x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Frieda Vizel Podcast

Welcome to in-depth conversations on Hasidism, Judaism, NYC, culture, education, religion and more!This podcast is hosted by popular Youtuber Frieda Vizel, who has been studying the Hasidic community for more than ten years.This is the podcast version of the video conversations which are also published on Youtube. Please reach out with feedback. Here"s the youtube channel if you prefer to see the host and guests! :)Become a supporter of this podcast:

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

81:37

The Rebbitzen reveals her identity | Danielle Jacobs

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/06/22

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

en

70:31

Why I left activism for Hasidic education | Naftuli...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/06/15

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

en

56:56

Workout culture coming to the Ultra Orthodox world |...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/06/08

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

en

12:45

What it's like to grow up in Kiryas Joel | An essay...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/05/25

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

en

78:17

Are Jews allowed to fight? | a controversial...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/05/18

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

en

78:54

Living on the border and creating the hit TV show...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/05/04

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

en

77:28

What it was like to grow up Amish | Martha Ross

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/04/27

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

en

31:28

Reading the Yiddish children's version of the Book of...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/04/15

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

en

14:16

Bonus: music video 'Mein Kind' referenced in my essay...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/04/06

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

en

28:21

Unorthodox vs the OTHER story | How we talk about...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/04/06

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 /

en

59:13

A visually impaired Hasidic woman tells her story |...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/03/23

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

en

80:56

A historian's warning | Anna Shternshis

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/03/16

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)

en

55:17

A revolution in Yiddish arts & theater by Hasidim |...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/03/09

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

en

70:11

I grew up in Kiryas Joel and embraced plant medicine

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/02/23

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

en

63:31

"I craved religion and even tried Christianity" | In...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/02/16

Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/ctuFi83643EAntonia Lassar is a Jewish comedian who grew up with very little Judaism. She later became interested in various forms of religion, going on a seeker's journey for community with soulful musical connection. She loves singing and is a professional comedian. Our journeys couldn't be more different, yet we have so much in common in our appreciation of religious Judaism that doesn't always work for us. In our long form interview we talked about

en

66:54

🚨 For women, girls, AND men and boys | In...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/02/09

Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/blLciT0egb4Jessica Roda just published the book "For Women and Girls Only" on Orthodox Jewish women's performances. You can find her book here: https://amzn.to/4jKRJgjIn this long form discussion we talk about what's happening in the scene of Orthodox Jewish women's performances. Because of modesty rules, women are not allowed to perform in front of men. So oftentimes their reach is limited. In Roda's work, she charts how women's perfomances has

en

49:37

"I risk everything when speaking out as a woman in...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/01/26

Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/HoTzWaF7dU8So many stories about the Hasidic Jews of the village of Kiryas Joel come from people who have left it. Or, often it will come from village official PR people who tell a very rosy story. In this interview, we get an exclusive peak into an everyday woman walking an exceptional line; risking everything in her community to express her voice. Fradel's story is compelling, fascinating and yet to get very interesting as she finds her place in

en

39:47

Messiah Energy and Wholesome Comedy | Interview with...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2025/01/19

Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/dlp7-4Aq1tMModi Rosenfeld is a brilliant and wonderful Jewish comedian whose work I've long been a huge fan of. He is able to talk to any audience, a skill that few have. It's incredible to me that his audience spans from the very secular to the very religious, including Hasidic Jews, which is part of his bit. In my latest interview I talk to Modi for a bit of a behind the scenes discussion about his amazing work. Check out Modi here on Youtube for

en

20:39

My Chanukah Memories | Reading: Circumcised Chanukah...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2024/12/29

Video link: https://youtu.be/J1XGAMK4wngHappy Chanukah! This Chanukah I want to share some of my childhood memories by reading to you an unpublished essay about my childhood memories of Chanukah in the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel. Wishing all who celebrate the holidays very happy holidays!

en

36:31

Sex ed in the Hasidic community | A Hasidic grooms...

The Frieda Vizel Podcast ·

2024/11/24

Video version of this posting: https://youtu.be/Gk917OpgS_QIt is the tradition that before a Hasidic young man gets married, he attends a private session with an older rabbi who guides him in matters of sex and intimacy. Since sex is not a topic openly discussed in this society as it is considered immodest, this one lesson is potentially the first time the young groom learns about sex and the opposite gender. That one lesson could be beautiful, painful, shocking, exhilarating, and so many other

en

93 results

Similar Podcasts

Jeff Haygood, Pastor

PodPoint

PASTOR ALVARO VALENCIA

Pastor Alvaro Valencia

Grace Life Church CT.

PodPoint

Pleasant View Church

Ted Nance

Christian Heritage Church"s Podcast

PodPoint