April 27, 2020

Binge-watching Jewish TV as an indoor sport

Netflix was surely not around during the making of the Covenant—the contract between God, Abraham and Jewish People. But more so than perhaps any other media company, Netflix is, apparently, determined to discover the destiny of the Chosen People.

With “Shtisel,” “Unorthodox” and “Fauda,” each trending on its “must-see-TV” platform—and presented in English, Yiddish and German subtitles—Netflix is making a cultural statement as to who Jews really are in this world. Doing so required a titanic shift in the cultural depictions of Jews, and a total abandonment of the Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Barbra Streisand, Larry David and Sarah Silverman axes of Jewish-American comedy, which dates as far back as the origins of Hollywood, radio and television itself.

April 13, 2020

Passover and crises go hand in hand

OK, so maybe this wasn’t the most fulfilling Passover in living memory. Adapting to the virtual seder model on Zoom and FaceTime was a novelty, but if we never go back to it again, I don’t think anyone will miss the experience.

April 6, 2020

The 11th Plague: How COVID-19 Forces Us to Ask Disturbing Questions During Passover

God might have gone a little too far this time. An actual plague before Passover? Seriously? And not just against Egyptians — but everyone, including Jews?

The Chosen People, especially Orthodox Jews, given the early outbreak in New Rochelle, New York, have no immunity to a modern-day plague that plays no favorites and refuses to pass over anyone — even on the holiday of Passover. We are now all exiled — not in the desert or even the Diaspora — but to dreary self-quarantines and the anxiety from incomplete and convoluted information.