My Unorthodox Life

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My Unorthodox Life
GenreReality television[1]
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9
Production
Executive producers
Production companies3BMG
Jeff Jenkins Productions
DistributorNetflix
External links
Website

My Unorthodox Life is an American television miniseries by Netflix that premiered on July 14, 2021. The series centers on Julia Haart, the CEO of a modeling agency and fashion company and a former "ultra-Orthodox" Jew, as Haart and her family acculturate to their new non-religious lifestyle in Manhattan.[2]

Plot[]

The nine-episode web series documents Haart and her children's decision to leave the Haredi Jewish community in Monsey, New York, and pursue their passions for fashion and design.[3] Haart claims that she had left Haredi Judaism over her discomfort with the community's strict religious observances and principles that she views as a form of "fundamentalism".[4] Haart is depicted in the show as completing an autobiographical work recounting her personal journey. Haart's forthcoming memoir is titled, Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie.[5][3]

The show features Haart's four children, Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam, and Aron; her second husband, Italian entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia Haart; and her best friend and chief operating officer of Elite Model World, Robert Brotherton.[6][7]

Episodes[]

Season 1 (2021)[]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal air date
11"She Wears the Pants"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
22"Becoming a Haart"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
33"Memoir Meltdown"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
44"Pursuing My Passion"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
55"Secular in the City"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
66"I Haart Paris"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
77"Camp Aron"July 14, 2011 (2011-07-14)
88"The Succession Plan"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)
99"Extending the Family"July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)

Critical reception[]

Writing for the Decider, Joel Keller recommends the show, writing that it is "going to ride on Julia Haart's personality, and this force of nature has personality to spare".[8] Jenny Singer, in Glamour, called the series "wildly compelling", and wrote that "Haart's anger at her upbringing is justifiable", while also critiquing the show for what she claims will "make life dangerous for Jewish people", by "making a reality show that depicts them as monsters".[9] Irene Katz Connelly, in The Forward, writes that the show is "full of clothing choices, but those who don't choose correctly get chastised", and notes that the show "barely touches on the intriguing logistics of Haart's fashion world ascent".[5] Judy Berman also panned the show, writing in Time that "it's hard to tell which parts of the show have been massaged into ads for Elite, Batsheva's career as an influencer, or Julia's forthcoming memoir".[10] In J.: The Jewish News of Northern California, writer Esther D. Kustanowitz noted: "There's an interesting core story: Julia's goal to liberate and empower people in a way that she thinks allows them to be the most authentic and free versions of themselves... [Haart] wants others to experience freedom the way she defines it... While I can appreciate her embrace of a world she was denied, the imposition of her "freedom' on others struck me as its own version of oppression."[11] In The Jerusalem Post, Elliot Cohen writes that he "found that Ilhan Omar's infamous anti-Semitic quote, 'all about the Benjamins, baby', has been turned into an evening of Netflix and chill", and that "Netflix and Jeff Jenkins gave anti-Semites their greatest media gift since The Protocols of the Elders of Zion".[12]

Response from Orthodox Jewish community[]

Articles published in Orthodox media outlets were heavily critical of the perceived anti-Orthodox premises of the show.[13][14][15][16][17][non-primary source needed] Many women turned to social media to post pro-Orthodox stories using the hashtag #MyOrthodoxLife, and to express opposition to the show as distorting their position in the Orthodox community.[18][19][20] Author Roberta Rosenthal Kwall wrote in Jewish Journal: "Most people outside of Orthodox communities do not understand that Orthodoxy in general is far from monolithic", and the show omits how "Orthodox women are often highly educated and professionally accomplished even in the world of Jewish law, long a male-dominated field".[16] Writing a review in the Washington Jewish Week, writer Andy Gottlieb stated that the show is vapid, and the characters are narcissistic.[21] Rabbi Yair Hoffman, writing in the Five Towns Jewish Times, said that the show is "spewing a vicious form of hatred designed to cast observant Jewry in a hideously negative light".[15]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Soloski, Alexis (July 13, 2021). "In 'My Unorthodox Life', Julia Haart Bares More Than Just Her Knees". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Feldman, Dana (July 8, 2021). "New Netflix Reality Series 'My Unorthodox Life' Takes A Strong Stance Against Fundamentalism". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Seemayer, Zach (July 8, 2021). "'My Unorthodox Life': Julia Haart on Going From an Orthodox Jewish Community to the Fashion World (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Strohm, Emily (July 8, 2021). "How Fashion CEO Julia Haart Went from a Strict Religious World to Style Star". People. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Katz Connelly, Irene (July 8, 2021). "Neftlix wants you to believe 'My Unorthodox Life' is a feminist fairytale — is it?". The Jewish Daily Forward. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Westenfeld, Adrienne (July 23, 2021). "In 'My Unorthodox Life,' Robert Brotherton is Julia Haart's Right-Hand Man". Esquire. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Spiro, Amy. "From frum to fashion week: Julia Haart's 'Unorthodox' journey burns up Netflix". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Keller, Joel (July 14, 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'My Unorthodox Life' On Netflix, A Reality Series Starring Julia Haart, Who Went From An Orthodox Jewish Family To Fashion CEO In Six Years". The Decider. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Singer, Jerry (July 14, 2021). "My Unorthodox Life Is Compelling TV That Could Make Life Harder for Some Jews". Glamour. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  10. ^ Berman, Judy (July 14, 2021). "Netflix's My Unorthodox Life Is More Bravo Docusoap Than Real-Life Unorthodox". Time. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  11. ^ Kustanowitz, Esther D. (July 8, 2021). "'My Unorthodox Life': Hasidic TV trend gets reality treatment". J. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  12. ^ ""My Unorthodox Life": The best gift to anti-Semites since "The Protocols"". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Miller, Chani. "Dear Julia Haart". The Jewish Press. The Jewish Press. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  14. ^ Boteach, Shmuley. "Orthodox Jews have the best sex". The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Hoffman, Yair. ""My Unorthodox Life" – Is it Racism?". 5TJT. Five Towns Jewish Times. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Rosenthal Kwall, Roberta. ""My Unorthodox Life" Doesn't Tell You That Orthodox Jewish Women Are Rocking the World of Jewish Law". Jewish Journal. Jewish Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  17. ^ Stimler Morris, Michelle. "My Unorthodox Life: They call it liberation - but are they really free?". thejc.com. The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Cohen, Haley. "Orthodox world divided over Netflix show 'My Unorthodox Life'". The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  19. ^ Lobell, Kylie Ora. "Jewish Women Showing Off #MyOrthodoxLife in Response to Netflix's "My Unorthodox Life"". Jewish Journal. Jewish Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  20. ^ Lobell, Kylie Ora (July 16, 2021). "Jewish women showing off #MyOrthodoxLife in response to Netflix's My Unorthodox Life". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  21. ^ Gottlieb, Andy. "'My Unorthodox Life' star traded her faith for narcissism". Washington Jewish Week. Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved July 29, 2021.

External links[]

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