![]() The series has already amassed vocal fans and critics alike. The storyline of going “off the derech” (“off the path,” or leaving Orthodox Judaism) has been well-mined – some would say overly so – by Netflix, which financed and distributed the aforementioned “ Unorthodox” and the documentary “ One of Us.” Bringing this storyline into reality TV is entering new territory (there’s a memorable scene where Shlomo sings Hebrew prayer as he davens while dissonant reality TV music plays underneath). Good luck finding a Jewish character in another mainstream series who isn’t on the extremes of the Jewish spectrum: either totally secular or Reform (“ Broad City,” “ Transparent,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), or Haredi/ultra-Orthodox (like the series “ Unorthodox,” which takes place in a Satmar community in Williamsburg, a Hasidic community that is different from and more strict than the Haart family’s former lifestyle – phew, it’s complicated). ![]() (It’s worth mentioning that Orthodox Judaism is comprised of myriad different communities, traditions and stripes of observance – the Haart family’s community was Yeshivish, and some of its customs are described in the interview below.) The series is groundbreaking in that it actually showcases a family of varied Jewish observance, which hasn’t been seen before on American television. The show has stirred up quite the controversy, especially among some Orthodox Jews who claim that Julia’s categorization of Orthodox Judaism as fundamentalism is misrepresentative, and that the show is fodder for antisemitism. The show features Julia and her four children (Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam and Aron) as they navigate Jewish observance, their zillionaire lifestyle, and life between Monsey and Manhattan. If you are a Jew and you have the internet, chances are you’ve heard of “ My Unorthodox Life,” a Netflix docu-soap about Julia Haart, a formerly ultra-Orthodox Jew who lived with her family in Monsey, New York, who is now the CEO of Elite World Group, a modeling/fashion/media conglomerate.
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