A very personal journey to the Catskills as an ex-Orthodox Jewish woman

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

A sponsorship was given for this video in memory of George Myers and Maxine Myers. May their memory be a blessing. ❤❤ Here’s a little video where I talk about what I was struggling with when deciding to make this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKK4c4iXYs-iecksi=MGztNHoX5bRPc39f

[@Sharon181818]

Amen….

[@MandM_IMO]

Amen!

[@ronaldstewart3467]

You didn't say if you are married now, you should visit the great Northwest and see what an old REAL Christian man can teach you.

[@trespire]

Dear Frieda, as a "non practicing" Jew, living in the Jizrael Valley, I keep the Sabbath, keep kosher to some degree, celebrate the festivals, fast on Yom Kipur, don't wear a kippa but always try to do the right thing and do good onto others (tikun olam). And fully fluent in Hebrew. I've found there is an indominable spiritual streangth of Jewish values, even amongt the most secular of us in rural Jizrael & Galilee.

[@tudormiller887]

Shalom Frieda. Such a lovely video about Jewish culture I never knew existed. Watching in 🇬🇧

[@LadyPenelope]

You really captured the spirit of this community, Frieda. Nostalgic, heartwarming, humorous..all of my favorite things.

[@ehrenburk7055]

I honestly prefer to watch and listen to your films, videos, and interviews over anything else I find on youtube, tv, etc....looking forward to your next work🌻

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

It means so much to me to hear. I put so much heart and soul into my videos and your words keep me going.

[@ehrenburk7055]

Your heart and soul comes through...very much so. If you are able, I would say keep going -- you're extremely talented and there are amazing things coming your way....

[@josephindeveaux224]

@@ehrenburk7055i agree.

[@VioletACordy]

🌴🌴🩵🩵🌈😎❤💜💙🩵🎄🌳🌴🌴🌴🎄🎄TBRILLIANT💙🩵🌈😎@@FriedaVizelBrooklyn

[@nickgoldring1446]

Now how honest can you be about that when there is Seinfeld [and Gutfeld!] available...

[@jillclark6076]

My goodness Freida! That documentary deserves an award. It was beautiful and your thoughts apply to all of us. We leave our past just through our aging and growth in life. You cannot return to the past but you can savor bits of it through memory, taste, smell, photos and associations with friends and family. It gave me a lot to think about this Sunday morning. Thank you.

[@itabrennan7420]

Absolutely 💯

[@debbrown995]

This may be your best work yet. You captured the essence of "the country." Bravo!

[@articufixrubin3106]

You’ve done it again! Your ode to the world gone by along with the current iteration of the country was beautifully done. Thanks for being YOU!

[@kathya8760]

What a beautiful loving tribute to The Country that was and what is. Thank you. I enjoyed every minute of this!!

[@korneliakowalczyk1125]

Dear Frieda, you have a special gift of storrytelling and touch people hearts. Thank you for another beautiful piece of art. And keep going girl!!!

[@sammishbenseid4385]

Excellent piece of filmmaking. All fit well together. Your storyline, the social and historical analysis, the psychological wit, and also the all pervasive yearning, of the past, and your own life trajectory. I must admit that I like this type of content as introducing topics rather than the usual interviews. The script was excellent, and with your tone of voice, it genuinely captured the reality of life as well as the emotional feel. All this juxtaposed perfectly with the film segments flow. Whoever edited this piece of film shots was a master. Thanks for enlightening us, yet again on one aspect of Jewish life in greater NY state. The old Moroccan Jew living in Michigan.

[@m.harris2429]

Freida, you will always be a defender of the Jewish/Hassidic people. It is in your countenance. I see it in your eyes and smile. I hear it in the love you share when you are with them. Thank you for never finding fault or mocking. I so admire you. ❤

[@danellemoore1461]

I love that you are able to go back to your past communities and learn more about who you are and find more ways to be at peace. It is really inspiring to see you manage this all with such grace and humility. Your show reminds me to be more humble and more open to the things that scare me. Thank you for always being so kind and being so generous with sharing your journey. I had never seen your son before. He's so big. You clearly did a great job raising him on your own terms and with his future in your mind. It must be so difficult to revisit the places that you once were so apart of. I admire your ability to do hard things.

[@gb2850]

I’m sitting here unpacking from my return trip from the Catskills- actually Monticello. I’m not chassidish though I have chassidic roots and I am what people would call ultra orthodox. It would have been a thrill to have met you in mountain mall. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the gentle and thoughtful way you portray the community you grew up in without being judgemental even as you acknowledge that it didn’t work for you. For those who aren’t familiar with Jewish nuances - you still have plenty no. Chassidic jews coming upstate every year. Many of us are very religious but are also college educated- as I am. Orthodox Judaism comes in many stripes and many gradations.

[@ImcoolRick]

I've never heard of catskills! Y is the countryside, or suburbs suddenly called catskills!!

[@michellelansky4490]

You're amazing Frieda. The fact that you chose to leave a torahdik lifestyle is very sad to me (even if it is not for you) but the kindness and open-mindedness with which you speak about the community, even though you may believe it's not for you, is very special.

[@ginnyadams-kafka2676]

It makes me sad when people assume that just because someone left a specific community, they are no longer Torahdik.

[@outandabout4812]

Depends what toradik means.

[@yitzchakmordechai]

​@ginnyadams-kafka2676 if someone stops keeping mitzvah, that's def not torahdik.

[@heisenberg6886]

can't blame her. satmer is hard to keep up

[@outandabout4812]

There are numerous alternatives to satmar and chassidish. What's sad for me is not trying other types of observant communities. And then trying to capitalize on their past in this way. That is why I think they don't get that many followers. There are quite a few like the author. I find this material non inspirational.

[@nancyfink5627]

Such a homage with love to the country. This is my second time viewing this blog. Your emotion is papable and authentic. Thank you, Freida! 🎉

[@susiebenzaquen2336]

I love how respectful you are, truthfully. So many people who chose to leave the environment they were raised in instead try and trash the community. I am not Hasidic, but I am an Orthodox Jew by choice and by tradition I was raised in. It pains me so when those who decide to lead a different lifestyle feel they need to knock what they left. You are a breath of fresh air. Thank you!

[@SuperFredAZ]

this is a great piece of journalism. I was a child of the fifties, in a secular Jewish home. We spent several summers in the "country" in bungalow colonies and low cost hotels. In my teens I worked there several summers to earn enough money for college the following year. I have great memories in So. Fallsburg. Unlike you< I didn't leave, we just were never a strong part of it. Thanks for the story.

[@samanthacook8723]

The town isn’t like it used to be sadly. It’s become more run down and it sucks because the families that own the cool camps and stores don’t fix the building. They look broken and moldy. I wish the people who live there year round would stop complaining about us and how we “don’t pay attention” walking or driving. They don’t understand that we come from places where it’s more busy and and you have to cross the street when ever there’s a second between cars even when trying to park. They should try living in our shoes.

[@Growthisinthedirt]

Do you remember a restaurant in 1988 in Fallsburg called Pop-ins? I worked there that summer. Also at the Concord Resort near the Pines. I was 20. Interesting summer 🤣 I'm from Memphis Tennessee.

[@SuperFredAZ]

@@Growthisinthedirt I last visited the Catskills in 1963

[@lorrainemclean3914]

So moving….your deep love of your culture shines and while you can’t live in such a closed community your openness and respect is my window in!!! I understand their need to be the way they are…..those of us not traumatised by the Holocaust can never fully feel that need to band together!!

[@JSP1202]

That was lovely. I find your videos illuminating. I grew up in a barely observant Jewish household and was always observant-curious. Your videos feed my interests.

[@donnahibbard1774]

Frieda, Your thoughts and words are a gift, nourishment for my little gray cells ❤ You are a blessing.

[@jeanetteboer56]

Thank you Frida for this video, you give me a insight in the othersite of the war. I am from the Netherlands. My mom told me how she lived during the war, her parents give some jewish people the shelter in there house. She is 91 now.

[@michellelansky4490]

May their memory be a blessing.

[@SByoutube123]

My grandparents hid a jewish man, along with my Dad as the Germans took Dutch boys to work in their factories.

[@berteisenbraun7415]

I have no idea why you don't have more subscribers because you make the best Vlogs! Very thoughtful 💗

[@robincook4349]

she really does.

[@maryapatterson]

Slow and steady...

[@avihainizri]

I'm joining I'm joining

[@maryapatterson]

@@avihainizri And tell all your friends. She should at least be on 100k but thats ok, we are building solid foundations 😉

[@susanbarrett1947]

Absolutely loved this❤️

[@DvorahDavida5778]

This was a delight to watch. Thank you for creating it....

[@rhondabock143]

thanks. I recently found your youtube channel. your videos bring me back to my childhood, long ago and forgotten memories, and bring tears to my eyes. I can’t thank you enough for what you do and for making me think about things i haven’t thought about for a very long time. ❤

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

Omg Rhonda thank you so so much!

[@dyanalayng5507]

A lovely bittersweet trip to The Country. Thank you, Frieda. I always enjoy your videos. ❤🇨🇦

[@pernille8071]

You are such a story teller and teacher! I love your channel and enjoy each of your videos - you are so generously sharing your personal experience with us, thus bringing the message of your videos to yet another level. Thank you - and please keep going!

[@BKLisaP]

What a beautiful film, Freida! Your writing and narration are wonderful.

[@issoyyn]

Can’t imagine the amount of creative work that goes into these videos. supper entertaining and captivating. Thanks Frieda!

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

Your words make me feel seen! There are so many layers of work in such videos and I have a small audience relative to the undertaking so your support means a lot!

[@ellinooridashwood]

“Could it be that we parents want so badly to give our children what we didn’t have that we forget to give them what we did?” Wow that just blew my mind! I grew up Modern Orthodox and continue to be MO, and this really resonates with me. I am blessed to have parents who don’t expect me to “do better,” but many parents in our community do…and with the cost of living rising, and families becoming dispersed due to affordable housing, tuition, job opportunities, etc, it’s very hard to achieve even what our parents did 20-30 years ago. I want my children to experience the love and excitement that I did growing up. Maybe we will take them on less far flung vacations than I grew up with. I have no problem with that and I hope they will also feel like their lives are good without them.

[@rhight]

Many years ago, I worked as Project Manager for a company which sent me to the Monticello/Liberty area. My first ad sale was to a Hassidic rabbi, and I did the deal through his son, who spoke English and acted as translator. Gorgeous area, gorgeous people! Thank you for this charming and informative video.👍

[@AGL01772]

Frida, this was just terrific! Thank you so much for your perspective, which you share so eloquently. ❤

[@SaulShiffman]

This brought me to tears... I grew up in Boro Park in a not-quite-Hassidic not-quite-modern family with survivor parents. Went to yeshiva. Went to bungalow colonies in the Country in the summer, with fathers coming up for weekends. Left that world forever many years ago. No regrets, but some sense of loss for the 'village' that is no more. Thank you for making these videos.

[@beans-q7c]

As a non Jewish person, I watched your videos when I lived in Brooklyn. Now, I moved from Brooklyn to the Catskills and your videos still provide such a deep perspective of a culture that surrounds me here that I cannot be a part of. Your videos create empathy in me. Thank you for your videos - please share more about the Borscht Belt!

[@dorisporch2733]

What a beautiful homage ! Frieda you are a scholar of the highest order... This work is something you should be very very proud of... Thank you

[@xnataliaa20]

Hi Frieda, I love love your channel. I am absolutely fascinated by your storytelling, hope to visit NY some day and go on a tour with you. Greetings from Romania ♥️

[@kaynewling3455]

Powerful and moving beyond my expectation. I think for people from any community and culture that customs and folkways do not stand still and you conveyed this beautifully.

[@chayastoll1046]

Oh Frieda Gutte Voch! Oh how wonderful it was to find your Country Video this morning!! The old bungalow you stayed in is the type I went to atleast 50 yrs ago with Bubbe and Zeidy ( from my Fathers parents)every Summer for only two weeks. Mommy's parents had more gelt so I went to Browns or The Raleigh for two weeks with them. Being Chabad B.T. for the past 30 years along with our children dear Frieda you would never be shunned away from a Chabad Bungalow or any event and never pressured. Have a happy safe rest of the Summer. It sure is flying by way too fast. P.S. love your classic style white and black dress. ❤

[@mikelenahan9253]

Very well done . I enjoyed it very much. As a Catholic sometimes I feel as you. So many of our older traditions are gone. And with them the feeling of community . Thank you for your hard work on these videos.

[@TristouMTL]

Oh, my indeed... once again, you have brought tears to my eyes with your wonderful storytelling and honesty. Thank you.

[@michellelansky4490]

Literally same!

[@marsy1480]

Me too 😢

[@Historian212]

Well done, brava! Thank you for sharing about your personal journey. My family didn't go to the Catskills, even though we were from NYC, so I enjoy learning more about it (I was born in the mid-1950s). I've seen the documentary about the Holocaust survivor bungalow colony, and highly recommend it to others. BTW one thing to know about the growth of the Catskills: escaping the big city in the summer was also about keeping people safe from polio, which would spread during the summers, especially in the crowded, hot cities. So one thing that also contributed to the downfall of the resorts is that once there were polio vaccines, starting in the mid-to-late 1950s, the need to escape wasn't quite as crucial.

[@connieorenstein2965]

Just beautiful, Frieda! So well done!

[@jamiemanning8181]

I can only be of Eastern European desert. My grands fled Russia in the 1920s. They lived in a mud basement in Queens, NY until they built a house above their mud ditch (Jamaica, NY). In the 60s I envied my friends that would go to the Concord or Grossingers. I envy your experiences. I love your videos.

[@donaldseigel4101]

My Great Grandma "Nana" grew up in the Catskills, and I believer her family owned one of the hotels. My Great Grandfather came over here as an orphan from a European pogrom, where he had learned 7 languages. They were religious (Orthodox), but my Grandpa and Grandma, (the next generation) were Reform, and the third generation (my Father) was not religious. My Father married a woman of Swedish ancestry (my Mother) who was Christian. Here is the kicker although my Mother and was very religious and raised as a Christian, she did not know and neither did we, that the Swedish side of our family was from originally from Jewish ancestry (In Sweden like many countries they would not allow Jews in, and at times expelled them if they did not convert). Yet the spark never completely dies; you can hide it, run from it, try to destroy it......but it is still there. I have reconnected with my Jewish past after suffering from Anti-Semitism even though I was not raised Jewish. I still had a Jewish name, and Jewish features, so I couldn't hide, (and didn't want to). It was this dilemma that caused me to perform my own research, and I found that I agree with the Modern Orthodox strand of Judaism; you see these days we dont have to be Ultra-Orthodox or non-Jewish, we can fan the sparks by finding a fit for our own spiritual journey. It soundly like the sparks are very much alive in you, I pray that your journey is successful.

[@elizaf.9040]

I learn so much from you. As a sociologist I'm amazed by different cultures. You are the best. Your voice, your manner, and your graciousness makes for on beautiful channel.

[@notsomuchthankyou]

This was a beautiful tribute. There's so much to think about. You really do right by the community.

[@laurasnippe4609]

Thank you so much, Frieda, for such an insightful video. Your skill with engaging an audience is unmatched. Keep on producing these masterpieces, please. From my heart to your’s

[@danawynkoop9511]

I grew up on the West Coast in a Los Angeles suburb, but my grandparents lived in a very Jewish part of town where there were lots of Holocaust survivors. I distinctly remember going to an iconic landmark area with my grandparents called the Farmers Market, now called the Grove, and my Grandmother whispering to my Grandfather, combining Yiddish and English, “There’s Mr. So-and-So; he was in the camps.” Even though I was only about five, I knew what she meant, but I didn’t understand why she had to whisper. Now, there are very few survivors left, and new generations are changing the landscape of Jewish LA just like those on the East Coast.

[@skontheroad]

As a New Yorker who moved to CA after my husband graduated VetMed School, we found LA absolute BLISS! He was from NJ, and he agreed! Winter came, we still needed to wear sunscreen everyday and use the AC and I said, "Wait, we DON'T need to live in cold weather every winter?? Why didn't anyone tell me that years ago??" We were amazed! And as we just celebrated our 25 anniversary, are looking for shidduchim, and are now empty nesters, it amazes me how much the neighborhoods have changed! From Hancock Park to Beverly wood (and everything "adjacent"), sadly, the survivors (many Hungarian) who are the parents of many of our friends, are now very few, it is sad! I likely am close friends with many you grew up with or went to school with, and I concur with what you said about LA. And much like the Catskills/The Borscht Belt/The Bungalow Colonies, things change! BUT, for many, they also stay the same. My youngest just finished "gap year" in Israel and then working as a counselor at camp back East. They are all at, or graduated YU or Stern and live on the UWS. And tradition is tradition. L'dor v'dor! Thank G-d! So wherever you now call home, whether you grew up on Detroit or June, Beverlwil or Oakmore, we all still call it "the other side of town", and you will still recognize where you used to call home! (And you can even buy Schwartz's challah at Ralph's on either side of town, if you need to last minute!!). Sei gesund!

[@danawynkoop9511]

@@skontheroad Mazel tov on your 25 years!

[@markdavid1208]

Thanks!

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

Omg what a lovely gift, thank you! ❤️

[@eyesnme]

This is such a good video frieda thankyou for showing us what the hasedic do over the summer wow what a lovely little bungalow it's so modest I really enjoyed watching this video

[@touchedbyfire99]

So sweet and thoughtful! I think many people feel this nostalgia for the things that are past, regardless of who you are or where you come from. I do see however, the special situation you are in with the Hasidic community. I hope things are changing so that others like you get to have their independence and also their families too.

[@divnacvetkovoc1302]

This is so very good, bitter and sweet mixing together, like life is constantly changing, growing, falling... Learning all the long way... 🌹

[@suzansweatman9287]

You, dear Frieda, have such a gift for story telling.....and teaching. You make me long for something I never knew! Love, from Montreal

[@sarahspector5294]

Frieda, this was so beautifully done. Thank you. I got chills!

[@samijo4519]

Thank you for sharing. Wouldn’t it be fun to be a fly on the wall and hear some of the stories women are sharing around a good cup of coffee. Mothers everywhere can relate to wanting this level of connectedness.

[@grahamwilson5835]

Freida, not only do you put out great Videos, but you also share aspects of your Life before you left Satmar & your outlook of the World today & that ........... takes a bravely Honest Heart. We all treasure you Freida, keep up your vital work.

[@soulie1971]

Dear Frieda, your storytelling is amazing! I loved your narrative, because it captured so well the feelings of the past and looking into the future .. although it is not comparable, it made me reminisce about my own past, summers in campsites on the sea side, growing up in communism with great sense of community, freedom for us children ( not for parents), innocence … I can smell the sea, conifers, fire pits, food.. hear the guitars and singing. Thank you for this gift 💕

[@busybee233]

Wow Frieda! The quality of your videos! So good and everything is so insightful ❤

[@RachG]

Ahh Frieda I love this. Completely brilliant So great to learn more and also to hear your reflections. What a beautiful video. ❤

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

Thank you so much my dear Rachel ❤️

[@grumble2009]

Thank you for a great video! Your sweet, gentle, sincerity is a balm in this world.

[@clairedavid5469]

Thanks!

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

thank you so much for the gift, I very much appreciate it.

[@lakesq2056]

what a lovely and thought-provoking video. thank you, Frieda, for sharing another chapter of your journey!!

[@jerryedelman3581]

The short clip of the ride on Route 17 so reminded me of my early childhood & the summers spent with my family in THE COUNTRY. Looking back it seemed that life was a lot simpler then compared to now. Not because of how we live our lives, surrounded by chaos and the craving of more & more material things, but simply because of what our expectations of what would our lives be as we became adults. The pressures of life then were way different than now. And maybe thats why THE COUNTRY ultimately had to change as well. As we aged we EXPECTED more than the THE COUNTRY was able to offer. Homemade blueberry pies that my mom made simply were not enough, the world was expanding at a rapid pace and we could buy that pie in the giant supermarket anyway, even if it wasn't quite made with the love my mom added. . But in reality maybe thats why I continued to take vacations in THE COUNTRY years after I got married, into the 80's. A longing to get back to a quieter, simpler life that we all seemed to be rushing through all too quickly. As I am about to reach my 76 year on earth in a few weeks, I miss those days & making those memories. So thank you for keeping them alive for me.

[@karenoquinn4702]

Excellent documentary Frieda. Your works are a bridge for us to better understand many of the different forms of Jewishness and how Jews are expressing themselves. Thank you dear one! 🙏🏼

[@SignalHillHiker]

Another very emotional script. You write English with spectacular romance.

[@nathanrosen]

Thank you Frieda. Beautifully done, as always. This video should win some sort of award!

[@melmacphee5558]

This was lovely! Seeing the Jewish people of Williamsburg out in the "country" It just warmed my heart. Frieda you are so deeply connected to your heritage, the Jewish soul lives in you. Thank you so much for sharing this with us and narrating it so poignantly.

[@warrenbarnes9653]

This is beautifully written and edited, Frieda. You have given me another lovely glimpse into a world I can never know. So poignant yet modest. Thank you.

[@devoragoldman2482]

This was a true masterpiece - thank you!

[@RhonaDavis-lz3qp]

We are orthodox but not chasidic my husband is university educated and I have been to college. We still live an orthodox Jewish life.

[@NathanLGrossman]

Do you identify as "Modern Orthodox"? Your lifestyle sounds like my sisters', and that's how they identify.

[@JoshuaFinancialPL]

Same here ​@@NathanLGrossmanand we're not "modern." modern to us means the women don't cover their hair and/or wear pants, and the kids might go to co-ed schools. The men may dress more casually than men in my community. We are more yeshevish than modern, but we aren't yeshevish, either.

[@jeffbrochstein5191]

Generalizing much?

[@VS-im5yz]

Same, I have a college degree, my husband owns businesses and we have internet and watch TV. I also cover my hair, only wear skirts and long sleeves, keep complete Shabbos and kashrus. It’s possible to be religious and also not chassidish

[@Bulvan123]

I grew up in the "Modern Yeshivish" OOT community. Dad spent many years in a Charedi Yeshiva but where college is the norm for many. Davened at Agudah, Black hat, etc. at the same time we had a TV, got the non-Jewish paper, went to the movies, vacationed where we were the only Jews. It wasn't like it was a "double life" or anything. It was the norm in my circles.

[@juliaagnes7]

Lovely video! Your narrative is well spoken, as always. I appreciate your candor and respectful ways.

[@lindseymw380]

I love this series!! Thank you for bringing it to us!

[@memedavis4228]

Walking between "worlds" is not easy, you do it well and often. Searching, seeking, questioning, wondering, an inquisitive mind never sleeps. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.

[@moshegramovsky]

Incredible! You are an essayist of the highest order! Thank you for taking us along.

[@mrjsanchez1]

Thank you for posting such a beautiful video, I am not a practicing Jew and consider myself a Christian. Part of my heritage was Sephardic Jewish and many of my ancestors were forced to leave Spain. I really enjoy how you shed a light on the world of Judaism. I really find the stories and history of American Judaism fascinating, it goes back to 1600's as I am sure your aware. You might find what is happening in Kingston, PA interesting, many Orthodox Jews are settling here finding it a wonderful place to raise a family, most are coming here from Crown Heights Brooklyn. They are definitely making this community a better place to live. I love seeing all the families and children bringing new life to this town.

[@anlemeinthegame1637]

Lovely video. You wove in so many vintage photos and film clips of the Catskills, which added much to the story. I'm sure that was hard work to source and edit. Much appreciated.

[@elizabethandrus3848]

Frieda, I absolutely love the history of the Catskills and the community that flourished there. I married into a midwestern Catholic family culture and was so surprised and delighted by the summer ritual of "going North" and staying in modest cabins by the many lakes for generations. To this day we maintain this ritual with our children's children. It's absolutely magical. I loved this video. (I watched the documentary many years ago, and was absolutely fascinated by it. )

[@hollyhodgson7253]

Everything about this video is amazing. Your writing is beautiful. I was captivated by your writing ever since I heard you read your essay on leaving the community and I have never since been disappointed. I learn something from every one of your videos and really appreciate your quality content. This video is beautifully shot as well. Thank you!

[@kellkatz]

Ohhh, this is a treasure of so many things. A time capsule you find, a gift you have given to us(the world & your subscribers, a present that is a present, and so much I have not your eloquence to describe. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@ettygeee]

I live in the world you left. I love it so much. It makes me happy to know that you view it with open mindedness, unlike other people reporting on our lifestyle.

[@donnakearse2503]

I truly enjoyed this video. Thank you Frieda. So interesting like all your content.

[@Daniel-vd5hm]

If I could have liked this twice I would have. Very well put together - I felt your emotions and learned a lot too. Thanks for putting this out into the world 🙂

[@tsousley18]

I have to say I come from the opposite end if things, my family came from Tarnów in 1880 to Kansas, they were Sanz or Bobov , by my generation (7th) fully assimilated, grew up reform, ended up at a community JDS , and became much more religious and hard line although I'm a failed BT several times over my perspective is very much pro preservation. All that being said I think you are one of the most important voices in the Jewish world right now.

[@joyciejd9673]

Again, you "knock one out of the park with the bases loaded". As a historian in a place that was once a popular resort on Long Island that began a decline in the 1950s, I understood some of the reasons for the decline here. That same decline began in the 1960s in other similarly situated "resorts". I am thinking of "Police Camp" also in the Catskills and Seawaren, NJ as well. The reasons are complex yet understandable, poignant yet bittersweet. I just loved this video. Thank you, Frieda.

[@idasix234]

I grew up going to the Catskills, Jewish federation summer camps in upstate NY and in a Jewish/kosher household. Religion was there but not heavily practiced. I have 2 older brothers and we all have gone different routes regarding religion. Watching your videos helps keep me connected to a part of my past. Hope to meet you one day and partake with your tours!! Thank you for all you do!!

[@lruss5050]

So interested in the stories of the Catskills! Thank you!❤🇨🇦

[@tootietatum8737]

When I go to Europe in a few months, I am literally planning my flight connections to be able to stop over in NYC and sign up for one of your tours. I really wish you offered a deeper dive (something longer - maybe even 2 days?) for those of us who are captivated and fascinated by the culture. Ever since I attended a business dinner at a restaurant in Monsey 7 years ago, this shiksa has had a deep interest in Hasidic culture.

[@vickiepodell912]

This was a beautiful video. Thank you for filming it.

[@beans4853]

Wow! Just wow! Besides the content, which was amazing as always, you brought together an awesome tapestry and i could tell how much thought you put into every single word and expression you chose. I thoroughly enjoyed every sentence you expertly crafted!

[@clarkeridge]

Wonderful video. Thank you for your incredible work.

[@PuppetMommy]

Very impressive documentary!! I love your honesty and respect. As a hasidic woman the " country " is something I look forward to all year! And yes! I love to do " nothing "😅

[@bettymaines6305]

Heartwarming and thought provoking

[@bethelight162]

Frieda the imagery and narration was mesmerizing. I appreciate your vulnerability and storytelling. I hope you come back every year to enjoy this paradise. FYI things are changing even more. Summer home communities are popping up and the Catskills is a year round getaway destination! Also be aware there are lots and lots of non hasidic Jewish vacationers.

[@Cleekschrey]

Wonderful. Thank you. I grew up going to the “Irish Catskills”. Interesting parallels and differences.

[@loriloristuff]

One of your best videos, Frieda!!! Not Jewish, but it reminds me of the local area where I currently reside, tourist homes on little lakes, and various summer camps. Pastrami poppers!!! Yum!!!!!!!

[@Sharon181818]

Frieda- wow, this brought back so many memories from so many different years and stages of my life! A few years ago I found some old photos of my Mom, an Aunt and another Uncle; myself and a few cousins in the pool at The Pineview resort. There was also a photo of me at their day camp. My Dad (z’l) was there too- he was the photographer! I believe the family got together there for a week or two in the summer. Don’t know for how long because a year or so after these photos I was in day camp every day at home and then off to Sleepaway camp. I grew up hearing my Dad’s stories about how he and his brothers worked at one of the resorts every summer. Those were some stories!! Years later we moved to Rockland County NY which HAD been “ the country” way back and still had several bungalow colonies active every summer. Thanks for taking us along on your own trip down memory lane!!

[@pamelacrowell2007]

Again, you knocked it out of the park! I love how you celebrate the community you came from, even those you chose not to stay "inside", rather live at the edge. You always give us love, respect and a wonderful look inside the Williamsburg world. I'm not Jewish but love your offerings. Many who leave, as you did, don't share the good, the happy things about the life they left, only their complaints and bad experiences. Bless you and thank you.❤❤❤

[@raelenesharp-rc2zw]

Hello Frieda from Perth Western Australia…Thankyou for your very personal and in-depth videos of life and history of New York Hasidic Jewish life. You are amazingly calm, brave respectful and clever. I look forward to every video you post. Shana Tova 🇦🇺🦘✡️

[@peterdalyy3542]

Your videos get more and more professional thanks for your hard work

[@vsibirsky]

this is such a beautiful, heartfelt video. Thank you.

[@rivkahmiri513]

Frieda, This could winner documentary film award. I think he deserves an entry in something! This is so poignant so lovely, I have a lump in my throat. you so gently and eloquently express yourself with such honesty. I grapple with the same questions. I wasn't even raised Orthodox but I love to learn. I have a mixture of friends have different levels of observance and also religions. Sometimes I feel guilty and sometimes I'm very grateful that I wasn't raised as observantly. thank you for opening up and sharing your heart. I believe a sense of a creator is bigger than any religion yet I love some Jewish customs and believe but feel like I don't naturally need others. dealing with the push and pull is a tough part of life but it's also what makes it interesting too. Sighing, ❤🎉 Rebecca

[@anonymousanonymous-qx7mv]

A sense of a creator is not enough. Being born a jew demands observance of G- ds laws. Not picking and choosing what " feels" comfortable. G- d knows exactly what's right for us.

[@ragnu3479]

Thanks! Your work is beautiful

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

Thank you so much. I am very touched by the gesture 💗💗