A Life Apart: Hasidism in America - Production & Contact Info

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A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Not Rated
96 min | Documentary

Primary photo for A Life Apart: Hasidism in America

A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)

Not Rated

96 min | Documentary

Hasidic Jews seem alien, and even hostile, to those outside their culture,which frequently includes other Jews. They dress differently, don't mingle between the sexes, speak Yiddish, and wear side curls, all in an attempt to rigorously ...See moreHasidic Jews seem alien, and even hostile, to those outside their culture,which frequently includes other Jews. They dress differently, don't mingle between the sexes, speak Yiddish, and wear side curls, all in an attempt to rigorously follow the commandments of the Torah. They tend to keep to themselves, shunning television and the media so outside influences cannot corrupt their values and views. Yet filmmakers Oren Rudavsky and Menachem Daum were able to enter their world, and the result is the fascinating documentary A Life Apart: Hasidism in America. Using interviews with academics and members of the community and some historical footage, the filmmakers trace the growth of Hasidic groups in the United States. Groups formed around particular Rebbes (learned leaders) and they took their names from their Eastern European home cities (the Satmar Hasids, the Breslov Hasids, and so on). Leonard Nimoy and Sarah Jessica Parker narrate, explaining how this movement came to America and how it was able to flourish. Dissenting voices also appear, in the form of neighborhood people who are distressed at the Hasids' refusal to speak to members not in their community and of a young woman, Pearl Gluck, who left the community in order to pursue her writing and to follow a life of her own choosing. Many Hasids refuse to speak on camera, and we see many shielding themselves with hands or coats so as not to appear on film. But those who do appear are poignant in their discussions of why the Hasidic life is important to them. One man speaks to the directors, even as he acknowledges that he will never see the movie, but he will do it "in order to help a Jew make a living." One couple, Holocaust survivors, are not Hasidic, but their children are, and the reasonings of both the parents and the children are interesting. This film, shown on PBS, is a consequential look into a lifestyle many of us don't understand, and it may help in increasing an understanding. Written by Jenny Brown See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
16 cast members

Name	Known for
Leonard Nimoy Self - Narrator (voice) Self - Narrator (voice) See fewer	Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Sarah Jessica Parker Narrator (voice) Narrator (voice) See fewer	Sex and the City (1998)
Zeldy Abromowitz Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Yaffa Eliach Self (as Prof. Yaffa Eliach) Self (as Prof. Yaffa Eliach) See fewer	Everything Is Illuminated (2005)
Chips Gold Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Esther Gold Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Jack Gold Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Samuel Heilman Self (as Prof. Samuel Heilman) Self (as Prof. Samuel Heilman) See fewer	2020: Trumpism and the American Jewish Community (2022)
Arthur Hertzberg Self (as Prof. Arthur Hertzberg) Self (as Prof. Arthur Hertzberg) See fewer	American Experience (1988)
Ben Zion Horowitz Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Nuta Kaufman Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Malke Klein Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Beryl Lazar Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Chanie Lazar Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Mayer Schiller Self Self See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)
Michal Springer Self (as Rabbi Michal Springer) Self (as Rabbi Michal Springer) See fewer	A Life Apart: Hasidism in America (1997)