New York – NY Times Profiles Israeli Charedi Women As Filmmakers

New York – Haredi Israeli women have discovered a creative outlet for their talents and it’s even sanctioned by their rabbis.

The New York Times reports (http://nyti.ms/VclTab) that Haredi women have increasingly been producing movies in Israel – approximately six per year – in strict accordance with Haredi standards. The films feature only actresses and no violence, sex, or foul language. The movies are screened only by women, plotlines cannot run counter to Haredi beliefs, and the audience must learn a moral lesson before the movie ends.

The films are shown at wedding halls only during holiday periods such as Chanukah, Sukkot, and Pesach when children are on break from school. “It’s an event,” explained Dina Perlstein, 46, from Bnei Brak. The mother of eight, who also has eight films to her credit, said, “This community doesn’t watch TV. So when the holidays arrive and there’s a movie, they’re like, ‘I want a movie right now.’”

Ms. Perlstein’s films have become so popular with Haredim that after being screened in Israel, they are viewed by audiences in the United States and Europe for a profit of 50 shekels or $13 each. According to Ms. Perlstein, her films earn millions of shekels at the “box office.”

Ultra-Orthodox men have been directing films for some time and are funded by a number of different production houses in Israel, while films by Haredi women are still self-financed.

One Haredi filmmaker and mother of six, Ruchama Mandl, 31, said, “I consult with my rabbi every step of the way.” Yet, one of her films – for which she and her husband borrowed 50,000 shekels to cover production costs – was banned by her rabbi because it depicted a teenage girl who rebels “ever so slightly” against her mother. Ms. Mandl’s rabbi said the film did not send a good message to younger viewers and she is now struggling to repay her loan.

Even with a rabbi’s approval, not everyone in the Haredi community supports the notion of women as filmmakers, and women who make movies are subject to scorn and disapproval by their neighbors.

“There are people who say it’s a waste of time,” said 46-year-old Haredi actress and mother of five Tikvah Stoloff. “In general, it’s not like I don’t care, but that’s not what would stop me from doing things that I feel are right. Yes, there’s something to be scared that I’m going to be looked down upon. But I’m doing something I love.”