“I have to tell you,” #BillAron told me as he walked around The World In Front of Me, a retrospective of his #photography at the #American #Jewish Historical Society, “my photography allowed me to walk into rooms I might never have otherwise walked into.”

We had just looked at some of his work documenting #Jews on the #LowerEastSide of #Manhattan in the 1970s and ’80s: a #sofer bent over a #Torah scroll, a glowering #rabbi with imposing eyebrows, a #Hasidic wedding in the #Bobover movement. Each #photo begat the next; when he showed a reticent subject the results of his #film, they would invite him back to take more.

Aron has become known for his work documenting Jewish communities around the world — his first book, From the Corners of the Earth, shows Jewish life in #NewYork, #LosAngeles, #Cuba and the then-#Soviet Union. His next, Shalom Y’all, was the result of a decade spent in the lesser-known Jewish communities of the American #South.

His images are joyous..."

https://forward.com/culture/803284/bill-aron-american-jewish-historical-society/

"In an era where clicks often trump compassion, a heartfelt reminder from the #Jewish community is resonating deeply: True understanding comes not from confrontation, but from curiosity laced with respect. This message, shared widely on #socialmedia amid fresh tensions in #NewYork's #KiryasJoel, draws a poignant line between genuine #storytelling and exploitative grifting and it's a lesson that moves the soul as much as it informs the mind.

At the heart of this #narrative is #documentary #filmmaker #PeterSantenello, whose immersive #series on #Hasidic #Jewish life has touched millions. #Santenello didn't storm into #Brooklyn's #ultraOrthodox neighborhoods with accusations or agendas; he arrived with humility, an open heart, and a genuine desire to learn."

https://www.jfeed.com/jewish-world/hasidic-journalism-ethics

Can YouTube die already?

"Leaders and residents in the #KiryasJoel #Hasidic community are warning against engaging with outside #media and #online content creators after a viral #YouTube video sparked concern about #antisemitic harassment and provocation.

The video, posted by social media #influencer #TylerOliveira, has generated more than 1 million views..."

https://vinnews.com/2026/01/16/youtube-video-spurs-concerns-in-us-jewish-communities-residents-warned-not-to-engage-with-provocateurs/

Who says the performing arts are dead? 

"It had all the trappings of a conventional #Christmaspageant: the three wise men, #Christmas carols, and children dressed as angels.

But there was a twist: This pageant, performed on Sunday in #NewJersey, also included a #Hasidic #Jewish #caricature, carrying a sack of coins and dancing with the devil.

Earlocks swaying, the character called #Moshko entered the room to the tune of “#HavaNagila,” offered a greeting in mock #Yiddish, and announced that he was selling liquor, in a brazen effort to distract the #Christians from reverence about the birth of #Jesus.

The pageant that took place at #StMary Protectress #Ukrainian Orthodox #Church in #Clifton, New Jersey, is known as a #vertep — a form of theater prominent in Slavic Christmas celebrations. Caricatures of Jewish figures that promote stereotypes about #Jews and greed are a longstanding and frequent feature."

https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-caricature-in-ukrainian-christmas-tradition-appears-at-nj-church-drawing-criticism/

Weeks before #Israel recognized #Somaliland, two #Miami #Chabad followers slipped into the #HornOfAfrica to print the #Tanya—a centuries-old #Hasidic work rarely seen in such sensitive regions. Their journey blends faith, risk, and geopolitics in one remarkable mission.

https://saxafimedia.com/israel-recognition-chabad-emissaries-tanya/

"From a distance, the men in those fur hats look like representatives of #Satmar, the largest #Hasidic community in the world. Their cadence, clothing, borrowed quotations and posturing suggest it.

The truth lives elsewhere. #NetureiKarta is not Satmar. Neturei Karta is a distortion of Satmar, a parody wearing its costume. This distinction matters. A community with deep roots and complex thought is being slandered in #London streets by men who share nothing with it except a wardrobe.

To explain that, I needed to give [my daughter] the outline of the man whose name they exploit, #Rabbi #JoelTeitelbaum.

Rabbi #Teitelbaum never operated as a political actor in the modern sense. He survived the collapse of #European #Jewry. He rebuilt communities from nothing and shaped a Hasidic world that regained strength after devastation. His philosophy rested on one conviction: #Jews must not force redemption through political sovereignty before the #messianicera."

https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/386192/the-hasid-in-a-keffiyeh/