Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

January 29, 2019

In Putting Ultra-Orthodox Jews on Screen, Comedy Works Better Than Tragedy

Explaining the success of Shtisel.

Since its debut in 2013, the Israeli television show Shtisel, which revolves around a ḥaredi family in Jerusalem, has become a surprise hit, even generating an audience outside the country. It has been joined by Autonomies, a series set in the future, where Israel has been divided into secular and religious states. Recent years have also seen a number of films about Ḥaredim. Taking stock of some of these works, Sarah Rindner notes their relative successes and failures:

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