Language in “Jewish Matchmaking”

The Netflix series “Jewish Matchmaking” represents much of the diversity of contemporary Jewry, including in ancestral background, region, and religiosity.

This diversity is reflected in language: Israeli-Americans mix English and Modern Hebrew, and Jews of all backgrounds pepper their English with Hebrew and Yiddish words, such as mensch, mezuzah, Shabbat, daven, and middos.

What role does language play in the matchmaking process? How does the matchmaker decide which words to use with which clients? How does the series make Jewish language accessible to a broad English-speaking audience? When are subtitles, translations, or explanations warranted? This event addresses these questions, shedding light on contemporary (mostly American) Jews.

Moderator:

Esther Kustanowitz, co-host of The Bagel Report

Panelists:

Aleeza Ben Shalom, as seen on Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking”

Sarah Bunin Benor, linguist

Jewish Language on TV Summer Event Series

Jewish representation in film, on television, and on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu may be at an all-time high.

We see Hasidim in Antwerp, Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem, and Jews of multiple backgrounds and religiosities throughout the United States.

What role does language play in this portrayal? How do these shows mix Hebrew, Yiddish, English, and other languages to represent diverse Jewish communities? The HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project is pleased to present a series of four online events about Jews on TV.

​This event is presented by the HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project, co-sponsored in part by the Forward.