My unorthodox life Season 2

[LisaJool]

Anyone else looking forward to this? I've followed them all on social media since the first season, it will be interesting to see what went on behind the scenes.

I agree and I like her more with him.

Has anyone seen Miriam’s latest reel on instagram about her and Natalie breaking up?
it’s basically her saying they broke up as they were still young.
The girl she wanted to marry last season?

Yes, I think her ex became more modern on marriage. We have modern orthodox relatives who do regular secular activities (theatre, travel) while dressing modestly and keeping strictly kosher/Shabbat etc.,

I definitely agree on Aron seeking stability and the only way he knows how to is through his religion. He is difficult to understand, I noticed they had subtitles on the show sometimes for him.

I think Julia having the argument with Aron about Yeshiva was definitely over egged for the show. To me that would be something both parents would discuss with him. And make a decision together.

@Booksbythebed I'm sure it's the case some of the friends don't want to be on TV! Julia's whole family don't speak to her though, which is her mum and dad and five (?) siblings, which must be pretty isolating. I think that's why she makes such a big deal about the nuclear family having each other's backs, and why she criticizes Batsheva for not being there for her, I don't necessarily think that's justified parenting, but I also see how she's trying to keep that closeness she's lost elsewhere. Also that's why she's super-accepting of Miriam's gayness, because she was rejected by her family for unacceptable behaviour and she doesn't want that to happen to Miriam.

It's ironic that she's so supportive of Miriam's 'pussy party' and Batsheva's 'hoe phase' but she isn't supportive of Aron. I'm not talking about going to yeshiva, but in season 1 she was bullying him about his religious observance. It has to be on her terms.

looks like silvio has dropped his lawsuit against Julia. But she is still suing him for fraud and defamation
it you look at the pic of Julia in 2017 she looks much better / healthier than she does now

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11541533/My-Unorthodox-Life-star-Julia-Haarts-ex-husband-Silvio-Scaglia-drops-850-000-lawsuit-against-her.html#

I saw that, with prejudice too which I think means he can’t then bring suit again. I wonder why. Will be interesting to see the outcome of the main cases.

Netflix got an accidental goldmine with the divorce and legal wrangling.
It is alll fascinating.

The sad thing is that I don't think any of them are going to make it without Julia's help. Miriam is working really hard with her podcast/YouTube channel and despite the advertising she only has 500 subs. If Aron becomes a rabbi he might actually be the most successful! Batsheva is still trying to shill her press on nails.

I don't think so, Julia was herself a victim of religious conservatism and that's what her son is embracing. I really felt for her when she was asking if he agreed that women should have less rights and he was basically saying yes. It would be so upsetting to see your child go down a path that oppresses women, especially if you yourself were oppressed.

Being a lesbian or being a sexually active woman doesn't hurt anyone or presume to tell others how to live.

I think it's consistent to support the daughters choices and have concerns about Aron's.

Completely agree with you @Ivyonafence. It must feel like such a slap in the face to have your son think you are lesser than him and terrifying to watch him become even more fundamentalist when you yourself felt you had to flee that life. I would be horrified if my child started spouting misogynistic views as Aron did.

Aron seems to have this sense of superiority when it comes to becoming more and more ultra orthodox. I agree that it is a reaction to his mother but I would worry where he is learning more about this. I think it’s mentioned that his friends aren’t as fundamentalist. If it’s not from home or school, is it online? I would be concerned at where my child was getting his influences from.

That's such a good point- where is he getting it from?

His dad seems quite moderate, his mum is obviously very liberal. He goes to a secular education school.

It's very strange that he's embraced religious conservatism like this. Maybe the internet? Maybe a rebellion against his mother?

Far too young to make a call like that, and it's a shame it's all documented for eternity on TV. He might grow out of it and be embarrassed by it.

Julia's ex left Monsey and now lives in a much more Liberal community in NJ. After season 1 a lot of people reached out to Aron because of the way his mum dealt with him. From what I know the ultra orthodox are extremely community based and stick together, so he's probably getting a lot of his emotional needs through that community. Just remember this child has been through so much trauma, he hasn't been welcome in his mum's house due to Silvio and his dad remarried and now is a blended family. Even Batsheva, who was an adult at the time had to go to therapy to deal with the changes that Julia underwent, so think about what that would do to a child. You are brought up one way then suddenly your mother is telling you it's all wrong.

But he wasn’t brought up that way, he is becoming even more extreme than that. In season 1 when he was still living in Monsey he talked about being a “black hatter” and how that stuck out amongst his friends. These were friends before he went to his senior school I believe. I agree he would benefit from therapy and has a very turbulent time but that doesn’t mean Julia is wrong for being worried about his current path. I also think it’s important to remember that like most closed communities, they stick together until you no longer fit in, then you are no longer welcome. I wouldn’t say it is particularly the most stable form for support for a vulnerable teenage boy.

@Flapjackquack I'm not saying it is advisable or not a concern, but I don't think it's very surprising. He said he only gets true happiness through his Judaism, which I think is a sign that his day to day home life isn't great. I think they were brought up like this, they were shomer negieh (sp) meaning they didn't have physical contact with the opposite sex and in S1 Julia said something about every male reciting the prayer "thank God for not making me a female" on a daily basis. The idea of a man and woman not having the same rights is not something new. Yosef only toned down his beliefs and moved to a more Liberal community after his new marriage. He was yeshivish orthodox as were Julia and the dc. Lots of people from this background aspire for their sons to go to yeshiva.

I wonder how much influence the grandparents and rest of Julia's family is having on Aron. It could be from them.

That’s true @jay55 - I assume his dad still has a relationship with Julia’s parents as he is going to stay with them in Israel.

@LisaJool - as far as I am aware most Orthodox Jews say the blessing in the morning thanking God for not making them a gentile, woman or slave and avoid contact between sexes. Stacey Dooley went to stay with an Orthodox Rabbi and his family and they spoke about it. I think Aron is become more extreme than that. He seems to be moving towards ultra-orthodox.

@Flapjackquack did you notice that Yosef wasn't really dismissing the idea of yeshiva when he met with Julia? He was sort of like "yeah we'll see what happens". Aron spends a lot of time in Israel with his grandparents so I'd say he's very influenced by them. In their head Julia has done so much damage to the other dc so if one of them wants to adhere to Judaism (regardless of how strict) then they'll be very supportive.
I also watched that Stacey Dooly one, it was good.

@LisaJool - there is a new Stacey Dooley sleeps over based in the US coming out soon that looks good.

I did see that but I get the impression that Yosef is one of those anything for a quiet life people from the limited bits of him we’ve seen. Interesting that he moved to where his new wife is from and adopted her level of observance than the other way round. I can understand the grandparents point of view but do not agree with it. I am not a fan of extremes be they political or religious. I still think Julia is right about waiting to join the Yeshiva.

Interestingly Yosef's wife is a very successful business woman, she's just branched out to Israel so I wonder do they have plans to move there. It would be interesting to know what he works as, when him and Julia sit they had over $400k worth of debt.
I just watched the scene where Slomo is talking to Aron about the school issue. I think (whether I agree or not) he has a good argument and insight. I feel even more sorry for him now tbh. He's clearly very damaged.

I havent finished it yet but I think Julia will end up marrying a nice Jewish bloke next time. She rants and raves about her community but they seem to be supportive of her so far. Im not saying she will go back to being orthodox but the pull is there as it is for all of us.

@EachandEveryone I agree. The first thing she wanted to do when Silvio left was to have a shabbos meal. I think the break up with him has shown her she's a lot more Jewish than she thinks.

I think it would be quite healing for Julia to find a more modern, moderate, Jewish community. I see she is in Ukraine helping displaced people. I wonder if that is through a Jewish organisation.

But would any truly religious/pious man want her? It's not even that her behaviour is "non-Jewish", it's outlandish by secular standards. Her outfits, language, casual chat about her sex life, her over sharing of personal details, her posse of hangers on...

Who in earth would want that lifestyle unless you were similarly minded and interested in fame, money or social media.

I doubt she’d want a truly pious man, there are plenty of culturally Jewish people who like to observe the major festivals and never go to synagogue. Her behaviour is on a more extreme end of the scale but it is not unheard of, just look at the Real Housewives for example. It’s not the lifestyle I’d want to lead but I think to write her off like that is unkind. It hasn’t been that long since she left Monsey, she is likely to calm down a bit over time.