Most people see Chasidim as pillars of conservatism, but when the movement started in the middle of the eighteenth century it was rebellious, challenging the Jewish authorities of the time. Frustrated that Judaism had become too academic, the founder of Chasidism, the Baal Shem Tov, a mystical rabbi, stressed an emotional connection with God over an intellectual one. He found followers in unschooled peasants, encouraging them to have a personal relationship with God through song, dance, and storytelling. More than two hundred years later this religious sect continues to thrive (though it’s no longer revolutionary), and in some cities Chasidim are among the fastest growing populations. Providing an interesting and intimate look at people who are often held at a distance, viewed as “other,” Keepers of the Faith reveals the ways in which Chasidim manage to retain their beliefs and traditions. The majority of the subjects live in Montreal, the home of Canada’s largest Chasidic community, which continues to grow. This documentary also travels around the world to Thailand, where a Lubavitch rabbi and his wife were asked to work as shlichim, spiritual ambassadors or emissaries. “You can be a Jew anywhere,” the rabbi’s wife says, “the Torah fits into the world anywhere at anytime.” But she admits that she is not used to the strange smells, the roaming dogs, and the foreign culture. If she didn’t feel a religious calling to be there with her husband, she would rather move back to Canada. Keepers of the Faith allows its Chasidic subjects to explain in their own words why they live the way they do - and some of the explanations are rather poetic. For example, why keep kosher? “Food is the medium that keeps the body and soul together,” a rabbi who works in kosher certification explains. This film shows the variety of different personalities within the Chasidic community, and their various struggles. One of the most colorful characters in the film, Benny Kaplan, is a wiry, old Chasidic peddler who delights in delivering produce to the poor. “This car is going to Heaven!” he exclaims gleefully, as he slams shut the trunk full of bananas and tomatoes. While this old, ornery Robin Hood steals the camera’s attention with his antics; his unseen beneficiaries are equally as intriguing - the poor of the Chasidic community, silently struggling to get by. One recipient is a woman who is on welfare after divorcing her second husband, who beat her. She is left with six children to care for. While Keepers of the Faith is a mostly positive portrayal of Chasidim, this incident hints that, as with all communities, there are real problems boiling below the surface. And though this woman’s story is devastating, the film argues that when it comes to women’ s issues there are signs that Chasidic community has, in some ways, followed in the footsteps of mainstream society. There are religious institutions where women can go for higher education, and the men interviewed say that husbands benefit when their wives can work. One father is adamant that his daughter, a teacher at a private school, continue her studies. But when it comes to marriage, Chasidim will continue doing things the way they’ve always done them—with the consent and help of their parents during courtship, a short engagement, and absolutely no touching before marriage. Because, as far as they’re concerned, divorce rates prove modern dating isn’t such a great idea. “People live together for 3 years or 5 years and they get married and 6 months later they’re divorced,” one man says of secular society, “So I don’t think the rest of the world has all the right answers.”.
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