In the religious enclave of Boro Park, Brooklyn, Breslovers are known as the J–‘s Witnesses of Hasidic Judaism. Boys in their teens and 20s come into restaurants, circle around tables, offering a seemingly endless series of pamphlets and books. I don’t know if this video will make everyone crack up at the same levels of volume and expedience…but it will make you crack up. And don’t miss the last 20 seconds or so.
Personally, the most mind-blowing part of the film — more than the surprise ending — is that the outro music used is the Fugazi song “Waiting Room,” which I’m personally stunned and impressed that anyone in Hasidic Brooklyn has heard of. Fugazi are one of my favorite bands, mostly known for their radical notions of politics and business (they’ll only play all-ages venues, and instead of signing to a major record label, they run their own label, releasing their own music cheaply and promoting younger bands) — although they really should be recognized less for that, and more for their talent. Which is an almost direct parallel to this episode’s special guest, I think….
(props to Frum Satire for keeping me up late and showing me youtube videos.)
Hasidic
Pronounced: khah-SID-ik, Origin: Hebrew, a stream within ultra-Orthodox Judaism that grew out of an 18th-century mystical revival movement.
