The Frieda Vizel Podcast

For the video link, where we have embedded translations, see this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/IKWcSiy4e08

Mrs. Lefkowitz has spent her life disabled. And what a life she lived! At just 11 months old, in Israel, she contracted polio. It left her completely disabled. She couldn't swallow, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She was raised by a deeply faithful Jerusalemite family, and her life story is full of "unexplainable miracles." After doctors gave up on her, her mother dragged her to the tomb of the sage Reb Shimon, where, after an incredibly arduous journey, she lay for two days until she hoisted herself up to her knees. From there, a series of spiritual and medicinal miracles led to her regaining much, although not all, of her mobility. What I love about her story is that it's full of joy and optimism, even while she lived with so many more limitations than her peers. She managed to raise 13 children and tens of grandchildren. She has a message for the young, and it's about hoisting yourself up to see the good. Our interview was in Yiddish, with her family around her, and I added English subtitles.
I believe this is my first long-form interview in Yiddish.

I asked the Lefkowitz children how I could thank them for the home tour and the interview with both Mr. and Mrs. Lefkowitz, and they told me that the couple has a dream of driving to Florida in an RV in their retirement years. It would require an RV that is totally handicap-accessible! If you'd like to thank Mrs. Lefkowitz for sharing, feel free to contribute to their RV dream project. May we all be repaid with joy despite life's challenges!

https://abcharity.org/campaign.php?id=8836

Thank you so much to all of you who are channel members. It helps so, so, so much. A video like this involves costs for travel, videography, and editing, and I do it more than anything because I believe in collecting and sharing these stories. Your financial support helps relieve some of the stress of making these videos with relatively high overhead. Please stay tuned for an interview with Mr. Lefkowitz and, most importantly, a house tour of their amazing home. We are editing those now. This takes more work than usual because it's in Yiddish and requires translating hours of Yiddish! I love this project and am especially thankful to those of you who help with it. ❤️

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/cBcXWpz0joA

What do you do when you are lucky to find love, but the price of that love is losing your family?

Gittel Schwartz's story is at the crossroads of happiness and heartbreak. As a young child, she lost her father and her large religious family was destabalized, deeply grieving, often confusing. In adulthood, she drifted over to Florida, where she met a man with whom she shared a passion for art, poetry, books. The problem? He was not Jewish. In this interview, Gittel shares her experiences and the choices she made, the price she paid. When you hear Gittel's story, how do you feel? I am drawn to her story for the questions they raise for you. Do you see a right or wrong in this situation?

To follow Gittel and learn about her work, please check out her instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/gittele/

Other videos that might interest you:
-What I did when my son left the fold: https://youtu.be/vf_LDz3vD_A
-Melissa Weisz's story: https://youtu.be/mW6PTwWUVAU
-Fradel Newman's story: https://youtu.be/HoTzWaF7dU8
-Brachi and Avi's story: https://youtu.be/LV99eySK-24

Thanks for the channel members who make this work possible, and all of you who leave comments or just watch! ♥️

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Twenty years ago today, I created a pseudonym for myself: Shpitzle Shtrimpkind. A 21-year-old Hasidic mother of a little baby boy, hiding furiously behind my alias. My first post was an attempt to defend my community. Within a month or two, I experienced a profound internal shift I couldn't stop or undo. It led me on a road of so much heartache, discovery, curiosity, friendship, loss, love, joy, and sorrow. If I had known then what I know now, I don't know that I would have ever created Shpitzel Shtrimpkind. But it happened. Life happens, whether we have courage for it or not. And I'm grateful for the chance to live life. Living life means getting hurt, falling low, and rebuilding. And it's been all that plus hell, but I'm grateful every day for the light, the hope, the kindness and of course - the audience that made me. Thanks for being here. 

Thank you to all of you who have made it possible to turn a lifetime passion into something that can help me live! Your financial support means so much.
Video link: https://youtu.be/hwbU_R_b82c

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/9BwmSQ0Vwsk

Imagine a world where there are only women! That's the world of the filmmaker Malky Weingarten. Malky makes movies for Orthodox Jewish women and girls. This means no romance, no men on set, very kosher plotlines. What does it take to create these movies, and what motivates Malky? By her own admission, her target audience is tiny! And yet, she keeps going. She is passionate and brings artistic, creative, and fun energy to Orthodox Jewish life.

Check out Malky's website at Malky's Media where you can rent the movies: https://www.malkysmedia.com/

Check out Malky's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malkys_media/

For more on this topic, see:

*My interview with Jessica Roda on Orthodox women's world of media:
https://youtu.be/blLciT0egb4
*My interview with Orthodox Jewish content creator Raizy Fried: https://youtu.be/oycLsS4ulyg
*Shpanier Arbet with Elena Solomon: https://youtu.be/2ZozNgfPTNU
*The story of the performer for women, Danielle Jacobs: https://youtu.be/UZTQRkr-rIs

Thanks to all the channel members for making this work possible!!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/Bt0V4N9lGfc

Hasidic groups are led by Rebbes. I come from the Satmar sect, and our rebbe was Moses Teitelbaum. What happened when he passed? The community erupted in a fight over who would take over, and Satmar split in two. There are now two Rebbes, Reb Aaron and Reb Zalmen Leib.

Satmar is just one sect. There are other huge sects with intense succession stories. In this episode, I speak to the scholar Samuel Heilman who spent 50 years studying Orthodox Jews. He wrote the book "Who Will Lead Us?: The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America" and in this interview, he shares some of these succession stories. We especially talk about Bobov and Munkatch. 

Books by Samuel Heilman:
Who Will Lead Us?: The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America
https://amzn.to/4wKeJRW
The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson
https://amzn.to/4zz0SAL
Hasidism: A New History
https://amzn.to/4qvPAsJ
Defenders of the Faith: Inside the World of Orthodox Jewry
https://amzn.to/4gShQSf

Other videos that might interest you:
An extremely short, animated primer on Hasidic sects
https://youtu.be/j26jMM6iYYI
A longer history on Hasidic sects:
https://youtu.be/ywWcEMPALlM
Interview with the great late scholar David Biale
https://youtu.be/ACAWSDr_zH8
An interview with my professor Glenn Dynner
https://youtu.be/6_HyuP4HAi4

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.