Julia Haart and her Unorthodox Life

HMMM.... Where do I start? I just watched the new Netflix series MY UNORTHODOX LIFE. I wanted to hate it but I did not. In case you are living under a rock there is a a new Netflix series about a formerly yeshivish woman who became a VERY rich fashion designer married to a very rich goy who owns Elite World and La Perla to name drop a little . I follow Modi Rosenfeld on Instagram and he summed it up best in his Instagram story. "Nebach, she had to go OTD to get a Netflix special".And after reading this pearl it hit me. Julia Haart has the life every kid who wants to go off the derech thinks their life would be if they were not frum. They would be a rich CEO , they would have a rich goyishe spouse who does their bidding more than their former yiddishe one would . There would be rainbows and unicorns. Julia Haart has an awesome life now and even she admits in her show that she is very fortunate that her kids still talk to her and her husband isn't forbidding her to see their fourteen year old son. Most people who go OTD do not have famiial support and they also do not have the drive to succeed that Julia does. That said, though her life is pretty rad, her life is very 1999. If she didn't have the OTD stuff this would not be a very cool show. Her children are not very wild, even the one who is questioning her sexual preferences is pretty vanilla in terms of 2021. Yes if Julia Haart was not OTD, this series would not even be a thing. Of course Julia denigrates the frum lifestyle, but I did not find Julia herself to be all that admirable as a person so it kind of weakens her denigration. She meddles too much with her adult children and their sex lives as well as being too pushy about how non-religious she would like them to be. Haart is so over the top that her frum ex husband who does appear in the series comes off as a saint. This is why I do not hate this series. No matter how much she denigrates frumkiet she does not totally trash her ex husband. The series ends with her family celebrating her ex husband's impending engagement to his girlfriend and Julia being genuinely happy for him. The other thing that this series does is that it uses a lot of frum words and terms and explains them . I have never seen a mainstream series do this ever. Of course Julia mostly was negative about these the Jewish concepts, but it does incidently give people an introduction to Judaism one may not have had before. MY UNORTHDOOX LIFE is very stylish and fun to watch but I really do not know why people beside me would like it. I understand why so many hate the show, she insults frum Judaism and she has some real gripes . Then again, being frum isn't for everyone and if she had her gripes at least she left and is living the life she wants. If nothing else, maybe it will help those of us who remain frum to fix some of the issues that Julia complained about and help those who question find reasons to love Judaism and stay religious even though some aspects of frum life are flawed.

Celebrating 30 Years of Warm up America!

I have crocheted 7x9 inch squares for this organization. It is very cool to think that my squares have been sewn together with the squares of others to form a blanket that is given to someone in need. I also think that there is something very special about knit or crocheted blankets. They are warm with the kindness of the crafter and of the yarn fiber.

Maskless and Happy

Trader Joe's is one of the stores that currently do not require people to wear masks while shopping. I am not sure that many people beside me have gotten the memo even though it was announced publicly weeks ago and the wear a mask sign at the store entrance has been removed. I try not to wear a mask whneever I am able not to since I am stuck wearing a mask all day at work. I have not been wearing a mask whenever I go to Trader Joe's . Its really a surreal experience to be one of the few people in a store who has given up the talisman powers of the mask. At first there was only one other person not wearing a mask so I wasn't sure if I was able to go maskless, but none of the employees told me to mask up and when I got to the checkout there was even a cashier who was maskless. Now its been almost a month and I am still one of the few who are maskless in Trader Joe's . Its really hard to understand because most people are vaccinated in NYC. I also find it hard to believe that the fear of covid is greater that the requirement to breathe freely even after being fully vaccinated. Don't people miss people seeing their smiles? Don't people miss not having to speak with a muzzle over their mouths? After shopping maskless in Trader Joe's I have learned that I really am an independent minded individual who does not feel that I have to follow the crowd. If everyone else is banging their heads against the wall I know that I won't. I always wanted to be this type of person and now I know that I am . What a gift.

Cherry Blossom Season

April is the month that the cherry trees bloom in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a brilliant collection of cherry trees. Cherry blossoms are in bloom for just a few weeks when they are in season. I try to see them yearly, but normally I manage to see only a few trees in full bloom. Usually there is a cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden but due to the pandemic its been cancelled. I do not mind. There were many people who came to see the beauty of the cherry blossoms, but it was not as crowded as it is during the cherry blossom festival . I liked it better this way.

Black guy asks Hasidic Jew to sing (completely unexpected)

This is so awesome!! If people would just sing together there would be more peace in this world. I just LOVE the energy in this video. I feel like there are a lot of kind hearted people in this world but they are not being highlighted. Therefore I am going to help spread some light and shared this lovely ray of sunshine. Your welcome.

The Vaccine

In many generations there have been global health crises and there has in the past been widespread vaccines for them. Sometimes the vaccines and treatments remained safe throughout time, sometimes they have not. In life there are no guarantees, one just has to make an eduacated decision for one's self. With Covid-19 there are already at least 3 vaccines available and many other therapeutic treatments. So much propaganda has been released that one does not really know which is the right thing to do. In reality Covid-19 is a nursing home disease and does not really severely impact younger people . Eventually the Covid-19 will be like the flu shot even though currently it it has been hyped up to bubanic plaque status. There have been a lot of conspirisies about the vaccine which I find extremely facinating. The government does not seem organized enough to carry out the intricate nefarious schemes they are churning. I do think that someone would like to carry these schemes out I just think those in charge are buffoons so we are all safe.

HaPPy PuRiM

Purim is one of my most favorite holidays. Even with the isolation of the pandemic I am still feeling the impending joyousness of the upcoming holiday. The beginning of this horribel plandemic started right before Purim last year which was before the mask edict was invoked. We have been wearing masks since right before Pesach. I for one do not plan on wearing a mask any longer than necessary. Masks have made NYC into a colder society than it was to begin with. No smiles indoors. Its harder to hear what people are saying and more importantly its harder for others to hear me. Sometimes it feels easier not to speak to people because its hard to hear them and its hard for them to hear me if both of us are wearing masks. I think that masks create division. Masks on Purim can be fun , but many Purim masks do not cover one's mouth. Eyes are the mirror of the soul but its a lot easier to hear what people are saying if one can see someone's mouth while they are speaking. I am hoping soon the masks will be removed and peace and harmony will return.... One can only hope... Happy Purim!!

The Starfish

I had the delight of watching this documentary yesterday. I saw it mentioned in A.M. NY . The picture of the siblings drew me in. Somehow it seemed it was a recent photo of Jewish siblings and not a photo of children from seventy years ago. I went to amazon and watched the film. Its a heart warming story about a family who were saved from certain death during World War II. What a story it was. It reminds the wokesters that most Jewish families came to the United States because they were fleeing persecution and not because they just wanted to switch countries.

Second Time Around

       I had not watched the presidential inauguration on television since I was in high school until 4 years ago when I broke my shoulder on January 19 and the presidential inauguration was the next day. I had forgotten how exciting and boring inaugurations are. This year I was unexpectedly able to watch the inauguration as I have been furloughed from work. 

         Inauguration day is so full of hope for the president and its often all down hill after that as presidents are human. I hope that it is different this time but I am afraid that it will not be. 

        One fun fact I heard today is that George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were all born the same year. I have also heard that deaths come in threes. 

The freedom tower

          As many fear the dissolution of America due to irreconcilable differences I pause to remember how when Ronald Reagan was running for president everyone thought he was  old to run for president at 69 and how in 2016 the candidates were both 70 and age was never the issue and how this year with a 74 year old candidate and a 78 year old candidate age was not given much thought.  Seems that ageism in politics  has faded, coincidentally more than intentionally. 

           Is the rising age of our presidents a sign that things aren't working? They say that wisdom comes with age, but does it seem our elder politicians are wiser or does it  seem that they are more senile or stubborn or cranky? Is it that younger people see the folly in Washington and are opting out of politics?                                                                                                                                                                       

          When I was younger and watched presidential inaugurations it did not seem that chaos followed.  Then again, I wasn't paying attention to the news then. 

           I pray that things get better regardless of whether or not I watched the inauguration. I pray that those who have been trying to divide the United States for the past 12 years stop.