Shtisel – an Israeli TV show about an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family – should definitely be on your list of the “Must See” Series on Netflix. If you have not heard about it before, you should, and this is why I am writing this post. It may not be Krakow-related as I have got you used to, but I really wanted to share this with you!
It is the most down-to-earth series I have seen in a very long while. It shows life as it is – not on fast-forwards but rather the small paced of communities that put family first. Shtisel deals with the drama of the everyday, family life – without curtains closed – and shows the true grief that people can carry with them. There is also love and hope, but all in contrast… with the darkness that also lives within us. So without any further ado, let me tell you my 10 Reasons why I think you should watch this fine series!
1. Because Shira Haas plays Ruchama Weiss to perfection!
You need a bit of background on this one… I loved this little lady from Season 1 of Shtisel and then I ended up searching for more works of hers. She also plays in Unorthodox (as Esty), another series that should be on your list! At the very early age of only 2 years old, she was diagnosed with kidney cancer… In one interview she mentions that living in a hospital at such a young age made her have an old soul – a thing you can see in all of the above-mentioned roles she played. She is a small little lady, cancer stunting her growth… yet there is so much strength in her and her acting, that in each scene she is in, she shines bright!
I was not aware of it, even if her face did look familiar, that I had previously seen her before in The Zookeeper’s Wife – in which she portrays a survivor of the Holocaust. She somewhat reminds me of a younger version of Natalie Portman – which is funny, because I have just found out that she is one of Shira Haas’s idols 🙂 Anyway… back to our sheep: Shira Haas plays Ruchama Weiss (Ruchami) and her old soul shines throughout each shot she is on screen. Her caring for her little brothers, her writing the letters so they won’t feel that their father is actually gone, her having this strong sense of justice and what is wrong/right, her love and sacrifice for her family, her ideas on how she can make life better for her family… her energy and her patience… all are examples of what a truly good person would look and act like.
Season 3 is particularly heartbreaking for me, as Shira delivers an amazing performance as a mother-to-be. She is diagnosed with a disease that would put both her and the future baby in danger if she were to get pregnant. We even see, later on in the season how she even had to deal with the loss of her firstborn. Her struggles, her love for her unborn child is heartbreaking. A bit of a SPOILER ALERT! here… but when she realizes she is pregnant again and that her life is in danger, she starts recording her thoughts first in a diary “for her unborn daughter” and then she starts recording on cassettes messages for her, that she would have for each of her birthdays or special moments in time (like her Bat Mitzvah – her coming of age). If you don’t tear up at those scenes… let me know!
2. For Akiva – a true reflection of an artist
“With his melancholic green eyes and dreamy smile, Akiva Shtisel, the star of the show, is by far the handsomest Orthodox Jewish man I have ever seen.” – the author of this article could not be more right! From Season 1 I believed that the main character of the series was him… my thoughts slightly shifted and then I put both him and his sister (Giti) and Ruchami as the trio of main characters. Or maybe this is just my humble opinion, as they were my favorite ones… Could be one or the other 🙂
Akiva is the true artistic soul, that goes through trials and tribulations in order to understand himself and the world around him. He makes you drag him out of the TV screen and take him for a cup of tea in order for him to tell you his problems. He is sensitive, caring, and has so much to offer to the world. He lives both in the human plane but also in the land of shadows – his connection to his mum and dear wife is just unsettling, but it does make sense when you love someone as much as he did.
3. For the words of wisdom
One of the things (scenes) stuck in my head from Season 1 is the image of Akiva (Kive) and his father, riding the bus. They are trying to get Akiva to the Yeshiva (to study the Talmud and Torah) and this is their first outing outside of their strict religious community. He gets to go by bus, in public transport, where he sees women with exposed legs and even a mother breastfeeding. Cut scene to his father, that realizes what is going on and the temptations that may befall Kive: “You know what, Kive, when I was your age, and your grandfather took me to town, he used to do this thing to help me,” the father says. “He would remove his glasses and put them on me. That way he couldn’t see well and neither could I. Shall we try it?” – better not see the temptation than to give in on it 😉
4. The Romantic Longing
Well… what is so particularly fascinating about this series is the fact that is so relatable. Even if it is just the story of a Haredi family living in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem, it is also a life story: a story about family, about love, about suffering, and about romantic longing. It is a gentle story set in modern times, yet in a society where strict rules prevail. You cannot fall in love with anyone and marry just like that: there must be a matchmaker, a public outing, and the acceptance of both families. You cannot risk straying from the lines of women must make babies and keep the house & men must make the money but read Talmud and Torah and put rules first. You cannot even buy a smartphone as that would be taboo – significant of you wanting to have money and break the rules.
Let us set some things straight: I had read that Jews do not get engaged on the first, 2nd or even the 3rd date. The dating takes place for several months until both parties are sure of the match. During that time the young couple is not allowed to touch at all! After they get married, they can 😉 but the bottom line idea for the engagement period is to get to know each other better and also know the families and friends of the other person. Also, a broken engagement is not shameful – as depicted on Shtisel (eg. Kive).
5. Because it is so similar (in taste) with “Fiddler on the Roof”
How is that? Well… It is similar as it also brings to life a common human story: the triumph of love – on all levels: romantic, family and friendship-wise. Shtisel – the father – reminds me so much of Tevye! The “Fiddler on the Roof” also talks about the traditional way the Jews are bound to the way they lead their lives. I will say no more, but I am curious if you will also see the similarities 🙂
6. Tradings years / trading lifes
This is related to an episode in Season 3 that marked me… Yosa’le, Akiva’s young nephew, is walking with his prospective bride. Her father is sick, in hospital. She explains to Yosa’le that she would gladly give years from her life to her father, so they would spend more time together so that her father would live longer. Yosa’le shows her then the butterflies (they were in a museum) and refers to the fact that even though they live just one day, they are preserved there forever, giving them thus… “eternal life”.
Season 3 is strong, powerful in the feelings it evokes. We start the season by seeing Akiva doing a painting of his wife, only to learn a bit later on that she is dead… that he sees her when he is painting and this is how he keeps her memory alive. This is how he keeps her alive… He does not even wish to sell the paintings as these are paintings of HER, and he is being afraid (and he is not willing) to move on from that. After all… the dead are always with us…
7. Where does art end and life start?
This question comes also from the point above, related to Akiva, but it is brought even earlier than Season 3 😉 In the first season of Shitsel, we get introduced to Shulem’s mother (Akiva’s granny). She is one of a kind lady – you will instantly love her! In one of the climactic moments of Season 1, we find out that besides praying for the Shtisel family (children, grandchildren, and grand-grandchildren), she also was saying Tehillim (psalms of healing) for the characters of one of the American soap operas she was watching. For her, these fictional characters were actually as real as her own family members.
8. Always look back when going forward
Throughout the series, when you look at the families, you can see clearly that they are all big, with many children. The women are there for the family, for procreation and the men are there to provide, but also – more important – to study God’s words. As the series also says, at a certain point, it is important to have children for them. As in “Unorthodox” (series by Netflix), it is clear that the Jewish community does that as an act of long-term revenge on the Holocaust and the action of the German Nazis. They will make children in order to replace the lives that were stolen during the Second World War. They cannot move forward without looking back.
9. Changes can creep in, even without you wanting it!
Few people like changes, and if you come from a traditional environment it is even harder to accept them. This is why I love the relationship showed between Akiva’s brother, Zvi Arye, and his wife. Now that is an unlikely match… As said before, women should focus on the house and raising kids. They can, of course, have a job… but it should be something proper and not shameful. So when she decided to take driving lessons, then passes them… it is the time when Zvi Arye finds out. His shock is double as he also finds out that she plans to buy a car!
The man is the head of the house…. so how does that compute with changes coming in? You will have to watch it and see the drama 🙂 It is indeed fun to watch!
10. The ending lesson
In the final episode, Shulem Shtisel is sitting with Akiva (his son) and Nuchem (his brother) at the table, after a big fight. He quotes the great author Isaac Bashevis Singer: “The dead don’t go anywhere. They’re all here. Each man is a cemetery. An actual cemetery, in which lie all our grandmothers and grandfathers, the father and mother, the wife, the child. Everyone is here all the time.” — We get a wide-angle shot of the whole room, where both the dead and the living sit at the same table, eating and laughing merrily. After all… we are all here (both the dead and the living) – just in different planes…
Yours always sincerely,
The Twisted Red LadyBug
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