Chronicling A Life Apart

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News

my mother moved in the direction of
less observant Jewish Zionists.
Although my grandfather remained
Orthodox, his only daughter left the
[Orthodox] fold.
"Perhaps by making this film, I bet-
ter comprehend the choices made by
my parents and grandparents and dis-
cover what was sacrificed and what
was gained."

utsiders easily know Cha-
sidim (Hasidism) by their
style of dress, but the spiritu-
al and emotional layers
beneath have remained more elusive
— until now.
Co-produced by
Menachem Daum
and Oren
Rudaysky, A Lift
Apart: Hasidism in
America looks at
the experiences of
today's individual
Chasidic families
in New York as
well as their fore-
bears. The new
film will be shown
8:30 p.m. Satur-
day, Dec. 6, and 8
p.m. Wednesday,
A Chasidic boy recites his prayers in cheder in "A Life Apart:
Dec. 10, at the
Bais Chabad Torah Hasidism in America."
Center in West
Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and
Bloomfield.
Sarah
Jessica Parker with music by for-
Just as the filmmakers represent dif-
mer
Detroiter
Yale Strom, the 96-
ferent segments of the Jewish commu-
A
Life
Apart presents the ten-
minute
nity, their documentary represents dif-
sions
and
confusions
Chasidim
ferent viewpoints toward Chasidism.
(Hebrew for "pious ones") experienced
"This film tells the story of my par-
ents' generation of Chasidic Holocaust
survivors," explains Daum, 50, a doc-
umentary filmmaker who has main-
tained a measure of the Chasidic life
in his own family.
MICHAEL MEDVED
"They did not allow themselves to
Special to The Jewish News
be deterred by their unanswered ques-
tions and unresolved crisis of faith,
ave you ever wondered
and they resisted the compelling pres-
about some bearded,
sure to Americanize.'
black-suited, other-world-
"They just felt they had to keep the
ly figure encountered on
story going, perpetuating a way of life
the street or the subway?
which had meant so much to their
In a series of beautifully shot, star-
parents and grandparents."
tlingly intimate interviews, the stun-
For Rudaysky, 40, a Reform Jew,
ning documentary A Life Apart:
the production meant gaining insight
Hasidism in America presents a series
into the Jewish experience and his
of Chasidic families and individuals,
own. "I'm the kind of Jew many Cha-
definitely demystifying a segment of
sidim barely consider Jewish," said
Orthodox Judaism that previously
Rudaysky, who has been making films
appeared impenetrable to outsiders.
about Jewish subjects for more than a
With insightful narration read by
decade. "I'm not observant. I'm totally
Leonard Nimoy and Sarah Jessica
engaged by American culture and
Parker, the film goes back to the ori-
immerse myself in it.
gins of Chasidism as an emotional,
"Unlike my co-producer's family,
18th-century protest against the

when they arrived in the United States
after World War II.
It moves on to the transformation
of the broken remnant of Holocaust
survivors into a vital, yet insular, com-
munity with strict rules of behavior
suppressing individuality for the sake
of community.
The film continues with post-war
living, explaining how the Rebbes
took the lead in keeping children away
from television, movies, sports, pop
music, dating, secular publications
and college at the same time they
helped newcomers find jobs, apart-
ments and even spouses.
"The Rebbes didn't care how funny
they looked or how bizarre they
seemed or how difficult it was going
to be," one Chasid speaks to the cam-
era. "They were determined to re-cre-
ate their communities right here in
America."
It is estimated that there are about
200,000 Chasidim in North America
in addition to thousands in Israel. The
filmmakers captured the common ele-
ments among different Chasidic
groups, avoiding the issues that sepa-
rate them.
The film shows Yiddish-speaking
Chasidic families at home, synagogue
and school. They share their tradition-
al and important times together —

from Sabbath dinners to weddings.
While the producers were able to
find people who would open up to
them about their lifestyles, they also
encountered Chasidim who were
openly hostile to the film project.
The personal stories are supple-
mented by on-camera commentary of
three scholars who have researched
Chasidism: Dr. Arthur Hertzberg,
Yaffa Eliach and Samuel Heilman.
Other views are presented by those
whose personal experiences have
resulted in their thinking of Chasidic
practices as racist or sexist.
"Ironically, the Chasidic rejection
of America's popular culture and edu-
cation has resulted in goals deeply
desired by many Americans: stable
families, strong communities and lives
infused with meaning," Daum said.

A Life Apart will be shown 8:30
p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, and 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Bais
Chabad Torah Cente, 5596 \V.
Maple Road, West' oo eld. A
t dinner an
ickets for
$10/$7 for 'S
dinner only

`A Stunning Documentary

scholarly rationalism of the reigning
Jewish establishment. It focuses spe-
cial attention on the handful of
charismatic leaders who, after the dev-
astation of the Holocaust, achieved
the near-miraculous reconstitution of
Eastern European Chasidic dynasties
in New York.
Even the most skeptical viewers
will be moved by visions of joyously
improbable mass gatherings of Cha-
sidim, including the lighting (in a
snowstorm!) of a huge menorah at the
onetime center of anti-Semitic athe-
ism in Moscow's Red Square, or the
aged, ecstatic Bobover Rebbe dancing
at the Brooklyn wedding of his great-
granddaughter.
A Life Apart is, however, more
than a sentimental celebration of
Chasidic survival, since it includes

many comments from critics of this
strain in Judaism.
As might be exp ected from a 96-
rn
minute treatei0
the movie also features some g laring
With little hint of the mes-
sianic claims of many foti0ersof tehs- e
late Lubavitcher Reb‘0,14d no men-
tion that the Lithuanianinitrilm
(Orthodox opponents of Chasidism)
similarly rebuilt their own flourishin ,
communities and rabbinic seminaries b
in America.
After viewing this important docu-
mentary, secular Americans might
well ask if their own sacrifices (for the
sake of money, adventure, unpre-
dictability or fun) could be similarly
justified. n
This review originally appeared in the
New York Post.