A look at Amnon Levy's working methods

A look at Amnon Levy's working methods, or how come the Haredim are so naive?

 So they are not so naive, and all the dear families who kindly opened the door to Amnon Levy and his production team, truly and sincerely - I assume - intended to make a "Kiddush Hashem" (for those who are unfamiliar with the concept, to prove that the Haredim are good and normal people). They were sure that unlike all the previous Haredim, who had no sense, and fell for Amnon Levy's plans, they would show him once, they would open their hearts and their homes, they would sacrifice one of the characteristics of Haredi, their personal modesty, and all so that they would see the beauty of the mitzvot life, and its pleasantness, so why didn't it work for them?

So first of all, it's not certain that it completely failed them, because judging by the reactions of people who know some Haredim, or people from the film industry who said, "It was worth everything to see such amazing women on screen.".

But if we take, for example, the bride, who really went above and beyond, and gave this show a glimpse into the most sublime moments of her life, something that is not at all obvious, not even for a secular bride, and the crew, the photography crew, was just there and documented, and brought amazing, moving, too-good-to-be-true photos to the editing offices, and then suddenly a fear arose in Amnon Levy's heart, lest, perhaps, God forbid, there would be some innocent viewer who would think for a moment that this sweet bride, who had done him such a great favor by raising the ratings for his show, was truly happy, then don't worry, he immediately lowers the original sound of the photo and informs the viewers: "I look at Sarah, how happy she is, the entire Haredi family is hugging her, giving her their blessing. When I think about it, this is an excellent demonstration of the forces of preservation in Haredi society, which help a woman accept her status without rebelling.""

A poor voice-over technique, and all to make sure that the visuals don't, God forbid, harm the message that runs throughout the series. Amnon Levy defends the unfortunate Haredi women, those who just want to rebel all day, and the Haredi conservation forces mobilize to prevent them from doing so.

But even before that, he probably wasn't really happy with the material his excellent photographers brought. The music and the separate dances would have looked too good on screen. What do we do? But here's a great solution. Music by the Pale Tracker is enlisted, and the viewer immediately connects, associatively, to the films of the 1970s that mocked the Haredim and their rituals. Now he's calm. The viewer won't be mistaken for a moment in thinking that perhaps these are normative people celebrating their love.

But most of all, what is infuriating is the concern and compassion of the "professional" team he cast in the series, Dr. Neriah Ben-Shachar and Prof. Kaplan, a trio of kind and compassionate people who put all their concern and attention on the unfortunate Haredi women. I wonder why he didn't manage to bring a professional gynecologist to the series to express his opinion on the matter, perhaps a sports instructor who trains Haredi women every evening in the gyms scattered by the dozens in every Haredi concentration, or just someone who actually knows Haredi women and can tell the truth about them, instead of clucking his tongue with feigned compassion.

In a society that accepts every stranger and different, every tendency that often leads to difficult lives for children, who grow up in incomplete homes, who lack a mother's hug before bed, who is able to respect and cherish every Indian sect, or every worship of veganism, suddenly there is no tolerance and no openness, there is only a disturbing question: Who made these women believe that they were doing the right thing?

As an ultra-Orthodox woman, I am sure that the general public is smart enough, and leaves itself the option to choose for itself whether to interfere with other people's beliefs, or to respect every person, no matter who they are.

And to the Haredim, I say one more word: do not be tempted, neither by Amnon Levy nor by other directors, until a Haredi director arrives and reveals to you the truth as they see it, from the inside. Do not give in to this unnecessary exposure, it will not change public opinion. The director is the one who determines what the viewer will think of the film.

And if you do decide to respond to the pressure and participate in such a program, you have a way to protect yourself and your messages. Make sure to sign a document that will protect your rights, and allow you to watch the program before it airs, and confirm that it does not offend you. And in the event that it seems offensive to you, you can always request the removal of the offending parts, so at least you will not be harmed in good faith.

 • The writer is an ultra-Orthodox documentary producer and director: For comments: [email protected]