urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:efratti From Nation's Capital to Nation's Capital: The Azza Street Spy efratti efratti 2008-07-22T08:15:25Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:efratti:37933 Self-Worship in Jerusalem 2038-01-19T03:14:07Z 2008-07-22T08:15:25Z For those who have not heard the latest buzz in Israel's entertainment industry, there is a new drama series called "Srugim" [i.e., the crotched <i>kippot </i>worn by men affiliated with Modern Orthodox Judaism].&nbsp; The series follows five religious singles living in Katamon, a popular residential neighborhood among this crowd.&nbsp; <br /><br />The show is produced and broadcast by the "Yes" satellite channel, which I don't have.&nbsp; However, any Israel-dweller who counts has seen the first episode-- the only one aired so far-- primarily by viewing it on the channel's website.&nbsp; <br /><br />Some explanation and commentary: The show is in Hebrew with Hebrew closed-captioning.&nbsp; The major actors are professional, hence secular, the directing is quality, and the script is authentic.&nbsp; (Note: the token American *is*&nbsp;a professional actress.&nbsp; <em>Edit due to correction by esteemed actress herself.</em>)&nbsp; The director is a graduate of Jerusalem's religious film school, Ma'ale (http://www.maale.co.il/default_en.asp), is reputed to be living&nbsp;in Jerusalem as a bachelor (<em>edited as per comment below</em>), and is directing&nbsp; a show with a universal theme but with the social trappings of a religious community.<br /><br />In addition to finding the show highly authentic, I liked the subtle acting: the glances, once-overs, and smirks.&nbsp; I also liked the richness of detail, how the characters drink tea and read their newspapers late Friday night, and of course I was amused by the male characters being so much more flawed than the female characters.<br /><br />Enough commentary.&nbsp; For those with moderate to proficient Hebrew, enjoy the show!<br /><br />http://yes.walla.co.il/?w=1/7531/1298626<br /><br />*****************************************<br />Get updates of my blog entries! Subscribe to efratti-subscribe@yahoogroups.com