24 | JANUARY 5 • 2023 

J

ews and non-Jews alike were drawn 
to Unorthodox and Shtisel, the two 
popular Netflix miniseries dramas 
about Chasidic life. These voyeuristic deep 
dives into the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle of 
the adherents of Chasidism 
were the first exposure 
many had to these insular 
communities. Unorthodox 
is based on the book by 
Deborah Feldman, who cut 
ties with her ultra-Orthodox 
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 
community in 2006. Her 
insider’s perspective was 
candid and insightful, revealing much of 
the secretive culture of the Satmar neigh-
borhoods.
 I, too, was mesmerized by both Shtisel 
and Unorthodox, binge-watching them 
during the early months of the COVID 
pandemic. So, when I was asked to take a 
guided walking tour of Williamsburg with 
tour guide Frieda Vizel, whose “Off the 
Derech” (the label for those who leave their 
ultra-Orthodox lifestyle behind) biography 
sounded a lot like Deborah Feldman’s, I was 
intrigued. 

A WALK AROUND WILLIAMSBURG
I had planned to be in Brooklyn to officiate 
a bat mitzvah, so I scheduled the tour for 

a Friday morning, which is a wonderful 
time to walk around Williamsburg as men, 
women and children are hurriedly shop-
ping to prepare for the Sabbath. My mother 
and my teenage daughter joined me as 
well. They had already planned to spend 
the weekend in New York, and I thought it 
would be meaningful for these two Jewish 
women in my life to see how Chasidic 
women live.
There were about a dozen of us on 
Frieda’s tour that morning, and my fam-
ily members were the only Jewish people 
other than the tour guide. Frieda’s tour was 
insightful and fun. It was interesting to see 
the way the residents reacted to her as we 
walked the streets of her childhood. She 
explained that many locals had warmed up 
to her over the years and to her approach of 
bringing outsiders into the tight-knit com-
munity to explain their experience.
Frieda, who went “Off the Derech” in 
2010 at age 25, was introduced to YouTube 
and realized the video medium was the 
best way to connect with those interested 
in the reality of the Williamsburg commu-
nity. Recently, as her YouTube following 
has grown and some of her videos have 
gone viral, Frieda has been surprised to 
find that Satmar Chasidim are tuning into 
her YouTube channel as well. She’s become 
something of a YouTube star — even 

among her former friends and neighbors 
whose rabbis restrict their usage of the 
internet and consider social media to be 
taboo.
I had the opportunity to talk with Frieda 
at the conclusion of our tour. Over kosher 
deli food in Williamsburg, we discussed her 
evolution from a Chasidic teen to a popular 
blogger and YouTube influencer.
 
When did you decide to start giving tours of 
Williamsburg to “outsiders”?
FV: In 2013, when I was a graduate stu-
dent and my professor told me that a sum-
mer program was looking for a tour guide 
for Chasidic Williamsburg.
 
When did you discover that YouTube could 
be a good medium for you?
FV: People have been urging me for years 
to do videos. I’ve been writing a blog for 
more than 10 years, collecting all sorts of 
little interesting bits on Chasidic life, and it’s 
been demoralizing to see that my work gar-
nered little interest. I was reluctant to make 
videos because I try to keep a low profile in 
the Chasidic community. I was worried that 
drawing attention to myself would bring 
out the zealots who would set out to make 
my life very miserable. I was also worried 
that if people knew me, I wouldn’t feel com-
fortable walking the streets. Also, Chasidim 

The Off-the-
Derech YouTuber

OUR COMMUNITY
JEWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Rabbi Jason 
Miller
Contributing 
Writer

