Although living in Beijing, China, which would seem far from the US and its TV programs, being the Chabad Lubavitch Shlucha here makes me the one that people turn to when they have a Jewish, Chassidic or “Torah perspective Women’s” question. Last week was no different and the big buzz was about the comments made on “The View” by Susie Essman, who plays the role of a Lubavitcher woman in a movie titled “Loving Leah”.
The comments and questions were the talk of my Friday kitchen as I prepared for Shabbat with some University students and the young Shluchot who help us in the Chabad House. I silently listed to them discuss this with a mix of anger, shock, outrage and confusion and a disbelief that in today’s modern and “open” world comments such as hers could be publicly heard and not refuted! They were further more infuriated that noone on the show stopped her or challenged her comments. They turned to me for my thoughts on boycotts, websites and angry emails in response to this outrage.
Op-Ed: Thank you Susie Essman!
Although living in Beijing, China, which would seem far from the US and its TV programs, being the Chabad Lubavitch Shlucha here makes me the one that people turn to when they have a Jewish, Chassidic or “Torah perspective Women’s” question. Last week was no different and the big buzz was about the comments made on “The View” by Susie Essman, who plays the role of a Lubavitcher woman in a movie titled “Loving Leah”.
The comments and questions were the talk of my Friday kitchen as I prepared for Shabbat with some University students and the young Shluchot who help us in the Chabad House. I silently listed to them discuss this with a mix of anger, shock, outrage and confusion and a disbelief that in today’s modern and “open” world comments such as hers could be publicly heard and not refuted! They were further more infuriated that noone on the show stopped her or challenged her comments. They turned to me for my thoughts on boycotts, websites and angry emails in response to this outrage.
With Shabbat soon upon and so much to do I did not have the chance to respond to them and hoped to catch up at the Shabbat table. As the day progressed my thoughts progressed as well. At first my thoughts were ones of anger, how could someone believe and say that a group of tens of 1000’s of woman were all ugly and dressed funny! How rude and insulting!
However as the day continued and shabbat came into our home, a completely different thought process and feeling came over me. As I stood by my Shabbat candles with my 4 beautiful and unique daughters, and welcomed Shabbat into our home and Chabad House, I prayed as I do each week, for each of my children. I always spend a few minutes reflecting on the week gone by and praying for the week ahead.
As I davened for each of my unique and different children yet all raised in a Lubavitch home, it struck me.
Susie Essman’s comment was not an insult at all, but a compliment to me and all my Chassidic sisters worldwide. Yes, at first glace it does seem like an insult but if you look at what she said it was in essence a complement.
Being a Jewish Woman herself, this role obviously hit a raw nerve and an insecure spot in her, and her observances and affiliations with Judaisim. Playing a Chassidic woman made her soul feel uncomfortable and disconnected, and the only way she could cover up this discomfort was to try and insult the woman she plays. She did not say we are unintelligent, uneducated, bad mothers, not entrepreneurs or world leaders, bad educators and not co-directors in one of the world’s largest organizations, not dedicated wives or un-artistic, uncreative or lack talent. Instead she spoke of our faces and clothing.
It’s naive to say all Chassidic women are ugly or they ALL dress funny! How is it possible to insult such a large group of people on two things that are clearly in the eyes of the beholder? That’s right she could not.
In her shallow reaction to her role all she saw was external and all she valued was the external. I on the other hand stand proud to have been raised to look beyond the outside and see what lies within.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe OBM, my Rebbe, always made a point of helping and reaching out to those less fortunate, he pushed and inspired his followers to do the same. It did not matter what a person looked like on the outside or how they spoke or dressed. He always looked straight inside to the core of the person and saw the value that they had internally. This is the lesson he taught us all and the lesson that leads us daily in our lives. In our Chabad Houses and Lubavitch homes around the world, we welcome people that may be different from us in their dress, looks and language, but as soon as we do as we have been taught, and look beyond the exterior, we see another person just like us!
So I’d like to thank you Susie Essman for making me appreciate the wonderful and truly beautiful woman around me, and the amazing accomplishments and talents they each uniquely have. But most of all, I want to personally thank you for reminding me how lucky I am to be a Lubavitcher Woman.
Susie, I’d like to personally invite you and the hosts of “The View” to join me and over 2000 of my fellow Lubavitcher women on Sunday night, February 15th at the Hilton Hotel in NYC, at our annual Lubavitcher conference of Women from across the globe, to see for yourself a room filled with the most beautiful woman inside and out, and get a small glimpse into their rich, fulfilled and meaningful lives.
Dini Freundlich
chabadbeijing@hotmail.com
a fellow lubavitcher
You need to get this letter to “the View” and to Sussie so that she can read it – also try the Jewish week/Jewish Press.
Great letter!!!
blush any more?
mazal tov on the tzius.
hopefully this is will be on going for all pictures.
jacob
unbleivble letter well written and well said this letter has to get out there people have to see this
South African.....
go south africans!!!! well written, well said, and over-all brilliant letter!!!!!
please make sure it is published in magazines,and sent to the view!
you make us all proud dini!
xchr
get over it already……..
obama
good job on the cover up job!
info
Actually, acording to the mishna in Yevomos and the Shulchan Aruch based on this mishna, we are not allowed to do yibbum (levirate marriage) anymore as no one does the mitzva for the right reasons anymore. We therefore have to do chalitza. Only select individuals sich as the ‘Ohr Hachayim Hakodosh” did yibum, but that is very rare.
The movie is extremely inaccurate. No Chabad Rabbi would allow a levirate marriage in his wildest dreams. They did very poor research and did not portray Lubavitcher Chassidim very well at all.
women of the world
perfectly said.
its simply the truth
Big deal
If you see the interview again there was someone that confronted her and indicated that there are goodlooking and not good looking chasids. I also think she said that she was not jewish. They probably picked her for the role because they wanted to portray someone ugly. She looked better as a modest laidy any day. She had a wedding with both old and new husbads kissing her, in her mother’s wedding dress, which was not white, which she seemed proud of. And she has kids. What a mess. Talk about Glass houses.
chabad GIRLS
as a chabad admirer i see where these ladies on the view went wrong!
they had based their concept of Religious-women on the Mainstream-anti-religious MEDIA!
they have probably never had the honor to meet a REAL-LIVE chabad shlucha!
they (THE SHLUCHOS) are the ANTITHESES of POOR-TASTE, NARROW-MINDEDNESS OR WACKY!!
I’VE FOUND THESE “REBBETZENS TO BE MOST IMPRESSIVE AND CLASSY,
IF ONLY THE VIEW-CAST WERE BRAVE ENOUGH TO HOST A TYPICAL SHLUCHA AND ALLOW HER TO DEMONSTRATE THE DISTURBING TRUTH
NAMELY
THAT ONE CAN BE DOWN-TO-EARTH, INTELLIGENT, OPEN-MINDED COOL AND WORLDLY AND THAT IS IN NO WAY A CONTRADICTION TO BEING RELIGIOUS! ORTHODOX OR HASSIDIC!
ESPECIALLY TALKING ABOUT GOOD-TASTE AND STYLE, THESE CHABAD WOMEN PROVE THAT BEING VERY WELL DRESSED AND STYLISH DOSE NOT REQUIRE (ACTS OF DESPERATION AND SELF EXPOSURE!) COMPROMISING YOUR DIGNITY AND SELF RESPECT,
THEY SEEM TO BE WELL ADJUSTED AND BALANCED ENOUGH AND COMFORTABLE IN THERE OWN SKIN NOT TO FEEL THE URGE TO DRESS LIKE A CHEAP…
THEY SEEM TO BE IMMUNE TO LOW SELF ESTEEM AND PEER-PRESSURE ISSUES!
TOO MANY YOUNG LADIES TODAY LACK THE CLASS AND SELF-RESPECT TO EVEN REALIZE HOW DESPERATE THEY LOOK TO THE WORLD WHEN THEY MARCH DOWN THE STREET LIKE A CHEAP SL…
SOO SAD SOO SAD FOR THESE PATHETIC THINGS CLUELESS ABOUT HOW EMBARESSINGLY OBVIOUS THEIR SELF-HATRED AND INTERNAL SHALLOWNESS BECOMES TO ALL PASSERS-BY!
IF ONLY THEY KNEW WHAT STATEMENT THEY ARE REALLY MAKING TO THE WORLD!
ITS THE MEDIA + SOME VERY BROKEN SOULS = MINDLESS PEER-DRIVEN SELF-DESICRATION! CLUELESS TO THE CULT THEY ARE SHACKLED BY.
NO DIFFERENT THAN THESE LADIES ON THE VIEW WHO’S IGNORANCE SHALLOWNESS AND SELF-LOATHING IS MADE KNOWN TO THE WORLD BY THERE IMMATURE BULLYING ON LIVE TV! AND THEIR TRANSPARENT DOUBLE-STANDARD!
yo yo sista
1. the Rebbe is here, dini, therefor you are.
2. very well said
Levi
Touché
Nice Spin
Nice spin and can be turned on basically any compliment or insult.
Bottom line: the show should be taken at face value and Essman made to apoligize for such disgusting remarks. Any other affinity group, whether it would be African Americans or Cheerleaders would not put up with this, and neither should we.