more on srugim season 3

 tonight i attended the jcc manhattan showing of the first two episodes of srugim season 3 which included the actor amos tamam who played amir on the show. it was so much fun. there was a mostly younger crowd in attendance  which was refreshing. it has been my observation that israeli films tend to draw in the young people much more than just jewish themed films.the israeli flim festival has more attendees under thirty five than the jewish film festival does. the jewish film festival is excellent and has films that younger attendees would like if only they'd bother to attend.. there is something about israeli films that interests the younger set.
needless to say watching the first two episodes of season 3 of srugim was a treat, but to meet one of the stars of srugim was an even bigger delight. after the screening the audience was treated to a 40 minute conversation with amos tamim the actor who played amir. he spoke in hebrew and translation was provided . fortunately i understand hebrew pretty well so it was especially fun.
though not religious, amos tamim grew up traditional and did know about torah and mitzvot even prior to playing amir on the show. he also always has had a respect for frumkeit and enjoys studying the parsha etc even though he is not dati. he is also a fabulous actor because he is nothing like amir, but when he plays amir he completely embodies his character so much so that israeli fans are totally convinced that he truly is like amir in real life.
what i learned tonight is that srugim has really impacted the secular israelis. they watched srugim and really enjoyed it. they saw men and women interacting in a  wholesome manner and they saw a tv show that was clean and they actually liked it.they saw religious jews as multi-faceted and that you could live a normal life and be religious.
srugim is a very realistic portrayal of modern orthodox single life in israel which is why it is so beloved even in here in america. the portrayal of the singles in srugim is the closest thing  to my world that i have ever seen on tv anywhere. laizy shapiro did not think that americans would relate this show so much because he did not realize how similar single modern orthodox life is in israel to moderen orthodox single life in the united states. in a way this makes us  feel closer to the israelis. which is amazing.
 amir was originally intended to be ashkenaz, but because laizy shapiro liked amos tamam so much and wanted him in the role he changed the script to make amir's character be a tunisan jew which amos tamam is. i am glad that they did this. i liked the interaction between the ashkenazim and the sephardim and how amir explored his feelings toward his heritage. it made the story richer.and heck amos tamam is  just so darn cute even in those dorky glasses that he wears when he plays amir .
 after the conversation with amos tamam the cell phone cameras and regular cameras came out and many of the female srugim fans took pictures with amos tamam. yes, i made sure to get a picture with him as well though i have not posted it here. he is just so adorable , who could resist?
the rest of season 3 will be shown at the jcc starting next monday and every monday  through april 23 , excluding the monday during pesach. there won't be any of the actors there in person, but the episodes are addictive must see tv.