‘When did TV become so Jewish?’, asked Vanity Fair last year, commenting on the wave of emphatically Jewish TV on our screens.
It’s not just the number of programmes, but also how the portrayal of Jewishness has, in recent years, become explicit and increasingly diverse, showcasing voices and worlds previously obscured. Two of the most dazzling examples are the focus of this event: Unorthodox and Transparent. Both incredibly popular and released to wide critical acclaim.
For this event we have brought together the Jewish consultants for both shows: Lili Rosen, who played Reb Yossele in Unorthodox as well as being an advisor; and Rabbi Susan Goldberg, who steered many of the themes throughout Transparent as well as providing the inspiration for the role of the Rabbi (played by Kathryn Hahn). Together with Rose Prevezer, JW3’s Head of Communities (also a Rabbi), they will be discussing their roles in the making of these iconic and groundbreaking shows, along with how they created authentic Jewish representations on screen.
Unorthodox is the first Netflix series to be primarily in Yiddish. Inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2012 autobiography, it traces the journey of a newlywed woman who escapes life in a Hassidic (Satmar) community in Brooklyn and travels to Berlin to discover a different life.
Transparent was created by Joey Soloway after their parent came out as trans in later life. The show traces the journey of a whole family as they navigate their Jewish, sexual and gender identities.
