Compare and contrast Akiva and Tzvi Aryeh's struggles with actualizing their natural talents and pleasing their families.
I'll bite:
This was really interesting. Tzvi Aryeh's wife was attracted by his singing talent, not seeing the danger it could pose to their way of life. When Tzvi Aryeh came home and called to back out, he was choosing his wife and his lifestyle. I don't think she'll get it. She'll probably be a sourpusses.
Libi, while attracted initially to Kiva's talent, saw clearly that it could lead him away from a more traditional type of life by exposing him to non-charedi people and values. She did not trust his choices or his values.
Loved the dog and Shulem! It was so nice to see him on the giving side of a relationship rather than just taking (getting fed by various wooing women).
Loved the dog and Shulem! It was so nice to see him on the giving side of a relationship rather than just taking (getting fed by various wooing women).
Love this observation!!!!
First tv show in ages I have really enjoyed, a team of great actors.
The scenes of Jerusalem make me yearn to go back .
I'll bite:
This was really interesting. Tzvi Aryeh's wife was attracted by his singing talent, not seeing the danger it could pose to their way of life. When Tzvi Aryeh came home and called to back out, he was choosing his wife and his lifestyle. I don't think she'll get it. She'll probably be a sourpusses.
Libi, while attracted initially to Kiva's talent, saw clearly that it could lead him away from a more traditional type of life by exposing him to non-charedi people and values. She did not trust his choices or his values.
Loved the dog and Shulem! It was so nice to see him on the giving side of a relationship rather than just taking (getting fed by various wooing women).
I agree with you.
What bothers me is that there are so many frum artists and singers (especially in Israel!) but this show gives off the message that fruim people believe that there is no place for art in Torah.
I was reading the comments on the Shtisel facebook page and they are fascinating. Someone wrote that religious Jews can't do anything but learn, and there are no religious artists or doctors! Someone else answered that there are religious dr's and the person replied, not this kind of religious!
(I actually know 2 Yerushalmi doctors and many other type of chareidi doctors.)
Btw, I loved that Tzvi Aryeh sang V'afilu Bihisturuh! That was classic.
There seems to be something of an agenda to say that you can't be a non-conformist and stay in this community. No dogs, no artists, no singers. Well, maybe true in Meah Shearim but there are many communities where you can be an individual and stay frum.
I think Tzvi Aryeh's point is that it's not worth the risk. For Akiva perhaps it is because his art is too large a part of his personality. After saying he'd exhibit under a pseudonym, he had the dream where his mother didn't know who he was and he couldn't remember his name. I think that's why he decided he could not deny that part of him. However, he's a lot more are risk than Tzvi Aryeh, because he's not very grounded. I think if Libi told him she wants him to stop painting for a couple of years (as she told Kaufman, but not Akiva!), and/or he can paint but he has to stay away from mixed crowd/artist type of events, they could come to a meeting of the minds.
I found that dream of Akiva's (when he couldn't remember his name) SO DEEP. it's like the worst lack of identity crisis there could ever be, to forget your name.
It seemed a bit unrealistic that the weiss family would sit together so joyfully after such a terrible situation between chanina, ruchami and the weiss parents. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for gitty to explain herself, but it definitely shows strength of character. And for ruchami to forgive her parents so easily - I think I have a lot to learn!
I thought my DH was the only person who leans his head back and slides his yarmulka onto his forehead to relax and I was rolling when Akiva did that too.
I wish people in this show would stay and speak to each other. I was wishing Libi would stay and listen to Kiva and they could try to come to some mutual understanding. I think that would be more realistic. They could cry and talk and ache and do what normal people do to work out their differences, rather than just up and leave. Same with Gitty and her daughter. Couldn't they first all meet and try to hear each other out?
Similarly, I loved how Shulem listened and worked things out with his grandson regarding the dog. Those were some of my favorite scenes.
Where can I watch this series online free with English subtitles...?
Heard it's amazing and have to try it out!
Only once the season is available on DVD will you be able to find this season 2 with English subtitles.
Season 1 is available with subtitles on dailymotion.com and shtisel.com
Wow this was a great episode. I watched it during my break in the computer room at school and I got emotional in front of people!
The dog storyline was my favorite. I have a friend from a Chasidish background who lived in a mixed (Chasidish/yuppie) building and his young son made friends with a dog who lived in the building. The son started taking this dog out for walks. As you can imagine it was a big scandal but my friend encouraged his son to keep being friends with the dog.
I loved Shulem's description of Tzar Balei Chaim (JSPCA)- something like "the chiloinim have this place where retired people with big yards and nothing better to do come and pick up dogs". I use the JSPCA vet for my cats; it's great that they got a shout out and they threw in some animal rescue advocacy! It was great to see Shulem learning how to care for the dog. I really hope he's not lost and they find a good home for him in the next (last?) episode!
Re: Ruchami- I don't know if they'll live happily ever after but it was great to see Gitty soften after meeting Chanina. I think she started to feel motherly towards him especially since he reminds her of missing her own mother. I don't necessarily think that them sitting around the table together means that she wants them to stay married, just maybe that she wants them to figure it out for themselves and no longer wants to lie to them and force them to divorce.
Lipa: Definitely working on being a better husband and person. Becoming way more sympathetic.
Akiva and Libby: Agree with past posters that these two just need to talk. The condition that Nuchem insisted upon of them not talking out any of their issues before the engagement was the stupidest thing. It's a recipe for disaster in a relationship. I hope they don't break up and that they come to a fair compromise about his art.
Tzvi Arye and Tova: I loved their storyline in this episode. Did they ever follow up on the kidney thing and I just missed it? Because I don't remember that being resolved. Seems like it's a non issue in this episode. When Tzvi Arye heard about the last singer who left his wife and then went home and hugged his sleeping wife on the couch it made me tear up. I wish that he would continue pursuing his talent as well- that one band is not the only wedding band in Jerusalem and he could surely find other people to work with who wouldn't pressure him into doing things he wasn't comfortable with.
I also loved the dog. Yoselle is obviously going exactly in his father's footsteps (like the gloves in the flashback of Lipa and Gitty on a date) . I was also pleasantly surprised that Shulem took him in. Where is he now? I got scared that he died!
Tzvi Aryeh. First of all that scene where she wants him to come to bed had me cracking up! The first serious s-xual innuendo lol.
It's sad that Tovi only seems interested in him when he's the next Shwekey. Maybe then she'd offer her kidney. It was good for him to feel good at something. That wasn't really him singing, right?
I don't like how they make it seem that there aren't any straight, frum musicians. He could obviously be part of a more serious group. Also with Akiva, there are plenty of frum artists, I guess like that guy in season 1, Leib Fuchs was it?
The Chanina thing is interesting. I always felt if they had a regular full wedding etc they can have a normal marriage and relationship too.
It was nice to see Lipa's transformation. I was sure that investor guy was a scam , surprised they got anything out of it!
Wonder what will be with Akiva, but he did the right thing.They can't really let him have ANOTHER broken engagement though! He'll become דפקטע שבדפקטע!!!
I thought the episode brought back so much of Shulem's humanity that I missed. All season he's been downright obnoxious. I loved his advice to Akiva and his compassion for his grandson (and the dog!)-- I cracked up when he said "yasher koach" to the dog.
I thought "tzaar baalei chayim" was his made up name-- that's really the aspca here?? Too cute!
He described it as a place that chilonim and "mizrochnikim" who have too much time on their hands go to volunteer.
Poor Akiva-- There's a reason Libby's made it to 23 without getting married-- it's obviously either her way or the highway.
Tzvi Aryeh's kidney thing had no reason to be followed up. It was just a mashal of him feeling so unloved. I thought it was amazingly sweet how he comes home to see her in the grey robe and messy tichel, just like the band guy described and loves her anyway!
I agree that Tzvi Aryeh's kidney crisis didn't need a follow up, as it was a way of understanding him and his needs and his wife's inability to meet those needs. He was also humanized in this episode instead of being just nebuch.
WastingTime, remember Leib Fuchs was a liar and a scammer! He's a bad example of how to be frum in the art world. Kaufman (Koifman!) is a way better person. Actually I was surprised when Akiva and Libby shrugged it off when Kaufman threatened to sue him. There could be some real halachic issues with Akiva taking money and the studio space and then backing out without delivering what he promised.
Leib Fuchs wasn't an erliche yid but at least he was still in the velt. Truthfully you're right ,bad example, but my idea was that there are many frum upstanding artists and musicians.
I was kidding abt Tovi and the kidney. I meant is it seems like she would have been more willing to donate to Aryeh Cohen the singer than Tzvi Aryeh the avreich! Maybe that's the source of his insecurities, she seems to have a measure of conditional love.
I also loved how he chose her in the gray robe and shlumpy tichel,was very sweet.
