Frieda Vizel - Hasidic Brooklyn and Beyond cover art

Frieda Vizel - Hasidic Brooklyn and Beyond

Frieda Vizel - Hasidic Brooklyn and Beyond

By: Frieda Vizel
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About this listen

 Welcome to in-depth conversations on Hasidism, Judaism, NYC, culture, education, religion and more!

This podcast is hosted by popular Youtuber Frieda Vizel, who has been studying the Hasidic community for more than ten years.

This is the podcast version of the video conversations which are also published on Youtube. Please reach out with feedback.

Here's the youtube channel if you prefer to see the host and guests! :)Frieda Vizel Judaism Science Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • "I never felt female and didn't fit in that world" | Naomi Seidman

    "I never felt female and didn't fit in that world" | Naomi Seidman
    Jul 20 2025
    Video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/aAHE9YNnxf8

    What was it like to grow up in 1960s Boro Park as the daughter of survivors—and as a girl who wanted to run? In this candid and unfiltered conversation, scholar Naomi Seidman opens up about her Orthodox Jewish upbringing, her discomfort with the gender roles she was expected to fulfill, and her deep desire to escape. We talk about her path to becoming a PhD, how her parents responded, and the haunting legacy of her father’s own doctorate from the University of Warsaw—earned just as war was about to erupt. A deeply personal, often funny, and unforgettable reflection on memory, identity, and rebellion.


    📍 Follow me on:
    Instagram: @friedavizel
    TikTok: @friedavizel
    YouTube: @friedavizelbrooklyn
    Website: friedavizel.com

    #JewishBrooklyn #NaomiSeidman #BoroPark #OrthodoxJudaism #JewishWomen #JewishVoices #SecondGenerationStories #Yiddishkeit #JewishStudies #FriedaVizel #UnfilteredConversations #BrooklynHistory #JewishHeritage #OralHistory #HasidicBrooklyn
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • The Rebbitzen reveals her identity | Danielle Jacobs

    The Rebbitzen reveals her identity | Danielle Jacobs
    Jun 22 2025
    Video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/UZTQRkr-rIs

    Long before social media became what it is today, the internet met Rebbetzin Rivka Leah Zelwig—a charmingly extreme ultra-Orthodox rebbetzin who covered her mouth when she laughed and dispensed earnest advice with impeccable comedic timing. But who was behind this early viral sensation?

    In this deeply personal interview, I sit down with Danielle Jacobs, the brilliant performer behind the character, for a conversation that moved me to tears more than once. Danielle opens up about her traumatic and unstable childhood in a home steeped in religious extremism, her lifelong connection to faith and spirituality, her natural gifts for dance and performance, and the painful limitations placed on talented women in the Orthodox world.

    This is a raw, beautiful conversation with a woman whose story is as powerful as her presence.

    👉 Follow Danielle:
    YouTube: @sodanielleicious
    Instagram: @sodanielleicious

    And don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast for more heartfelt interviews and stories.
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • Why I left activism for Hasidic education | Naftuli Moster

    Why I left activism for Hasidic education | Naftuli Moster
    Jun 15 2025
    Link to video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/IRTvj1_4_14

    In this interview, Naftuli Moster reflects on his years as the face of a controversial campaign to reform secular education in Hasidic boys’ yeshivas. As the founder of YAFFED (Young Advocates for Fair Education), Moster positioned himself as a critic of the yeshiva system in which he was raised, arguing that Hasidic schools fail to meet basic educational standards required by state law.

    Over the years, he became a polarizing figure — praised by some for challenging religious insularity, and criticized by others as antagonistic to the community he came from. To many within the Hasidic world, he came to represent an external pressure campaign that misunderstood or misrepresented their values and way of life.

    In 2022, Moster resigned from YAFFED, and in this candid conversation, he speaks openly about why he chose to step away. Was it burnout, a shift in priorities, or something deeper about the limits of advocacy? We explore his personal journey, how he views his impact now, and what he’s turned to since leaving the public spotlight.

    📌 Topics include:
    • Life growing up in Borough Park as one of 17 children
    • His decision to publicly challenge the yeshiva system
    • The backlash and media attention
    • Why he ultimately left activism
    • What he’s doing today
    🔔 Subscribe for more thoughtful interviews on culture, community, and change. #NaftuliMoster #HasidicEducation #YAFFED #YeshivaDebate #JewishCommunity #CulturalTensions #OrthodoxJudaism #Education
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    1 hr and 11 mins
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