The Ultra-Scrutinized Ultra-Orthodox

"Israeli Film Causes Second Looks at World of the Ultra-Orthodox"
A35, Friday 11/28/08
By Neil Admur

The Israeli film, "The Secrets," relating to "women's rights, lesbian love and kabbalah" in the Jewish ultra-Orthodox world, is the subject of this journalist's article. This past Wednesday, the movie opened in seven theaters in New York. The majority of the article is devoted to the thoughts of four different rabbis and a rabinnical student (Conservatie, Reform, and Modern Orthodox - men and women) on the movie.

Interestingly enough, some of these rabbis offer very valid criticism of the film. One rabbi disputes the director's black-and-white depiction of the secular and ultra-Orthodox world: "You have to be married and live the life of a sort of a constrained rebbetzin [rabbi's wife] or you live in an alternative lifestyle. And those two extremes are clearly not the only choices." This rabbi is very perceptive in highlighting the very fertile middle-ground for Jewish women in which they do not have to be caricatures of religious submission or indivualistic and chic secularism.

In the end, the NYT continues to maintain a closely-trained critical eye on the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community in the Israel and U.S. (see "How Do You Prove You're a Jew?" among many others), prompting one to ask "Why?"