
Moishe goes to Berlin to look for Esty
The case exemplified by the protagonist of the series is not unique. The documentary, also on Netflix, One of Us It becomes an essential complement to that story. Since 2003, the footsteps organization is dedicated to giving support for Hasidic Jews who decide to leave the community.
The documentary, also shot in the Williamsburg neighborhood of New York, recounts his work and focuses on cases such as that of Etty, a woman who is involved in a legal battle for the custody of her seven children when she tries to run away from the mistreatment of her husband. The victim recounts how the patriarchal community protects the man and the difficulties in rebuilding his life in a world he knows nothing about.
the before
In such a conservative community, homosexuality is completely taboo. In Unorthodox , Esty is raised by her grandmother after her mother admits to being a lesbian and decides to leave to find her happiness. She is an item pulled intact from Feldman's memoir. and that centers the plot of the film Disobedience . In it, the actress Rachel Weiss She plays the daughter of an ultra-conservative rabbi who returns to London's Hasidic community. She there she is reunited with an old love, played by Rachel McAdams.
The story comes from the pages of the book of the same title written by Naomi Alderman , a Hasidic Jew who, like its protagonist, abandoned her family to start from scratch in New York. Despite being a fictional novel, the author drew on her experience within the community to illustrate the silence in which relationships have to be developed that, in other countries, are seen as completely natural.
Movies and television have brought the Hasidic community out of the closet and exposed their traditions and customs, usually hidden from the public. After seeing them, surely your next walk through Williamsburg will not be the same.
The after