Growing up in the Orthodox Jewish world - The Chosen (1981)

[@williampawson5476]

I read the book 50 years ago ... loved it... I still remember "My father raised me in silence"...

[@_yiddishkeit]

Book > movie (in this case)

[@2degucitas]

My story as well. I didn't just read the book, I entered the story with my soul.

[@Faretheewell608]

@@2degucitasI have never seen the movie. The casting of Danny Saunders is just wrong

[@LisjeVal]

I never knew this book was made into a movie. It was one of my favorites when I was about 12-13 years old. I think the book could well be included in Literature classes. I'll have to try to find this movie.

[@2degucitas]

@@Faretheewell608 Really? I thought Robby Benson did a great job.

[@bookaufman9643]

I love the books of Chaim Potok. Chosen is his most famous but his best is the gift of Asher Lev. One of my all-time favorite books.

[@Faretheewell608]

My Name is Asher Lev is a gift.

[@CaravanCzar]

One of the first real books I ever read, and it has stuck with me, shaped me, and helped me understand my mixed Jewish-Catholic ancestry and belief system.

[@_yiddishkeit]

That's super powerful, I had a profound experience with the book too. Maybe I'll share about it publicly one day. Thanks for sharing 💛

[@CaravanCzar]

@@_yiddishkeit you're very welcome. Thanks for making the channel, and inspiring me to hunt down this book and read it again.

[@FriedaVizelBrooklyn]

I enjoyed this! Thanks for a beautiful production.

[@_yiddishkeit]

Glad you did, this comment means a lot :)

[@alexandergraham6912]

A rare and forgotten 1982 film adaptation of literary giant Chaim Potok's enduring and best-selling 1967 novel, "The Chosen" is an extremely timely and newly relevant watch in the wake of the Hamas War. It was selected as the single greatest film ever made about Jewish life in the 1998 book "The 50 Greatest Jewish Films: A Critic's Ranking Of The Very Best" by Kathryn Bernheimer. It should be noted that at the time of its original release, it was Barry Miller's performance as Reuven Malter that received the overwhelming majority of critical acclaim, overshadowing 1970's teen idol Robbie Benson and even Oscar winners Maximilian Schell and Rod Steiger. He had made a tremendous impact on audiences and critics in the late 1970's and early 1980's in the classic "Saturday Night Fever" as the tragic character "Bobby C." and especially in Sir Alan Parker's Oscar-winning "Fame," as the drug-addicted Puerto Rican stand-up comic wannabe following down the same doomed path as his Hollywood idol Freddie Prinze, and was particularly championed by renowned critic Gene Siskel at that time as one of the most promising and singularly gifted young actors of his generation. Alas, despite a Tony Award-winning 1985 Broadway stage debut and continually acclaimed film performances under prestigious directors like Francis Coppola and Martin Scorsese, major Hollywood "household name" stardom was not to be. As of 2024, and in the wake of Jonathan Glazer's impactful and Oscar-winning "The Zone Of Interest", it might be a fortuitous time to re-release "The Chosen" back into specialized "arthouse" movie theatres. There is a sequence in the film that invokes a visceral re-introduction into the historical amnesia of our present cultural moment: documentary newsreel footage of the Allied liberation of the Nazi concentration camps at the end of World War 2. The producers of "The Chosen" were Ely and Edie Landau, responsible for such historically important and groundbreaking Jewish-themed films as Sidney Lumet's "The Pawnbroker" (1965) and the adaptation of Robert Shaw's play "The Man In The Glass Booth" (1975) directed by Arthur Hiller.

[@_yiddishkeit]

Very insightful, will look into those movies too

[@alexandergraham6912]

​@@_yiddishkeitStieger's towering performance in "The Pawnbroker" and Schell's equally electrfying and scathing performance in "Glass Booth" should not be missed by any true cinephile, Jew or Gentile. Both performances are at the very pinnacle of the acting craft, and remain criminally underseen and unappreciated by so-called "film historians" as well as comtempoary audiences.

[@alg11297]

Like most people my age, The Chosen was a must read. The film seemed a big improvement. It pointed out the changes of the boys in a more direct way and the acting was pretty good.

[@ThW5]

I liked the book better...

[@jeanneamato8278]

Heart warming and helped me understand a little of Hasidism. Very relatable these days.

[@judithcoloma613]

This was one of my favorite movies in the 80s.

[@rayisko9356]

My father was an extra in The Chosen.

[@holliesheet3182]

Your insightful review about "The Chosen" is appreciated, yiddisheit. Thank you

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

I'm A Christian. I see this battle(?) inside Christianity also. Actually (now that think on it) you can see this in slam also. Tradition vs Modernity. What does Gods word Really say, and how are we to live it out? Really Glad I found this site. You get an attaboy...ATTABOY!

[@_yiddishkeit]

It's cool to see this is cross-cultural. Thanks for the feedback

[@deerman420]

A really great movie is "Keeping the Faith" Ben Stiller plays a rabbi, and edward norton plays a priest. They are childhood best friends along with a female friend. Really good fun heart warming movie with some sad parts. Also the bartender actor brian george is an indian jew born in israel (In real life)

[@risatzinberg1170]

That was an awesome movie

[@deerman420]

@@risatzinberg1170 they were going to bring religion into the 21 century the 'god squad' awesome movie!

[@conniewhall3109]

This is the 2nd video of yours I am appreciating. 1st one on "Fiddler". What a great 'Differences between Zionism & Hesadism(?) For Dummies' movie. For peeps like me. Born, raised and educated Catholic. Alot of missing information & such. In my current research on KZbin on Judaism, Hesidic, Zion and ?, I am learning like nobody's business. One of my most important criteria are the commonalities between sources all across the board. Subjects of choice so far in my life: Religions, Biographies, WWII with somewhat other related data, The Beatles for example. I am to understand there are many sects of Hesadism. "All different from each other." I am very interested in your take on this subject. Please. Thank you.

[@kathleenmckenzie6261]

@conniewhall3109 You might want to search KZbin for the teachings of Rabbi Michael Skobac from Canada. Very thought-provoking and provided me with much validation of my own beliefs.

[@TheDarkSideOfIndustry]

I'm very conflicted between the secular and traditional Jewish world. I do believe in G-d but at the same time I don’t believe G-d will fix all our problems for us, I do still somewhat disagree with Zionism, mainly because it destroyed European Jewish culture, like making the language Yiddish illegal in favour of Hebrew.

[@tesilab994]

Why do you equate ultra orthodox with chasidic? It includes Litvish, Chasidish, and Chabad (nominally also Chasidish, but practically considered a 3rd category), Sfardim, Eidus HaMizrach, etc. Also why is there no basic "orthodox" only "ultra"?

[@captnflint]

yeah, i kept hoping he was gonna correct that, but wasn't surprised he didn't. it's a common misconception from american jews who have little to no awareness of the diversity of the more frum streams, and of the history and beliefs of chasidim... which is a real shame! but then again, i'm an anti-zionist neo-hasid, so, i might be a bit biased.

[@MichaelDunetz]

They are both right 👍 They both have a point ☝️

[@wrichard11]

I always say tradition must be followed and faith must be kept. But tradition can adapt itself. But those who bend the rules (obviously not laws or morality) can probably be accommodated within the tradition somehow. I suppose that's English tolerance of slight eccentricity. Those who break traditions completely should be aware that it is not necessarily good for them or their community

[@larryolsen4422]

😊❤

[@MrBrunoGI]

Finding the middle ground is where the truth lies i believe. Having unwavering Jewish values and tradition but also realizing that there is wisdom outside as well. Instead of ostracizing the other side, endeavor to implement things of value into your own world view.

[@_yiddishkeit]

Agreed! Here's to living in the middle

[@irinachulsky6222]

That's what is happening in my family. One of my sons is Hasid, one is a modern Orthodox, and the third is just a Jew, not belonging to any particular movement. We all try to keep the balance. Mostly it works out OK. Sometimes it is difficult, but we know we all are the family.

[@MrBrunoGI]

@@irinachulsky6222 live and let live

[@captnflint]

the overlap between psychology and judaism, and the role of a therapist/psychologist and a rebbe, is fairly significant! reb zalman schachter-shalomi (z"ll)'s doctoral thesis, later edited and published as his book "sparks of light: counselling in the hasidic tradition" is all about that. also, pretty sure every single psychology book author that danny mentioned in the movie was a jew! and as for your question, i'm an anti-zionist neo-hasid, so, perhaps unsurprisingly i fall primarly on the side of the rebbe with this one 😅 although notably i don't believe in moshiach as a literal single person, i believe in the concept of moshiachkeit ("there is no messiah and you are it"), so, nearly everything the rebbe said resonated pretty strongly with me (aside from the silent treatment, just, uh, not sure that was the way to go... 😬)... except for me it would be me yelling "israel shall not go up like a wall!" not "only the messiah!".

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

😊😊😊😊

[@Nunawading]

Always address me as “Darling”

[@matthewmorrisdon5491]

Do Fifle An American Tail.

[@garywilkinson4560]

Ezekiel 36.24.

[@sandraelder1101]

And the title of course has a double meaning, as in the Chosen people.

[@KelikakuCoutin]

The idea that either Modern Orthodox or Chassidic Jews would read trashy novels like F Scott Fitzgerald or Earnest Hemingway is absurd. They'd get through a few pages and both of them would want to burn them in a fire. The plot is very interesting till one really looks into it. Religious Jews do not read trashy novels full of loose morals with depictions of extra-marital physical relationships. This entire movie is based on an absurd foundation. Think of it this way, if Danny Saunders met a man who had a mud pile and wanted to show Danny how wonderful it was to play in the mud and fill his pants with mud and walk around like that, do you suppose this a plausible scenario? Also the idea the Professor, Malter would be suggesting anyone read trash like Fitzgerald is completely absurd as well. Even if they used Tolstoy as another example, they as religious Jews would see this as just trash without any value to it. Religious Jews do not read trashy novels. Orthodox or Chassidic, they would see it as without any redeeming value. If they depicted Professor Malter as suggesting Socrates or Plato or Isaac Newton, to Danny Saunders, that would have at least made the story a little bit believable. So there's that. Thanks for the content. Keep up the good work. בס'ד

[@captnflint]

lol what? in what world do you live that fitzgerald or hemingway is shallow and trashy? what a bizarre take...

[@KelikakuCoutin]

@@captnflint Obviously all one need do is read 'The Sun Also Rises' or 'The Great Gatsby' to see the truth of my perspective. Clearly - nothing bizarre about this.

[@captnflint]

​​@@KelikakuCoutinyou sure use a lot of words to say very little! but sure, i can obviously see that you're an authority on all intellectual pursuits, and the sole arbiter of what every educated or orthodox person thinks, feels, or does. breitbart and crowder quotes done up in ugly fonts are obviously what i would expect to see in the channel uploads of a master of intellect, taste, and piety, clearly. 🥴