ULTRA ORTHODOX: Famous Hasidic Comedian Gets Outed & Ostracized then Goes Viral (ft. Leah Forster)
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- Опубликовано: 25 дек 2024
- Growing up in an Ultra Orthodox Hasidic family, Leah Forster always felt silenced. Ab*sed at the hands of her father, she began to turn pain into comedy. Later on, performing for Jewish female only crowds, Leah crossed boundaries within her community and became famous. Things took a dark turn when she was outed on social media and then fired on the spot from her teaching job of 13 years. When comedy clubs/restaurants were forced to ban her from performing, she took to social media and went viral. She lost her relationship with her mother, and never regained a relationship with her father. Leah recounts her story and the details of growing up in a world of arranged marriages and repression.
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Chapter Marks
00:02:51 What Leah's book is about
00:04:02 Leah's upbringing as a Hasidic Jew
00:08:15 When Leah realized she was attracted to other girls
00:09:29 Leah turning her pain into comedy from a young age
00:15:34 Crossing boundaries within her community and become famous within
00:18:48 Outed and fired on the spot from her English teaching job of 13 years
00:20:55 Leah loses her relationship with her mother
00:22:36 Does Leah currently have a relationship with her father?
00:26:18 Leah addresses being cut off by her parents
00:28:59 Leah talks about her experience being in an arranged marriage
00:33:04 They tried to paint Leah as mentally unstable and take her child away from her
00:37:39 How Leah rebuilt her confidence after being turned down
00:42:25 How Leah is doing now
00:44:46 Linda, Listen.
Theme Song Produced and Composed by Christian Guevara
*Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.*
Whoa....thank you Shelise! I went to school with Leah, and was lucky enough to catch her last show. My favorite thing about this episode, (and something I've been hoping to hear for a looong time), is that there are many many people in the ultra-orthodox community who CHOOSE this as a healthy, happy adult, AND who also choose to have healthy, happy relationships with jews that come from or have become different than them, even while probably not agreeing with all their life choices. We are respectful, inclusive, and even APPRECIATE the talents, joy and wisdom that people from all walks contribute, while still practicing what we believe in. It's not a contradiction. It had bothered me that previous women coming on the show had painted a picture (I felt) that this was the norm, and EVERYONE in this community is either a victim or a perpetrator (or both!) of the horrible abuses and experiences that they've had(or similar), rather than their stories being their individual stories(which I have a LOT of sympathy for!)
Leah, you're so funny and I really commend the bravery and courage you show the world in your journey and vulnerability. You have so much to offer! I wish you much continued success. You're awesome!
Leah is well known in the Jewish world and for all the right reasons! She is a beacon of light and laughter and is such a refreshing person. So glad you got to chat with her!!!
I didn't expect to hear my mother language. Thank you for bravely speaking up. I love your jokes! Greetings from Hungary! ❤
I think she’s my absolute favorite. So beautifully spoken. You can really hear the pain, healing, and passion in her. Great episode!!
Wowww. Omg thank You Bubbala❤❤❤
Thank you so much - it’s beautiful to witness growth , resilience , forgiveness, and laughter - all mashed up together ❤
As one “too much” girl to another, I’m so glad to hear everything you have to say.
Omg wow. Thank you!@@
Leah!!! Thank you for your courage and honesty. I was raised in a Christian Cult with an abusive father and your story was completely relatable. You exude love and joy....please keep doing that.
Wow these comments are so kind ❤❤
Same here my dad was very controlling and abusive and as a bisexual woman I thought growing up something was wrong with me and I'd go to hell for being gay, it's only recently I've come to love and respect myself and who I am and I appreciate hearing these stories and the bravery of these beautiful people
Oh my goodness how wonderful you have Leah Forster on your channel!!❤
Wow. Thank uuu❤❤❤
I remember when that show cancelation happened. I was SO angry.
I've always been vaguely aware of Leah's existence and felt sad about how she was treated by her community, but I hadn't realized how kind and gracious she is. Many other famous "OTD" figures who publicized their stories slam the entirety of Orthodox Judaism. I so appreciate that Leah makes the distinction between her family and others and between her community and the wider Orthodox community. May only happiness and success come her way from now on!
Wow wow ur words❤❤❤❤
The bravery of you and your guests is moving. My religious family has know for a decade that I am no longer religious, yet I still feel dread merely posting this comment. Thank you telling the world what you've been though
Don't hide your light under a bushel..
Fabulous episode!! Loved listening to Leah & can’t wait to read her book. She’s speaks in such an inspirational & authentic manner & the world needs more people like her.
Thank you, Leah, for your willingness to be so vulnerable. 🫶
This was an unbelievably fantastic interview. I came across it while I was preparing food for Shabbos on a Friday morning in my modern orthodox home! Leah, you are honest, compassionate and a truly wonderful entertainer. I know your former community well and I understand the pros and cons. Thanks for making my cooking go faster! I’m going to listen again.
Thank you Joyce❤❤❤❤
As a lesbian who used a sense of humor to survive childhood abuse, this resonated strongly with me.... thank you for providing this content!!❤
😁❤️
i love that you said "lesbian" because it’s not a dirty word!
Rosie O'Donnell lol
Thank you Bubbala❤❤❤
@@LeahDyson-kq4bdreally LOLOL i never got that 😂😂😂😂
I cry as I watch and listen to Leah. My heart goes out to you for all the pain you went through. "Something that is meant to be beautiful became rigidity" I love how you said that. Thank you for speaking your truth. So courageous. I wish it would have been safe for you to do so while you were still a child. You're a gorgeous Neshama and I wish you only the best. I love your comedy. You still get me rolling every time! Sending you so much love and healing all the way from Israel.
This beautiful woman spoke sentences about her life that perfectly matched mine and I was brought up Catholic. This channel is so healing for me ❤
🥹❤️
Omg. No words. None ❤❤❤❤
So proud of you, Leah, thank you for being vulnerable and out there, thank you for giving the rest of us the opportunity to get to know you and lighten up our day. Thank you CtC guys as usual, please don't stop send ing out these beautiful videos
Wow wow thank You Bubbala❤❤❤
Ahhh I'm so excited for this interview. I love leah. ❤
I'm loving this orthodox series!
Hello, I am also Jewish, the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor & heavily into religion until my mid30s. I was not in an Orthodox community but did all the expected practices including going on my Birthright. Your story and how you've approached things really resonated with me! I have watched so many episodes and I can't recall commenting before or at least never with the same degree of relatability.
I wanted to say I love how you explained your Sexuality. It described mine perfectly but I've never been able to articulate it that same way, so thank you for providing words to those feelings.
Wow wow wow ❤❤❤❤
I’m in the Hasidic c. Hot tears were streaming down my face as I listened to you Leah, and I could not hold them back.
Wow. Thank You ❤❤❤
I’ve recently discovered your Chanel and love it. I’ve been binging the last week, particularly love the Jewish women. All so powerful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing their lives ❤
Thank you Bubbala
Welcome to C2C! Thank you for being here and showing your support
What an inspiring episode. Love all your eps but this is one of my fave to date. Ty
Im so touched Bubbala❤
AHHHH its my favorite tichel tuesday !!!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE LEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! she is so funny and so honest and talented! Thank you for having her on your show! ive been watching your channel for a while and i never expected to see someone i ''know'' on your show!
You are so welcome!
Congratulations on your comedy gigs, book, and successes, Leah!
Love this episode!!!!! Thank you!!!!
I very much enjoy all the Jewish women you’ve had on recently. They are funny and well spoken. One of my favorite things about your channel is all the great book recs I get! I have a stack that your guests have written waiting for their turn to be read.
Amazing!!
I absolutely love that because you had the strength to show your authentic self, you're now able to allow your child to be their authentic self. You're changing not only lives, but generations. Keep up the good work!
Thank You Bubbala❤❤❤
I’m not Jewish but I got and still get, ‘You’re too much.’ I’m from the South and from a very overly prescribed, uptight family. I’m 56 and really tired of feeling othered. I have so much sympathy for this situation.
FYI Best Linda Listen of ALLLLL TIME!!!!!
Keep being you! You’re just the right amount of you ❤️
Leah I am just being introduced and your work! Can’t wait to check out more. Thanks for sharing your story ❤
Leah, every time you pop up in my feeds, I remember seeing you in the BYHS plays (I hope it's not triggering to hear this!) - you were the highlights of those years for me and I **loved** your humor then. Love seeing you successful now!!!
Omg the back LOL🎉🎉🎉
I love love Leah! I grew up watching her small comedy clips on RUclips and also going to Jewish events where she performed from when I was little! She always made and still makes me laugh!
She’s very well spoken and this episode was really amazing!
Wow. No words. Such love❤
Such a pleasant surprise to see that you're interviewing Leah! I could hardly believe it! Happy י"ט כסלו!
😁🙏
Hellow hellow❤❤❤
The comment about being pushed out a door so you can kick down other ones is pure gold.
And now that I reached the end, I totally agree that it belongs on merch!
Thank you Bubbala
Love love love this lady. Just saw this and missed the show and would have gone in a heartbeat. Will get the book.
Love Leah! You can tell how much effort she has put into her healing and emotional wellbeing. I really appreciate how she makes the clear distinction that these are her own specific experiences and experiences in a specific community and doesn't paint the entire Jewish world with a wide brush. I remember when she was outed in the community and I'm so happy to see she has been able to move forward and be successful in many areas of her life.
I love this Bubba❤❤😊
Appreciate all your content ❤
Thank you so much for sharing your story ❤
Thank you Leah. ❤
A Child called "It" That Leah mentioned Is a book that everyone should read. I could not put it down. Both Leah and Sarah have been absolutely awesome! Having them both on again would be a bonus. Loved this truth being shared. Their honesty cannot be denied. Thank you once again Shelise and Cults to Consciousness for another incredible podcast. ❤
Thank you! I read it as a teen and it was the first book to make me cry. I still vividly remember where I was laying in our house when I was first introduced to the horrors of the world and what people were capable of.
I agree … such a powerful & important book for shining the light on truth.
I didnt kniw about PTG, but it makes sense. And gives me a little boost to keep working on healing and resilience.
Leah is a breath of fresh air! What an inspiration. Love her!
Wow thank you Bubbala
Hopped on this video so fast! Love your content! ❤❤
Wonderful interview thank you. I live in South Africa and follow Shelise ‘religiously’ it was so interesting, I wish you ❤love, freedom and a life full of laughter. Same to your daughter.
Love it! 😂❤️
I have seen EVERY video of yours, and this is my favorite guest so far. So poignant and well-spoken... Loved this, and thank you❤
OmG!!! Seriously?? Wow Bubbala❤❤❤❤
@lilatunes You're amazing and thank you again! I'm so touched you responded to me!
Wonderul! Thank you both. For Leah, the exercise bike in the basement….”biznis in my basement”. Excellent!
One of my favorite guests! You are wonderful.
Very inspiring. Thank you. I'm walking that journey now, moving away from being "a good Jewish girl" to an authentic Jewish woman.
Leah, thank you for being brave and giving voice to so many that suffer in silence ❤
Thank you for sharing your story with us Leah! ❤
Beyond honored❤❤❤
This was an open heart a interview/ chat, you expressed "pain laughter and healing"
Yikes that the interview aired after your yentatainment show is concluded, I hope you'll make another one soon
Soon soon Bubbala
Loving the Jewish content lately as a Jew.
I’d recommend Mendy Levy if you can get him on here. He was a victim of the Jewish cult Lev Tahar.
Also Manny Waks case
We have tried! No response
@@CultstoConsciousness
Everyone agrees Lev Tahor is an abusive cult. (I guess almost everyone - apparently there are still some people who get hoodwinked by externals and donate money to them. Hopefully, they will wise up).
As someone who knows the brothers they will not speak in public anymore since they got used- for their stories and all the money that was made thru their stories nothing was given to them. They both decided they don’t want talk badly anymore about the extreme community since ppl in the community are helping them thankfully! ❤ hope this explains why ❤❤❤
@@Daughterchasya
People in the community are helping them? Which community?
Are you saying that people in the Lev Tahor community are helping the victims of Lev Tahor so the brothers don't want to speak badly against the Lev Tahor community?
Omg I was waiting for this!!!!
Break the silence. Break the cycle.
Amen amen ❤❤❤
I can relate so much to this. I always know that I'm slipping into a deep depression when all of a sudden everyone around me thinks I'm hilarious
Uhoh lolollll😂😂😂
I was so moved by your story. I converted to Judaism about 10 years ago. I have met absolutely lovely people and enjoy Torah study with a group of people who are able to think critically and a rabbi who is so talented in asking questions and giving background that opens people's hearts and minds. It breaks my heart and angers me to see the community you grew up in living in such fear. The Holocaust was so horrific it had to damage people's minds. I'm sure it has caused PTSD. How could somebody go through something so horrific and not be affected in that way? Seeing that fear carried on in the subsequent generations with rigid thinking and abuse makes my heart break . It took away people's joy in a very beautiful faith, which I love, and caused them to live in fear. It is beautiful to see you changing that cycle. My heart to yours.
❤️❤️❤️
Your Rabbi is talented in asking questions and giving background that is intentionally made of falsehoods and half truths to appeal to a longing for an imaginary idealized shtetle world of yore. Full stop. It was toxic well before the Holocaust.
This is so real. The trauma definitely affected generations of Jews and indirectly caused a lot of the extremism that lead to stories like these. Jewish people became so fearful; some sects secluded themselves to an extreme and became more and more strict in their observance, which eventually led to them becoming cult-like.
Breaking cycles ❤❤❤ Bubbala
@@daisy_rhso real❤❤❤❤
I loved this interview! Leah was great!
Thank you cowboy❤
YES we can turn pain into JOY!!! I love you both!
Thanks for sharing and the podcast was very interesting.
Thank you for sharing your story
Leah, you are such a beautiful soul and full of such strength. Sending love ❤❤❤
What are the odds, I was eating potato chips when she said her Linda Listen🤣
Great interview 👍🏻 👏
As a Jewish woman married to a Mormon man, I really like this channel. So many things that I can relate to.
Omg the Linda Listen!! 😄😄
Great interview. What a lovely human being!
Thanku Bubbala
This was a great podcast. Kuddos to Leah for her resilient and sense of humor. This in Spanish:” mucho exito Leah”.
What a story, kuddos❤
Liked. Shared. Commented. Sent the algorithm out to let everyone know they have value.
Wonderful interview of an incredible talent.
Thank yiu❤❤❤
loved that episode - Leah 🎉 ❤🎉 ..."break a leg" [in German you say break neck and leg] for the upcoming events
which is of course originaltes from the jewish hazlacha uwracha .. just saying
OMG I remember when the your performance was canceled. We were all rallying for you. I'm an orthodox jew from Brooklyn and we were all so upset at the rabbis for doing this.
Boruch hashem turned out ok🎉
Goooooood for you, congratulations, the best going forward 😊😊😊😊😊
Thank You Marie❤
The "don't sit shiva for us" is the saddest, most painful thing I have ever heard. So sad she passed before they had a chance to reconcile.
leah, thank you for sharing. 2 points that resonate with me: 1. thinking about that community as a shtetel, living a rigid life inside and with such fear of the outside. if you look at shtetel life historically, one could say they facilitated their own downfall in eastern europe just BECAUSE of that isolationist attitude. EXCEPT for those that were sending a son here or there to america. interesting. and WHY would you then perpetuate such a life in the new world? a style of living that ultimately failed 6M jews? 2. i agree with your pespective- yes, failure is a pathway to resiliency and success. this is beautiful and to verbalize it is powerful. sending continued healing thoughts your way.
The shtetl didn't fail; it was destroyed by the Nazis.
Your picture of the shtetl is way off. All my grandparents grew up in a shtetl, a Jewish village in Eastern Europe. I recommend that you read "There Once Was a World: A 900-Year Chronicle of the Shtetl of Eishyshok" by Yaffa Eliach.
The Satmar community in the United States created by Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum was a reaction to the Holocaust and not really a recreation of the shtetl.
If you had spoken to the survivors that came to Williamsburg, you would have found that they had been much more open and part of Hungarian culture growing up than the recreated Satmar "shtetl" in the United States.
The Jews who witnessed friends and family robbed, humiliated, brutalized tortured, raped, starved, and killed by people born as Christians, have reasons to be emotionally distraught. They received no counseling. PTSD was .unknown. No one would even allow them to speak of the horrors. Rabbi Teitelbaum urged the survivors to be more "religious" than they had been in Europe so God will protect them. He urged them to have many religious children to compensate for those killed by Hitler and his henchmen.
❤❤@@stephenfisher3721
I love this woman this was a fantastic episode
Thabk you bUBBALA❤
Leah is very inspirational. I learned a great deal from her. 🌟
Woahhhh. Thankuuu🎉
She is really wonderful. Thanks for the great interview. The Linda Listen : priceless!
Thank you Bubbala❤
Love you Leah. Wishing you all the best.
All credit to the ex husband for putting the child first and the mother of course. That is what we all should do. Children first. Well done for escaping. Very good speaker - you can tell she has done so many shows.
I grew up a goy in borough park! I’m a queer millennial parent and this episode reminded me so much of what it was like seeing girls my age and wondering if any of them were like me. It’s great to hear Leah on this platform. Thank you for your vulnerability.
Leah I connect so much to your story
Leah you are fabulous! I so enjoy hearing you speak, you glow. I'll go follow you ❤
Yesireee . Thank uuuu❤❤
I can't wait to start listening to Leah's comedy! What a great lady!
I loved this interview! ❤
And leave it to a comedian, to make me spew my drink laughing on the Linda Listen 😂😂😂
Good we love laughter Bubbala❤
amazing!!!! thank you
I love the message of resilience
Me too Bubbala❤
What a journey! Thank you for sharing your story. "Ya'ashar Koyach," they say.
Shkoyach Bubbala😊
Love her Linda listen. 😂😂😂
Also, another great Linda listen moment from her was “sometimes you have to have doors slammed in your face so you can kick down other doors.”
Love that so much! ❤
I find this video to be very insightful.
I grew up in borough Park around the corner from Leah. I was friendly with her family. We essentially shared back to back backyards. She did not grow up ultraorthodox. There was a modern orthodox synagogue literally right across the street from our house. The Neighbourhood in the 1980s and 90s was not hacidic, but mostly European style mainstream Orthodox Jews. While her father did wear a shtreimel. Most of his neighbors definitely did not until about 20 years ago, even so among Hasidic people he was considered more on the modern side with a trim beard and modern European style suits throughout worn throughout the workweek. Her first husband was not exactly an arranged marriage, and he was not hacidic he was clean shaven. Her father is Canadian as is my mom. Which ultimately means that they interacted with Jews of different religious capacities
. What I find so interesting is that there is an unhealthy lifestyle that exists in Boro Park and in the “ frum community.” it’s very interesting that we create a narrative in our head that justifies our current lifestyle and the trauma that we grew up with. Most of the trauma that we grew up with was the result of being grandkids of holocaust survivors since our parents were children of holocaust survivors.
She is a delightful, very charismatic person. I look forward to reading her book.
Jane Fondawitz! The yiddish, the humor , I love this.
After watching a few if these interviews, It begs the question what and where is the best, safest place and most nurturing environment for a child to grow up and lead a wonderful life. There is no system that will work for everyone and there are challenges everywhere. And every way if life will be put down or glamorized by some it just depends on what lenses you are looking through.
Her performing and communication skills really came out talking about her parents. 🎉
Thank you Bubbala❤
Wait, Is this Uma Thermann?
Leah is an ABSOLUTE GEM 💎 Her sense of humor is such a gift !!!!!
Thank you Bubbala❤
This was very interesting. You will keep going on a long way with the future.
Thank you❤❤
Leah, I still find myself humming your songs: Fleishigs in milchigs by ir nisht kein chilik... Everybody needs a little yentatainment.... You are so talented and comical and I enjoyed all the films in which you performed!
Leah, your comment right in the first ten minutes about taking something so powerful as modesty for the sake of being demure and being classy and being sophisticated and turning it into something so strict and rigid and over hyper sexualized taking the joy out of it resonated so strongly with me. I went to (public!) schools growing up that had such rigid dress codes due to the influence of the surrounding hyper religious and conservative communities that would do the same things like measuring a girl's shorts or skirt length or measuring the width of the strap on her tank top. There is something powerful about being able to choose the way you dress wherever on the spectrum you choose to dress when it's Your Choice. Thank you for coming on and sharing your story.🩵
I’m 3rd generation American Jew. My grandparents would speak Yiddish in front of me when they were saying something negative, usually about my father. When I was younger, I actually understood Yiddish and answered back! Lol they never spoke it in front of me again!
Bubbala😂😂😂
Trauma causing more resilience. That hit home. Thank you, Leah.
Yessss omg 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Love Leah Forster❤️