The Frieda Vizel Podcast

video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/ZMwMkiG0YCYIn part 1 of 2 of Erika Szabo's life story, we learn what life was like for the post-holocaust generation.Erika was born in Hungary shortly after the war. She was the real first post holocaust babies. Her father, sadly, was hauled off to prison in communist Hungary. Her mother was left to raise her and younger twins alone - the twins were born prematurely. Finally, after Stalin's death, her father was released from prison. And during the chaos of the Hungarian revolution, the family escaped Hungary via the border to Austria. This is the story of a Jewish family that lived a moderate religious lifestyle in Debrecen, Hungary, and wound up in one of the strictest Hasidic communities. Part 1 of my conversation with Erika Szabo covers her life in Hungary and escape. Check back for part 2, life in Satmar Williamsburg.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

For the video link, where we have embedded translations, see this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/IKWcSiy4e08Mrs. Lefkowitz has spent her life disabled. And what a life she lived! At just 11 months old, in Israel, she contracted polio. It left her completely disabled. She couldn't swallow, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She was raised by a deeply faithful Jerusalemite family, and her life story is full of "unexplainable miracles." After doctors gave up on her, her mother dragged her to the tomb of the sage Reb Shimon, where, after an incredibly arduous journey, she lay for two days until she hoisted herself up to her knees. From there, a series of spiritual and medicinal miracles led to her regaining much, although not all, of her mobility. What I love about her story is that it's full of joy and optimism, even while she lived with so many more limitations than her peers. She managed to raise 13 children and tens of grandchildren. She has a message for the young, and it's about hoisting yourself up to see the good. Our interview was in Yiddish, with her family around her, and I added English subtitles.I believe this is my first long-form interview in Yiddish.I asked the Lefkowitz children how I could thank them for the home tour and the interview with both Mr. and Mrs. Lefkowitz, and they told me that the couple has a dream of driving to Florida in an RV in their retirement years. It would require an RV that is totally handicap-accessible! If you'd like to thank Mrs. Lefkowitz for sharing, feel free to contribute to their RV dream project. May we all be repaid with joy despite life's challenges!https://abcharity.org/campaign.php?id=8836Thank you so much to all of you who are channel members. It helps so, so, so much. A video like this involves costs for travel, videography, and editing, and I do it more than anything because I believe in collecting and sharing these stories. Your financial support helps relieve some of the stress of making these videos with relatively high overhead. Please stay tuned for an interview with Mr. Lefkowitz and, most importantly, a house tour of their amazing home. We are editing those now. This takes more work than usual because it's in Yiddish and requires translating hours of Yiddish! I love this project and am especially thankful to those of you who help with it. ❤️Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/cBcXWpz0joAWhat do you do when you are lucky to find love, but the price of that love is losing your family?Gittel Schwartz's story is at the crossroads of happiness and heartbreak. As a young child, she lost her father and her large religious family was destabalized, deeply grieving, often confusing. In adulthood, she drifted over to Florida, where she met a man with whom she shared a passion for art, poetry, books. The problem? He was not Jewish. In this interview, Gittel shares her experiences and the choices she made, the price she paid. When you hear Gittel's story, how do you feel? I am drawn to her story for the questions they raise for you. Do you see a right or wrong in this situation?To follow Gittel and learn about her work, please check out her instagram page:https://www.instagram.com/gittele/Other videos that might interest you:-What I did when my son left the fold: https://youtu.be/vf_LDz3vD_A-Melissa Weisz's story: https://youtu.be/mW6PTwWUVAU-Fradel Newman's story: https://youtu.be/HoTzWaF7dU8-Brachi and Avi's story: https://youtu.be/LV99eySK-24Thanks for the channel members who make this work possible, and all of you who leave comments or just watch! ♥️Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Twenty years ago today, I created a pseudonym for myself: Shpitzle Shtrimpkind. A 21-year-old Hasidic mother of a little baby boy, hiding furiously behind my alias. My first post was an attempt to defend my community. Within a month or two, I experienced a profound internal shift I couldn't stop or undo. It led me on a road of so much heartache, discovery, curiosity, friendship, loss, love, joy, and sorrow. If I had known then what I know now, I don't know that I would have ever created Shpitzel Shtrimpkind. But it happened. Life happens, whether we have courage for it or not. And I'm grateful for the chance to live life. Living life means getting hurt, falling low, and rebuilding. And it's been all that plus hell, but I'm grateful every day for the light, the hope, the kindness and of course - the audience that made me. Thanks for being here. Thank you to all of you who have made it possible to turn a lifetime passion into something that can help me live! Your financial support means so much.Video link: https://youtu.be/hwbU_R_b82cBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/9BwmSQ0VwskImagine a world where there are only women! That's the world of the filmmaker Malky Weingarten. Malky makes movies for Orthodox Jewish women and girls. This means no romance, no men on set, very kosher plotlines. What does it take to create these movies, and what motivates Malky? By her own admission, her target audience is tiny! And yet, she keeps going. She is passionate and brings artistic, creative, and fun energy to Orthodox Jewish life.Check out Malky's website at Malky's Media where you can rent the movies: https://www.malkysmedia.com/Check out Malky's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malkys_media/For more on this topic, see:*My interview with Jessica Roda on Orthodox women's world of media:https://youtu.be/blLciT0egb4*My interview with Orthodox Jewish content creator Raizy Fried: https://youtu.be/oycLsS4ulyg*Shpanier Arbet with Elena Solomon: https://youtu.be/2ZozNgfPTNU*The story of the performer for women, Danielle Jacobs: https://youtu.be/UZTQRkr-rIsThanks to all the channel members for making this work possible!!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/Bt0V4N9lGfcHasidic groups are led by Rebbes. I come from the Satmar sect, and our rebbe was Moses Teitelbaum. What happened when he passed? The community erupted in a fight over who would take over, and Satmar split in two. There are now two Rebbes, Reb Aaron and Reb Zalmen Leib.Satmar is just one sect. There are other huge sects with intense succession stories. In this episode, I speak to the scholar Samuel Heilman who spent 50 years studying Orthodox Jews. He wrote the book "Who Will Lead Us?: The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in America" and in this interview, he shares some of these succession stories. We especially talk about Bobov and Munkatch. Books by Samuel Heilman:Who Will Lead Us?: The Story of Five Hasidic Dynasties in Americahttps://amzn.to/4wKeJRWThe Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneersonhttps://amzn.to/4zz0SALHasidism: A New Historyhttps://amzn.to/4qvPAsJDefenders of the Faith: Inside the World of Orthodox Jewryhttps://amzn.to/4gShQSfOther videos that might interest you:An extremely short, animated primer on Hasidic sectshttps://youtu.be/j26jMM6iYYIA longer history on Hasidic sects:https://youtu.be/ywWcEMPALlMInterview with the great late scholar David Bialehttps://youtu.be/ACAWSDr_zH8An interview with my professor Glenn Dynnerhttps://youtu.be/6_HyuP4HAi4Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/guXQwZ9h_5UDr Archelle from the podcast "Speak Up for Your Health" interviews youtuber Frieda Vizel about her experience growing up in the Hasidic community and experiencing the community's attitudes towards health.Find Dr. Archelle on her webside: https://www.archellemd.com/Follow Archelle's podcast Speak Up for Your Health: https://www.archellemd.com/speakupforyourhealthDr. Archelle's book: https://amzn.to/4ydzmr0For more on Frieda and health, here are some relevant videos:Reflections on my mother's illness: https://youtu.be/vCljrs_AgJQIn this episode, I talk about my experience with the religious element of stillbirth: https://youtu.be/jjk5K5Rp6e4Interview with Dr. Lynne Quittel: https://youtu.be/kP_NgV7y_CsInterview with Dr. Rosman: https://youtu.be/TkUS0jzJci4As always, please leave a comment with your thoughts!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this episode: https://youtu.be/LK2b0mAYKqAI'm tired of big youtubers conflating all Hasidic groups as one. They are so different.The community in Crown Heights is really different from the communities in Williamsburg.I visited both Brooklyn neighborhoods in order to show you how they are different.Credit:*Videography* -Cristian Delvalle / https://www.instagram.com/cristiandelvallecaicedo/Max *Edit-* Steve Milligan / https://www.instagram.com/shootitsteve/Lee Kupac / https://www.instagram.com/alice.kpc & https://readymag.website/u3245558506/6471652/0:00 Getting kicked out of Williamsburg1:09 Introduction to Hasidic groups3:00 1. Insularity versus outreach7:58 2. Women's spaces and feminism11:46 3. Clothing differences14:10 4. A sense of themselves in relation to others15:50 5. Population size16:55 6. The neighborhood look17:48 7. "The rebbe"18:50 8. Fights and feuds20:46 9. Israel and zionism21:33 10. Neighborhood aesthetics22:22 11. Yiddish, Hebrew, French, English, etc.22:52 12. Conflict between Chabad and Satmar24:55 13. FOOD!25:38 BONUS: Marathon and paradeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

video link to this interview: https://youtu.be/NtFI3NL4dFE?si=zOhqSNq6aijFxcc4In September 2026, the Satmar community experienced a major historic event. After decades of the community being split into two rival factions, the two brothers who led the rival factions met again. But not just anywhere, but at the White House. After so much time of hurt and estrangement, the rabbis wished each other a sweet year before heading into the White House to meet with the president, Trump, and advocate on behalf of their Jewish community. This is a great time to look back at how this split happened and record some oral history. Yumi Lowy grew up Satmar and paid a lot of attention to the battles. These are his memories. As is the case with oral histories, other people will have other stories. I so look forward to more perspectives in the comments.Follow Yumi Lowy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/yumilowy/For more on the early battles in Kiryas Joel, watch my interview with lawyer Michael Sussman: https://youtu.be/jcz0xmkm10sMy interview with Hasidic reporter Joseph Kornbluh: https://youtu.be/4MPf67ftXMEMy reflections before the Trump visit: https://youtu.be/_UjXlnOVdugReb Aaron Teitelbaum and AI: https://youtu.be/vUhamjWR_vABecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.

Video link to this podcast: https://youtu.be/_UjXlnOVdugIn September 2026, news broke that Hasidic Rabbis will meet with president Trump. This was revealed when the Satmar Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum stepped up to his congregation on Shabbos and pre-emptively told his community that although he accepted an invite to sit with the president, he doesn't want the teenage boys to get too into it and excited about it. In this video, I unpack, from my own personal experience, what I think motivated the speech, what I think motivates the visit, and a little context on the Hasidic community's relationship to America.To watch the full video of my maroon binders, click here:https://youtu.be/ZRhOovJLcBYSome other thoughts on politics - here about NYC mayor Mamdani:https://youtu.be/FMgh3_O13HgMy interview with Hasidic reporter Jacob Kornbluh who covers the Mamdani beathttps://youtu.be/4MPf67ftXMEA conversation with a Satmar woman (Pearl!) about the dynasty:https://youtu.be/tPiKqDCtyIo0:00 Personal reflection2:58 Rabbi's address to students8:23 Analyzing the visit11:28 Political controversy12:21 Historical context14:17 Personal intersectionsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-frieda-vizel-podcast--5824414/support.