Friday, June 01, 2012

Slate's weird series on OTD Jews continues

Israel Iresnstein is some kind of professional dating coach who teaches former Hasidim how to navigate the secular world. Apparently, Slate owes him many favors.

Last April, Slate gave his business a free boost with an article about his coaching relationship with Sam, an ex-Hasid who doesn't know how to pick up women.

Today, Slate continues the free publicity, with an advertorial about Israel's work with Sara, a 22 year old who ran away from Hasidut after three(!) years of marriage and now can't quite figure out how to act in a bar.

And because such things always come in threes, I suppose next month Slate will tell us how Israel taught a gay ex-Hassid how to carry himself at the local fetish club.

Bizarrely enough, theses articles are illustrated not with pictures of his clients, but of Coach Israel frolicking with unidentified women.

I find it strange that this Coach drags his charges to bars. Why can't they be taught how to mix with secular people in other environments? Why, for that matter, can't they be introduced to Jews -- conservative or reform or nonjudgmental Orthodox -- , and in the sort of places where they are more likely to feel comfortable. A book club, for example, or a food pantry. Why take these fragile OTDers to the crazy opposite extreme of everything they know? Do we have to toss them into the deepest end of the pool?

At work, here, I think is the absurd idea that being skilled at the art of the bar pick-up is indispensable. That is, you're not really free of your hasidic chains, until you've eaten pork and slept with someone on the first date. Pork is easy. Finding a first date hook up requires skills. Enter Israel Irenstein.

Search for more information about Slates creepy fascination with OTDers at4torah.com


1 comment:

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