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My Orthodox Life: A Response to ‘My Unorthodox Life’
BY RABBI JOEL E. HOFFMAN
THE REALITY SERIES “My
Unorthodox Life” is the talk
of the Jewish world since its
airing on Netflix on July 14.

The show’s star Julia Haart,
who left her Ultra-Orthodox
community in 2013 at age 42,
quickly advanced in the fashion
industry and is CEO of the
modeling agency Elite World
Group. In the show, Haart
constantly bashes Orthodox
Judaism with misrepresenta-
tions while trying to showcase
that living a secular life is way
better. I am not writing to cast
judgment on Haart for her
life choices. Judaism forbids
me from judging anyone but
myself. Rather, what follows is
a counter perspective to Haart’s
propaganda against Judaism in
general, and Orthodox Judaism
in particular.

My Orthodox Life consists
of ...

(1) Immediately upon
waking up in the morning my
first words are “Modeh Ani
Lifanecha ...” which thank God
for giving me another day. Also,
three times per day I engage in
formal prayer, and throughout
the day I say a blessing before
and after eating or drinking.

The first series of prayers in
deep-thinking on concepts
in Jewish philosophy. When
I pray I speak to God, but
when I study God “speaks” to
me — which means I obtain
answers to ultimate questions,
and every day I encounter a
teaching that is apropos for
something current in my life.

(3) By eating only kosher
food I concretize the value
of all life. This is because the
not speaking “Lashon Hara” —
which is not to say something
about a person that I would not
say if that person was present.

Trying to live by these ideals
is the ultimate in personal
development. (5) No essay about Judaism
would be complete without
discussing Shabbat. Every
Friday night I enjoy akin to
a Thanksgiving dinner with
I am not writing to cast judgment on [Julia] Haart for her life choices.

Judaism forbids me from judging anyone but myself. Rather, what
follows is a counter perspective to Haart’s propaganda against Judaism
in general, and Orthodox Judaism in particular.

the morning reminds me of
dozens of gifts from God such
as a properly working digestive
system, eye sight, clothes and
freedom. Praying and saying
blessings helps me foster a
sense of appreciation, which
is a key component for living a
happy/joyous life.

(2) A staple of everyday
Jewish life includes studying
Jewish texts. My daily study
regime entails studying Tanach
(Hebrew Bible), which is full
of moral and ethical teach-
ings, analyzing fine points of
Jewish law and engaging in
kosher slaughtering process is
the most ethical way to end an
animal’s life since it assures
the quickest death with the
least amount of pain. Keeping
kosher is Judaism’s compro-
mise with vegetarianism.

(4) Throughout my day I
try to live according to the
Jewish maxim: “Think Good
and It’ll Be Good,” as well as
the teachings: See the good in
every person; see the positive
in every situation; and view
every challenge as an oppor-
tunity. Perhaps the hardest
commandment to observe is
kindergarten?!) If God ever said we no
longer had to keep Shabbat,
probably 99.99% of Jews who
traditionally keep Shabbat
would continue to do so.

Haart has rejected all
the above and says she gets
meaning from being “free,”
which for her manifests in
wearing sexy outfits and
eating oysters; and she also
purposely uses the biased word
“Fundamentalism” to badger
Orthodox Judaism.

Interestingly, Haart’s
show co-stars her three adult
children, of which two have
remained Orthodox and they
concurrently demonstrate
that one can be an observant
Jew even while working in
the fashion industry. (Haart
also has a teenage son who is
Orthodox, lives with his dad
and appears on the show.)
There are aspects of the
show which I like and I intend
to watch future seasons, but my
focus here is on My Orthodox
Life. As one can hopefully
see from this essay, the more
Jewish practices in which a Jew
engages, the more meaning he
or she will add to their life. l
my family, and for 25 hours
I am free from all appoint-
ments and refrain from using
technology — so no using a
cellphone, computer or car.

Plus, all the food I intend to
eat on Saturday is cooked
before Shabbat. Shabbat aligns
a person to spend one day
per week focusing on only
the important things in life:
family, camaraderie with other
Jews, praying and learning,
while getting mental and
physical rest. A Shabbat after- Joel E. Hoffman is ordained as
noon nap is amazing! (Why a rabbi but works as a math and
did afternoon naps stop after special education teacher.

My Four Days in Israel with JFNA: Standing in Solidarity with Israel
transformative life experience.

This July, I had the privilege of
traveling to Israel with 35 other
leaders from cities across North
America on a four-day national
solidarity mission. I knew the
trip would be an emotional
one, but getting the opportu-
nity to support the country
that I love in the aftermath of
the recent Gaza conflict was
an important journey for me
BY SHERRIE SAVETT
to take.

We focused on three big
IT IS NOT OFTEN that issues on this trip: the 2021
one gets to experience a Gaza conflict, Israel’s new
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM government and its challenges,
and internal social issues. Israel
is ever-changing and evolving,
and always seeking effective
and creative solutions. While
the strength and effectiveness
of the new coalition govern-
ment remains to be proven,
many are hopeful and see its
diversity as an asset. The new
government has members from
left- and right-wing parties, as
well as, for the first time in
history, an Arab party.

Israel faces many complex
internal issues and external
JEWISH EXPONENT
threats. Most recently, more
than 4,300 rockets targeted
Israel during an 11-day period.

The civilian population
all over the country experi-
enced these attacks and the
constant sirens warning them
to run to safe rooms and bomb
shelters. Residents of Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem had never
experienced missile attacks
before and were stunned
by the experience. Trauma
among Israelis, and especially
children, is widespread.

We were fortunate to meet
many people during our
trip, inspiring people, trying
to overcome the incredibly
challenging problems and
working to heal themselves,
others, and their country. Taly
Levanon, director of the Israel
Trauma Coalition, introduced
us to talented and brave thera-
pists who risked their lives
amid rocket fire to comfort
families. Like all mission trips, our
days were packed. Each person
See Savett, Page 19
JULY 29, 2021
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