Former Hasidic Jews reveal hidden world.

in this modern world where everything plays out fast and it plays out in the open at incredible speeds and just when it seems like we're all in on it and interconnected there are still a few communities that are not part of it they're closed off by choice and that would include the sizable population especially here in New York of Hasidic Jews a branch of Judaism that has chosen to devote their lives to observance tonight dr. Nancy Snyderman introduces us to for young people who made the heart-wrenching choice to leave the fold and now they're able to give us a glimpse inside that world this wedding might look like it's in another country but it's happening in Brooklyn New York the bride's face is completely covered the groom is not beaming but instead deep in prayer the couple met just a few weeks before this day because their marriage is arranged you know about filiming limit on Avraham Berkowitz is a rabbi and among the guests they barely know each other is true I met my wife for seven days we don't marry the one we love but we love the one we marry this is a rare look inside the community of Hasidic Jews whose members strive for total devotion to the Talmud or ancient Jewish laws how would an American family understand our values it would be similar to the cultural American values that were in the 1950s at the reception there is total segregation of the sexes women's day on one side of the room men on the other the groom doesn't dance with his bride just other males to understand what it means to be Hasidic consider many in this neighborhood have never seen a movie or watch TV Yiddish not English is the main language in accordance to biblical teachings men dress alike wearing long curls while married women cover their hair usually with wigs family is paramount and others might appreciate the community's values the modesty and the dress the language in the house standing up for parents not interrupting when adults are speaking that kind of protected lifestyle that is what we have today remarkably New York City's Hasidic community is located right across the river from Manhattan skyscrapers in one of the hippest areas in the country Brooklyn here in Williamsburg there are trendy shops galleries and a lot of bars yet just a few blocks away more than 300,000 Hasidic followers have found a way to remain completely isolated creating a religious island yet what happens when someone just wants to know what's on the other side these four young people made the difficult choice to walk away from the community where they were born and raised there's no wall around you there are some ways what keeps people from sort of crossing that line Gentiles will kill you Gentiles will kill you what they do is they don't make you think this is good but it's forbidden it's why would he even wander what were you taught about the Holocaust ultimately the lesson of the Holocaust is stay as insulated and as isolated as possible so that's we need the lesson that you grow up with they say to people like us you want to go mingle with them look look what ready could happen ari Mandel Melissa Weiss Sam Katz and Hindi Sabol all had something in common since they were children curiosity when words were blacked out in their school textbooks they wanted to know what they meant you remember words that you were not supposed to know many words some are pretty mundane like dinosaur and universe and gymnasium and what is it about those words that makes them forbidden they bring up subjects they don't want to talk about subjects like evolution and astronomy are not taught in their private Hasidic schools you mentioned gymnasium which I know I don't get that why would we need to use the word gymnasium to exercise we don't have that concept to play like exercise helps the body it's a waste of valuable time it's great its secular like most Hasidic boys Sam Katz's secular education stopped at the age of 13 he then studied the Talmud six days a week up to 13 hours a day but Sam had a burning desire for something more one day he sneaked away to a forbidden place in Manhattan what did you think um it was obviously a lot to process he went to the Museum of Natural History it changed his life the first time I saw the dinosaurs I barely know what to make of it and I was like you know I wonder how can this be assembled there was something so connected about standing next to it or something so universally harmonious it for lack of a better word it was just a feeling of of this fantasy world how do you explain censorship of books in words like dinosaur gymnasium it's an interesting question every single parent has to choose what to bring into the house and what not to they don't believe that it's necessary to bring in a lot of doubts or questions on their faith and tradition but when someone wants answers and they're looking to leave the community they often come here what most of individuals that are coming to us what we're seeing is they just want to learn they want to study physics and they want to study how atoms work and they want to study math Lani Santo runs footsteps a support group for Hasidic that helps teach some basics of life footsteps members are very much like immigrants but they're immigrants into a country that their citizens in some people don't know how to order in a restaurant or even how to kiss how do you first kiss someone at 21 first kiss it most people don't get that sexuality is just not discussed in fact young men and women are not supposed to socialize with each other unless they are family members it's a normal part of adolescence to have sexual yearnings and wonder about the other sex how did you guys deal I mean in my case I was completely ignorant so it didn't I didn't know what that meant when we said you're ignorant what do you mean sex in sexuality doesn't exist there's no you don't get a sex ed you don't get a biology classes you're not taught the birds and the bees like nobody knows anything the words pregnant like mine I would never say it in front of a boy but pregnancy is most certainly a fact of life it's common for Hasidic couples to have 10 12 or more children after high school most young women get married and start a family which is why Hindi Sables parents were disappointed she first wanted to go to college don't want to hurt my parents if anything I want to make them proud and it's very hard knowing that I won't today Hindi age 28 is working on getting her MBA and the others are also following their dreams melissa is pursuing acting re joined the US Army and now at 30 is getting a bachelor's degree Sam graduated college with a biochemistry degree and the boy who just wanted to learn recently received a Fulbright scholarship to study in Berlin rabbi Berkowitz says very few ever leave the fold and says those who do don't realize what they have lost stop crying about what you didn't have your families did give you something beautiful they brought you in a beautiful homes loving parents that nucleus what they gave you the secular world bottle of love to have sam says he realizes few in the community will ever see this report but he hopes this message somehow gets inside I want every a city boy and girl to know nothing you should live that outside life it might make you happy but you could and know that option if you think you might not be happy no you could be happy the other dr. Nancy Snyderman reporting from Brooklyn New York

Channel: Duudeabides2

Views: 2,445,367

Rating: 4.4142933 out of 5

Keywords: jews, jewish

Id: TQWLJhsl-t4

Length: 8min 41sec (521 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 22 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/carrorphcarp]

I’ve lived just blocks from that community for years. “Gentiles will kill you” makes so much sense. There have been times when I’ve said hello to Hasidic kids and they looked back at me with sheer terror.

Like any other religiously oppressed community, I feel bad for them

[u/Themuffintree101]

The delusional Rabbi seems to think loving families are incompatible with secularism.

[u/CX-001]

Man, i forgot how much i dislike the way tv reporters speak. Its so forced and corny.

[u/imgeekedupondembars]

insular communities always have rampant abuse.

[u/ass_unicron]

Sad, even irish catholic kids learned that sex was pleasurable and existed (for procreating married couples.)

[u/dave2daresqu]

I grew up inside a hasidic community. Lakewood New Jersey. The jews there weren't fearful of us, but they were downright rude and always looked at us as if we were lesser than them. Granted none of them were ever aggressive. I eventually moved to a town over and went to grad school with some hisidic girls, they were all mostly sweet and caring.

They are now sueing my town and surrounding towns for discrimination because our town wont allow them to move in and build dorms for their schools. Im indifferent to them doing moving in, however they always vote against school budgets because they only send their kids to their private schools and New Jersey mandates that townships have to provide free transportation to any private schools, therefore draining the public school system of any money over time. Its unfortunate and shortsighted because eventually they will have to live with a community who's kids grew up without a good education/resources.

[u/T1620]

Cult

[u/princeoftheminmax]

In case it hasn’t been mentioned, there’s a great documentary on Netflix (US) called One of Us that goes into the Hasidim community as well. I found it to be really interesting and well produced.

[u/home_cheese]

5:55, CRAZY EYES!