The Frieda Vizel Podcast

Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/WSYIhDbY0VYIn this conversation, I speak with Rabbi Mayer Schiller, a Hasidic Jew based in Monsey, New York, known for his deep knowledge of the Hasidic community and his rare combination of freethinking, humanist, and unflinchingly critical views. We touched on big themes like Zionism, sectarian divides, and other hot-button topics.Outro Music selected by Rabbi Schiller Agudah Achas (feat. Yoel Blum)https://youtu.be/u6TuUxzx8ek?si=GKkJDKlpgD1t5cWoIt's the verse ״ויעשו כולם אגודה אחת לעשות רצונך בלבב שלם from the High Holiday prayers. It's translated as "And they all formed one union to do your will with a whole heart." Very apt to my conversation with Rabbi Mayer Schiller!Join this channel to get early access to videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD2OaOinKRQMK4dclGOw4QA/join

Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/OhEuezMqyaEIn this video, I sit down with Mattel, a young YouTuber from the Hasidic community whose passion for languages is truly inspiring. Mattel creates content in many lesser-known tongues, especially Jewish languages, with a unique focus on Hasidic Yiddish. She travels the world on her own, learns constantly, and generously shares that journey with her audience. On her channel, she has opened up with deep honesty—including a moving video in Yiddish about her brother’s suicide that touched me profoundly. Her work and her journey are only just beginning, and it’s an honor to highlight a new voice carrying Jewish languages into the future.👉 Check out Mattel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@multisingual1241 —📌 Connect with me:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friedavizel Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friedavizelTwitter: https://twitter.com/FriedaVizel Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/friedavizelWebsite: https://friedavizel.com

Link to video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/Uj5wHch-kx4MOVIES WE DISCUSS IN THIS VIDEO:Yentl – https://amzn.to/3HmMZPQFiddler on the Roof – https://amzn.to/4lhQbKoWalk of Shame – https://amzn.to/3UPS0n4Hester Street – https://amzn.to/3JdvMJ7Crossing Delancey – https://amzn.to/4mzRvcASophie’s Choice – https://amzn.to/3JdvRfTAvalon – https://amzn.to/3HmNpFUA Serious Man – https://amzn.to/4fto21LHoly Rollers – https://amzn.to/45nuSRFJoin me for a lively, insightful conversation with David Akerman from the channel  @_yiddishkeit   \ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_yiddishkeit/) as we dive deep into Jewish representation in film—from iconic classics to quirky cult favorites. We talk themes, stereotypes, hidden gems, and the ways Jewish life is brought to the screen.Whether you grew up on Fiddler, cried at Sophie’s Choice, laughed at Crossing Delancey, or were fascinated by A Serious Man, this is a conversation for film lovers, cultural explorers, and anyone curious about the Jewish stories cinema tells.RELATED VIDEOS ON MY CHANNEL:Unorthodox – https://youtu.be/v-VWUgQBTvQ93 Queen – https://youtu.be/QWLnKjrpcuACity of Joel – https://youtu.be/Ovl9HbcTuUIFour Seasons Lodge – https://youtu.be/1J6pNHymChECONNECT WITH ME:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/friedavizel/TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@friedavizelWebsite – https://friedavizel.com

Video link to this conversation: https://youtu.be/1zQ1rSDUUVEA Balcony in Kazimierz: A Candid Conversation on Jews, Poland, and Post-Holocaust MemoryIn this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, I sit with Naomi Seidman on the balcony of our apartment rental in Kazimierz—the historic Jewish district of Kraków, Poland—for an unscripted conversation about Jewish memory, return, and identity.Together, we reflect on what it means for Jews to come back to Poland after the Holocaust. Are we tourists or pilgrims? Survivors by inheritance or outsiders looking in? How do we process the tension between grief, history, and belonging? What responsibilities—if any—come with being second- or third-generation descendants of Holocaust survivors?Some of the most moving moments of this video were actually recorded off-camera with a hot mic—raw, vulnerable, and unfiltered. We decided to share them because they speak to the kind of honest, searching conversations I believe matter most.🎥 Edited by Lee Kupak📸 Videography by Michał Sosna: https://www.instagram.com/michalsosna/📚 **Books by Naomi Seidman:**• *The Bais Yaakov Project: A History of the Bais Yaakov Movement for Girls*https://amzn.to/3UpygGG• *Freud’s Jewish Question: Lust, Hate, and the Jewish Politics of Psychoanalysis*https://amzn.to/3TV0GYV• *Faithful Renderings: Jewish–Christian Difference and the Politics of Translation*https://amzn.to/40Bak6J🎬 Link to my other video with Naomi: On Naomi's life story | https://youtu.be/aAHE9YNnxf8A Heretic in the House | https://youtu.be/TrEQ_PMnVFQ🙏 Special thanks to the University of Toronto for helping cover part of the costs of producing this video.🔗 Stay connected:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friedavizelTwitter (X): https://www.twitter.com/friedavizelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friedavizelWebsite: https://www.friedavizel.com💛 Huge thanks to my channel membersYour support makes these conversations possible. Thank you for believing in independent, heartfelt Jewish content.Music Credits:1. Calling Home by Alex-Productions | (https://onsound.eu/)Music promoted by (https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/)Creative Commons CC BY 3.0(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)2. Music provided by "Vivek Abhishek"(https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA/videos)Music used : "polish dance" originally composed and produced by "Vivek Abhishek" - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLByBt4wYTQ)Follow on Facebook:(https://www.facebook.com/VivekEKhsihbA/)Follow on Instagram:(https://www.instagram.com/vivek.abhishek.music/)3. "AERØHEAD - Fragments" is under a Creative Commons (BY-NC 3.0) license:(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoZbM1a4PKQ6haa2Ap4TSdg)Music powered by BreakingCopyright:    • 🔥 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_SJmiVLM_g)#JewishHistory #Kazimierz #Poland #HolocaustMemory #PostHolocaust #JewishIdentity #NaomiSeidman #FriedaVizel #JewishHeritage #HonestConversations #JewishCulture #SecondGeneration #Krakow #KazimierzBalconyTalks #JewishDiaspora #HolocaustLegacy

Video link: https://youtu.be/5JUhkH71qUcHow Hasidic Women Dress: A Conversation with Pearl from WilliamsburgWhat does modest clothing mean in the Hasidic world—and how is it taught from such a young age?In this video, I sit down with Pearl, a Hasidic woman from Williamsburg who has been dressing in this tradition for over 70 years. We talk about how Hasidic girls begin learning the rules of modesty at age 3, what kinds of clothing are considered appropriate, and how fashion trends are received within the community.We also discuss:– The difference between weekday and Shabbos outfits– How community standards evolve (or don’t)– Why new clothing styles can become controversial– And what it’s like to follow these customs over a lifetimeThis is a rare glimpse into the everyday experience of Hasidic women’s fashion and the ideas behind it—all from someone who’s lived it for decades.#HasidicWomen #HasidicFashion #WilliamsburgBrooklyn #JewishTraditions #OrthodoxJudaism #ModestFashion #PearlFromWilliamsburgMusic credit:1. Song: Planet Nine Music by:   / infraction  Provided by:https://bit.ly/YouTubeEMW ⚫2. Song: ChillComposer: Sakura HzWebsite: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6x1zYZR6PXhEmDY89G4rzgLicense: Creative Commons (BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com3. Music track: floral by massobeatsSource: https://freetouse.com/musicFree To Use Music for Videos4. Music track: Magnificent by PufinoSource: https://freetouse.com/musicNo Copyright Music (Free Download)5. Music track: rose water by massobeatsSource: https://freetouse.com/musicFree To Use Music for Videos

Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/aAHE9YNnxf8What was it like to grow up in 1960s Boro Park as the daughter of survivors—and as a girl who wanted to run? In this candid and unfiltered conversation, scholar Naomi Seidman opens up about her Orthodox Jewish upbringing, her discomfort with the gender roles she was expected to fulfill, and her deep desire to escape. We talk about her path to becoming a PhD, how her parents responded, and the haunting legacy of her father’s own doctorate from the University of Warsaw—earned just as war was about to erupt. A deeply personal, often funny, and unforgettable reflection on memory, identity, and rebellion.📍 Follow me on:Instagram: @friedavizelTikTok: @friedavizelYouTube: @friedavizelbrooklynWebsite: friedavizel.com#JewishBrooklyn #NaomiSeidman #BoroPark #OrthodoxJudaism #JewishWomen #JewishVoices #SecondGenerationStories #Yiddishkeit #JewishStudies #FriedaVizel #UnfilteredConversations #BrooklynHistory #JewishHeritage #OralHistory #HasidicBrooklyn

Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/UZTQRkr-rIsLong before social media became what it is today, the internet met Rebbetzin Rivka Leah Zelwig—a charmingly extreme ultra-Orthodox rebbetzin who covered her mouth when she laughed and dispensed earnest advice with impeccable comedic timing. But who was behind this early viral sensation?In this deeply personal interview, I sit down with Danielle Jacobs, the brilliant performer behind the character, for a conversation that moved me to tears more than once. Danielle opens up about her traumatic and unstable childhood in a home steeped in religious extremism, her lifelong connection to faith and spirituality, her natural gifts for dance and performance, and the painful limitations placed on talented women in the Orthodox world.This is a raw, beautiful conversation with a woman whose story is as powerful as her presence.👉 Follow Danielle:YouTube: @sodanielleiciousInstagram: @sodanielleiciousAnd don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast for more heartfelt interviews and stories.

Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/IRTvj1_4_14In this interview, Naftuli Moster reflects on his years as the face of a controversial campaign to reform secular education in Hasidic boys’ yeshivas. As the founder of YAFFED (Young Advocates for Fair Education), Moster positioned himself as a critic of the yeshiva system in which he was raised, arguing that Hasidic schools fail to meet basic educational standards required by state law.Over the years, he became a polarizing figure — praised by some for challenging religious insularity, and criticized by others as antagonistic to the community he came from. To many within the Hasidic world, he came to represent an external pressure campaign that misunderstood or misrepresented their values and way of life. In 2022, Moster resigned from YAFFED, and in this candid conversation, he speaks openly about why he chose to step away. Was it burnout, a shift in priorities, or something deeper about the limits of advocacy? We explore his personal journey, how he views his impact now, and what he’s turned to since leaving the public spotlight. 📌 Topics include:Life growing up in Borough Park as one of 17 childrenHis decision to publicly challenge the yeshiva systemThe backlash and media attentionWhy he ultimately left activismWhat he’s doing today🔔 Subscribe for more thoughtful interviews on culture, community, and change. #NaftuliMoster #HasidicEducation #YAFFED #YeshivaDebate #JewishCommunity #CulturalTensions #OrthodoxJudaism #Education

Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/XYPuTNOry3UWhen I was Hasidic, dieting and brisk walking were part of life—but the gym? Muscle-building? Weight training? That was unheard of. Today, a new movement is emerging from within the Hasidic world: a growing culture of strength training, gym routines, and fitness—all adapted to fit the unique rhythms and values of Hasidic life.In this interview, I talk with Shmilly Feldman (@chasidish_lifter), a young and energetic Hasidic man at the forefront of this trend. We explore how Hasidic workout culture is evolving—with its own twists: gender separation, modesty, and the challenge of balancing fitness with a calendar full of celebratory (and food-heavy) holidays.Shmilly shares his personal story of growing up in the Satmar school system with no gym class and how he became a self-taught weight trainer. He reflects on the limitations of the Hasidic boys' secular education, the drive to self-educate, and what that means for his generation.It’s a candid and thoughtful look at the cultural quirks of lifting in a shtreimel world.🎥 Watch now and meet the Chasidish Lifter 👉 @chasidish_lifter#Hasidic #JewishCulture #Fitness #WeightTraining #Satmar #JewishLife #HasidicMen #SelfEducation #StrengthTraining #ChasidishLifter

Video version of this posting: https://youtu.be/uHu_17N9GdEI grew up in a very special place: the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel. It was beautiful and painful all at once. I don't always talk about my own experience in this channel, because I was always careful not to make this channel about me per se but about a larger anthropological project. But today I'm taking a bit of a detour to a personal narrative by reading to you an essay I wrote about what it's like to grow up in Kiryas Joel. I hope you may find in this a careful expression of my many complicated and warm emotions towards my childhood world.You can read the original essay on my blog here: https://friedavizel.com/2022/02/23/what-it-is-like-to-grow-up-in-kiryas-joel/~For more content on Kiryas Joel, check out my watch party of a drive through Kiryas Joel: https://youtu.be/baiYc_9ZDt8?si=BWDRwZy1B_OesyUs~And my interview with the filmmaker Jesse Sweet about a documentary on Kiryas Joel: https://youtu.be/Ovl9HbcTuUI?si=J7lnv6zHv3V4WhS2~A very personal trip from NYC up to the green mountainous region, including a stop on Satmar Drive where I grew up. https://youtu.be/-JzYNs1HfLY?si=4zfcYW5H_8D7W4B9~I also have an even more personal essay (would you believe it?) adapted to video here: https://youtu.be/LpW30oZh9rY?si=tQGdirASdT43RVnZ

Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/NXpO0THnx3gA woman who believes that Jews are prohibited by the Torah to fight, to have an army and nation, shares her theology. --- Since I did my first video with Pearl nearly three years ago, my friendship with her has deepened and become richer. Still, we have always had deep ideological differences. I am no longer Hasidic and I reject some of the beliefs of my upbringing. Pearl is a deeply believing Hasidic woman who not only lives a joyous life in the heart of her world, but in a way, she is also a vanguard of the views of the post-Holocaust generation. Her passion for anti-Zionism is, I believe, partly animated by her sense that this view is being lost among the younger generation in her community. I think this motivated her to make this interview about how faith relates to the Holocaust. During the interview, I was fairly certain I would not air it—partly because I felt an urge to protect Pearl, and partly because I felt an urge to protect Zionism. After some consideration, I came to believe that neither of these impulses was the right one. I’m grateful to live in a free society where we can disagree and not shy away from difficult discussions, even if someone might try to weaponize them. And so, with that in mind, I decided to share the interview.

Video format of this interview: https://youtu.be/lzVUnyxpcEEThe most beautiful media content created about the Hasidic community is, arguably, the Israeli hit TV show Shtisel. It was co-created by Yehonatan Indursky, who grew up Haredi in Jerusalem, left the community, and is now in some sort of place of return. He calls it "living on the border," the most interesting place to be. You might have read about him in a profile in The New York Times. I was so glad he agreed to talk to me for this interview—he was charming, forthcoming, fun, and deep. I felt his outlook and place in the world matched much of my own, and it was so nice to talk to a kindred spirit of sorts. It was also amazing to hear about his work, his views, his love for poetry, and his outlook on life. A man truly beyond borders.➡️ Check out Shtisel the TV show on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CTLJB7HN/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r➡️ Check out Kugel the TV show on Izzy: https://www.streamisrael.tv/kugel➡️ Yehonatan's website: https://www.yehonatanindursky.com/➡️ Yehonatan in the NYT in the spring 2025: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/magazine/yehonatan-indursky-shtisel-kugel-orthodox.html➡️ Yehonatan's wife Instagram I follow and enjoy called Hassidish: https://www.instagram.com/hassidish/You can find a transcript of this video here: https://friedavizel.com/2025/05/02/transcript-of-the-interview-with-the-creator-of-shtisel-yehonatan-indursky/

Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/teadpfXWCO4Martha Ross grew up Old Order Amish in Middlefield Ohio, left it, and now does YouTube videos about it on the channel  @AmishTransformed  . Please check out her fundraiser for her husband's much needed dental work here: https://gofund.me/d49b3276

Link to video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/MnFddZtaWdQ

This is the song to advertise the Tzohar organization, which I have referenced in the episode comparing the Netflix Unorthodox show to this song. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/78XBSSDdwjo?si=aXMAEQ4pOPnYhbwZI am sharing the music since it's essentially and ad and it will help create a fuller resource/reference to my commentary

Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/78XBSSDdwjoThe stories we tell affect the ways we process events around us. How we make sense of things like someone's departure from a community. Every society has their own stories; their own mythologies, their own tropes.In this video, I do an analysis of two different societies and their tropes, by comparing the Netflix show Unorthodox with the music video "Mein Kind, Eiku". Please leave a comment with your thoughts.Filmed by Ryan Scharfenberg / https://www.instagram.com/mmm_moire/Edited by Lee Korak / @LeeKorak Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mayo.nap?igsh=ZXp4bm8zZTJ2aXVrMusic: Dark Investigation by Soundridemusic Link to Video: • NoCopyright Panic Tension Suspense Th...Credits: Music: Dark Investigation by Soundridemusic Link to Video: • NoCopyright Panic Tension Suspense Th... Chillpeach - In Dreamland : • [no copyright music] 'In Dreamland ' ...

Video link: https://youtu.be/28lP8j8swA0Please support Rochel Yenty Bodek's wonderful work by donating: https://insightbeyondeyesight.org/donate Rochel Yenty Bodek is a Hasidic woman who lost her sight as a young woman due to a genetic condition. She has faced tremendous challenges as a wife and mother in the Hasidic community and has risen to the challenge with tremendous resilience. In this interview she talks with a lot of candor about the challenges and strengths of the Hasidic community and how she approaches her disability in this realm.If you appreciate my work and think it's important, please consider financially supporting it by becoming a channel member or sending a donation. It takes a team of multiple people to make this channel run and your support means so much.

Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/hKN0_75EuqEAnna Shternshis is a Professor of Yiddish studies and the director of the department of Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto and the author of "Soviet and Kosher", "When Sonia Met Boris" and the forthcoming "Jews in the soviet union: post war life, hopes and fears". In this interview we talk about the fascinating history of the Jews of the Soviet Union, the oral histories Anna collected from Yiddish (and non-Yiddish) speakers born before 1929, and the Yiddish songs she recovered from during the holocaust.Some links for Anna Shternshis here:Soviet and Kosher: https://amzn.to/4irTnT6When Sonia Met Boris: https://amzn.to/4bxypzCHer project to set holocaust songs to lyrics, titled Yiddish Glory: https://www.yiddishglory.com/Link to the University of Toronto: https://german.utoronto.ca/anna-shternshis/Twitter: https://x.com/shternsh

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/pVfY5wZlPecThere's a whole emerging world of Hasidic theater, acted by men, and including a cast and stories of men only. This has been a tiny element of the Hasidic world for years - it definitely wasn't a viable career for anyone until recently. In recent years, the Hasidic theater scene has exploded. So much talent is coming to the fore. It was so much my pleasure to talk to Ari (Arye) Abromowitz, who is a veteran of this scene, who has been there from the beginning of this "revolution" and has been in many ways its face as he acted in many productions. I learned so much about this arts scene from Ari and this was just the tip of the iceberg.Link to Ari and Friends: https://mostlymusic.com/products/ari-friends-season-1-episode-1-videoEdited by Lee Korak / https://leekorak.site/

Video version of this interview here: https://youtu.be/kMxyRkjljm8?si=hcjjD0_-izvquKxBToday's interview is about psychedelics, Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, and one extraordinary woman's journey! Please join me for the interview with Bruchy Moskovics. Bruchy was raised in the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel. Her story is like no one's I've ever heard, and the way she tells it will take you to another world -- a world of faith, thoughtfulness, and living connected with something very alive within. Bruchy is now a child therapist and also does post-psychedelic integrative therapy, and her work often addresses a Yiddish-speaking crowd. In this interview she both shares her story and also explains what psychedelic therapy is, and how it's coming to play a role in the contemporary Hasidic community.Bruchy's Instagram account is: https://www.instagram.com/bruchymoskovics/Thumbnail photo credit of Hasidic man smoking: Abe Kugielsky - https://www.instagram.com/hasidiminusa/