A Guest Post By E. Fink
Another TV show tried to portray chasidic Jews on their show. This time it was The Good Wife, a great legal drama on CBS.
Short story: On her way to supermarket woman trips and falls over fallen eruv wire which the chasidic couple could not fix because it was shabbos.
Things They Got Mostly Correct
The chasidic garb. She was wearing typical women's dress. Subdued colors and very modest. He was in black and white with his hat nearby at all times.
Strollers. Everyone had strollers in the chasidic neighborhood.
Kosher markets. There was a kosher market within walking distance.
The shomrim guy. He looked like every non-chasidic Hatzalah (Jewish volunteer ambulance core) guy I know.
The intimacy between the couple. Most couples celebrate vicotry with public hugs and kisses. The chasidic couple did not embrace in public, but their connection was displayed by touching each other's hands secretly.
Mistakes
The chasidic guy never smiles. That is just not nice.
The chasidic guy has a "tchup"(coiffed hair), typically, chasidic men have hair that is cut very short.
The chasidic guy has a trimmed beard, that is not common at all.
The chasidic guy has a RING! (I mean, come on, that's an easy one!)
They say an eruv "creates a symbolic courtyard", that's not quite true, an eruv joins many domains into one common domain by surround the entire community with a wall. (But that is a hard one.)
A young chasidic boy has a leather kipa perched awkwardly on the back of his head.
Something That Bothered Me
The wife was a twice rehabbed drug loving party girl who found chasidic Judaism while incarcerated. Showing her revival as a chasidic Jewish woman bothered me slightly. It was if to say, one has to be so crazy to find chasidic Judaism attractive. Maybe I am nitpicking, but it bothered me just a little.
HUGE PLOT HOLE
When the plaintiff got injured it was Shabbos. She was asked why she was walking through this neighborhood and she said she was going to the market. She was asked why this market if there are four markets closer to her home and she said because this market is the kosher market where they sell gluten free products.
Do you see the problem? (answer below)
This is an inexcusable error. CBS, next time you want to do a show with chasidic or Orthodox Jewish characters and plot elements you can hire me. I will be your rabbinical consultant and make sure you get it right.
(Plot hole answer: The kosher market is closed on Shabbos. She could never be walking to a kosher market on Shabbos!)
Search for more information about chasidic Jews on TV at 4torah.com.
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