18Forty Podcast Tuvia Tenenbom: How a Secular Jew Came To Love the Haredi World [Teshuva IV 3/5]
Sep 24, 2024
Tuvia Tenenbom, an Israeli-American theater director and author known for his works on Jewish culture and identity, shares his transformative experiences living among Haredi Jews in Mea Shearim. He delves into the Haredi community's response to recent events, revealing the complexities and misconceptions outsiders have about them. Tuvia emphasizes the universal language of humor in Jewish life, and how profound love for all facets of the Jewish family can foster understanding and connection.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Engage Jews Outside Your Circle
- Expand your boundaries of conversation to include Jews you deeply disagree with to preserve communal bonds.
- Seek small points of goodness in others to build capacity for connection across political and religious divides.
Why Showing Kindness To Those We Hate Matters
- David Bishevkin cites Tosafot: hating a Jew escalates mutual hatred, so we must perform mitzvot 'for the hated' to soften hearts.
- This reflexive kindness prevents unchecked, destructive exclusion within Amcha Yisrael.
Immersive Reporting In Mea Shearim
- Tuvia lived a year and a half in Mea Shearim to write his book and was warmly embraced by the community despite being secular.
- He found they read his previous books and treated him with trust and hospitality.
