Shtisel, the award winning Israeli TV series, is now playing on Netflix in Hebrew with English subtitles. We're hooked on it and are watching the 18th of the 24 episodes. We want to recommend it highly to all Jewish Humor Central readers.
Although the series is not billed as a comedy, it contains many comic moments -- moments that you may recognize as snapshots or sequences that remind you of similar events in the lives of your family or acquaintances. We found many familiar situations even though we don't dress in the black and white clothing that is ever present in the homes and streets of the Ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Shtisel follows Akiva, a young ultra-orthodox (Haredi) bachelor, and his widowed father who share an apartment while searching for love within the strict rules of religious observance. The drama is said to allow a window into the world of ultra-orthodox Jews while introducing audiences to the story of the multi-generational Shtisel family as they deal with grief, companionship and every day struggles.
As Esther Kustanowitz wrote in J, The Jewish News of Northern California,
The drama also contains a lot of comedy, if you know where to look. Akiva is charming in a stammering, funny, artistic way that endears him to the ladies and frustrates his father. Yiddish curses — “may you swallow an umbrella that will open in your gut” — make cameo appearances. Shulem’s mother, living in a senior center, falls in love with television, which is off-limits to the haredi community. And one narcoleptic local is named Farshluffen, which translates as “Sleepy.”In this video clip from Israeli TV channel JN1, Ron Jacobsohn attends the Shtisel premiere in Tel Aviv and interviews cast members and the show's producer. Just below the clip you'll find the trailer for the series.
Enjoy!
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