A Life Apart: Hasidism in America

This extraordinary documentary, narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker and Leonard Nimoy, takes us into the world of the Hasidic Jewish community in New York City. Like the Amish and Mennonite communities scattered throughout the United States, Hasidic Jews also came to this country in the wake of severe religious persecution. And also like the Amish and Mennonites, the Hasidim live with us yet apart from us, a wheel within a wheel, clinging to a tradition which dates back to the emergence of this sect in 18th-century eastern Europe. Directors Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky take us into the homes, schools and workplaces of many Brooklyn Hasidim, building their narrative through the words of those who live in these strictly observant enclaves. In speaking with noted scholars, Jews who have left the Hasidic community and gentiles (such as African-Americans who live in close proximity to the Hasidic enclaves), the directors seek a balance between what is admirable about this way of life and what is problematic about living in cultural and religious isolation. The result is nothing short of fascinating and nothing less than profoundly instructive. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Van Vleck)