Los Angeles Times

'Shtisel,' an Israeli TV show about ultra-Orthodox Jews, is a hit on Netflix

Beyond the Old City walls, in a neighborhood where names of the dead echo against stone, the squabbles, loves, joys and doubts of ultra-Orthodox Jews play out - often with piercing humor - in a modern-day drama balanced between devotion to God and the yearnings and imperfections of his creations.

The popular Israeli show "Shtisel," now streaming on Netflix, where it has become a cult favorite, is a resonant and revealing trip into the sequestered and often stereotyped world of observant Jews. Set in Jerusalem, the series suggests that while a man pores over the Torah to inspire his soul, he must also embrace and wrestle with his passions and humanity, much in the same way secular characters do on shows like "This Is Us."

The power of "Shtisel"

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
At KTLA, Sam Rubin Was A Local Morning News Pioneer Who Covered Hollywood With Zeal
LOS ANGELES — KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin was at the center of a local TV news revolution. Rubin, who died Friday of a heart attack at 64, became a central member of "KTLA 5 Morning News" soon after its launch on July 8. 1991. The early mor
Los Angeles Times4 min readAmerican Government
Jackie Calmes: Our Elections Have Integrity. These Politicians Do Not
Here they go again. Six months before election day, for the third straight presidential contest, Donald Trump and his Republican lickspittles are sounding alarms about virtually nonexistent voting fraud, laying the groundwork to claim that he wuz rob
Los Angeles Times4 min readCrime & Violence
Commentary: This Tough-on-crime Proposal Won’t Solve California Retail Theft, But It Would Crowd Our Prisons
California’s Proposition 47, a milestone in criminal justice reform, is under threat. The proposed Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, which seeks to undo important aspects of Proposition 47, would take us backward to prioritize pun

Related Books & Audiobooks