{"id":33186,"date":"2016-11-25T13:35:48","date_gmt":"2016-11-25T19:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=33186"},"modified":"2016-11-25T13:35:48","modified_gmt":"2016-11-25T19:35:48","slug":"an-orthodox-lesbian-character-and-other-reasons-to-watch-younger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/an-orthodox-lesbian-character-and-other-reasons-to-watch-younger\/","title":{"rendered":"An Orthodox lesbian character \u2014 and other reasons to watch &#8216;Younger&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>By LINDA BUCHWALD<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>(JTA) \u2014 TV Land&#8217;s &#8220;Younger&#8221; is a fun sitcom about Liza (Sutton Foster), a recently divorced\u00a040-year-old mother\u00a0who passes herself off as 26 after having a tough time landing a job in the\u00a0publishing industry.<\/p>\n<p>The show \u2014 created by Darren Star, of &#8220;Sex and the City&#8221; and &#8220;Beverly Hills, 90210<a>&#8220;<\/a> fame\u00a0\u2014 has already impressed us with its Jewish content.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33187\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33187\" class=\"wp-image-33187 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger-300x198.jpeg\" alt=\"&quot;Younger&quot; (Airs 11\/9 at 10pm ET\/PT)\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger.jpeg 880w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/198;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33187\" class=\"wp-image-33187 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger-300x198.jpeg\" alt=\"&quot;Younger&quot; (Airs 11\/9 at 10pm ET\/PT)\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger.jpeg 880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-33187\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On \u201cYounger,\u201d Maggie (Debi Mazar), left, hosts a Shabbat dinner for her love interest, Malkie (Sally Pressman), and her friends. (Courtesy of TV Land)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the first season, one of Liza&#8217;s young new friends, Lauren (Molly Bernard), decides to throw a \u201cHot Mitzvah\u201d \u2014 a &#8220;redo&#8221; of the bat mitzvah when you&#8217;re older, better looking and more confident. (This is an <em>amazing<\/em> idea and we hope it catches on.)<\/p>\n<p>Now in its third season, &#8220;Younger&#8221; recently upped the Jewish content with an observant Jewish lesbian, Malkie (Sally Pressman), who\u2019s the love interest of Liza&#8217;s best friend and roommate, Maggie, who is not Jewish\u00a0(though she is played by actress Debi Mazar, who has a Jewish father).<\/p>\n<p>She just\u00a0may be the first gay Orthodox character to have a major arc on a mainstream television show.<\/p>\n<p>So far, Malkie\u2019s been in three episodes. (Spoiler alert: She was moving too fast for Maggie but they ended on good terms, so we&#8217;re hoping she&#8217;ll show up again.) After all, Jewish gay characters are rarely shown on television, and neither are Orthodox characters of any kind \u2014 so to have a character that is both is a win for visibility in itself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It brings this underground group to light,&#8221; said Miryam Kabakov, executive director of Eshel \u2014 whose mission is to create community and acceptance for LGBTQ Jews and their families \u2014 \u00a0of Malkie&#8217;s appearance on the series.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever happens with Malkie,\u00a0\u201cYounger\u201d is worth watching for its\u00a0strong female characters and\u00a0its potential for more Jewish content. You can catch up on Amazon or at TV Land&#8217;s website or app \u2014 the holiday season is the perfect time for binge-watching such a fun show. And regardless of what happens to Malkie, her impact is felt. Here are five reasons why Malkie&#8217;s appearance on &#8220;Younger&#8221; has been groundbreaking.<span class=\"gmail-im\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gmail-im\"><strong>1. She\u00a0introduces the term &#8220;Orthodyke&#8221; to a pop-culture audience<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Malkie and Maggie meet at a community garden; Malkie invites Maggie to an event at her boutique to celebrate her new spring line. When Maggie walks in and sees the mezuzah and Israeli wine, she says, &#8220;I thought you were gay, not Orthodox.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To which Malkie replies, &#8220;Well, why can&#8217;t I be both? I&#8217;m what you might call an Orthodyke.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_33188\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33188\" class=\"wp-image-33188 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2-300x198.jpeg\" alt=\"&quot;Younger&quot; (Airs 11\/2 at 10pm ET\/PT)\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2.jpeg 880w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/198;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33188\" class=\"wp-image-33188 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2-300x198.jpeg\" alt=\"&quot;Younger&quot; (Airs 11\/2 at 10pm ET\/PT)\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/younger2.jpeg 880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-33188\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On \u201cYounger,\u201d Malkie (Sally Pressman), left, and Maggie (Debi Mazar) kiss. (Courtesy of TV Land)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hearing that term on television was surprising, said Kabakov, who is also the editor\u00a0of the anthology &#8220;Keep Your Wives Away From Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires.&#8221; The\u00a0term first originated in an informal social group that formed in Jerusalem in 1992, she said, and it\u00a0later moved to New York in 1995.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We became really popular, but we were never recognized by any community \u2014 not the Jewish community, not the Orthodox community \u2014 so for me, this is really exciting,\u201d she said. \u201cNow everybody has exposure to this group of people that I&#8217;ve identified with, and connected with and found community with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kabakov said that the first time she heard the word Orthodyke used publicly was in comedian Judy Gold&#8217;s routine.\u00a0&#8220;Some women were very happy about it,&#8221; she recalled. &#8220;It was the first time they felt they had made a bit more of the mainstream.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kabakov noted\u00a0that you&#8217;d pretty much have to know an Orthodyke to use the word. (She adds that if they started the group today, they would not have used the word dyke, which is outdated now.) &#8220;Somebody [who works on the show] had to know somebody or have been in a circle where they heard the word,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Malkie shows that Orthodox woman can be stylish<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is a misconception that dressing modestly means looking frumpy \u2014 but women of all stripes can cover-up in well-fitting, attractive clothing. Malkie owns a boutique on Brooklyn&#8217;s uber-hip Bedford Ave. called Covered Girl (perfect name) and tells Maggie that she sells &#8220;stylish clothing for the modern woman, mostly Orthodox Jewish women.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The clothes \u2014<b>\u00a0<\/b>such as flowy tops and fun hats \u2014 appeal to anyone. Maggie picks up a nice scarf when she walks in.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gmail-im\"><br \/>\n<strong>3. She demonstrates\u00a0that religion and sexuality are not mutually exclusive<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gmail-im\">&#8220;I just think it&#8217;s so cool how you&#8217;ve managed to hold onto your faith and sexuality,&#8221; Maggie tells Malkie at one point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In a single statement, Maggie puts a spotlight on a small community that has managed to do just that.<\/p>\n<p>For Kabakov, who grew up in a modern Orthodox environment, \u201cI decided that I was going to be fine,\u201d she said of her personal journey. \u201cNobody could take my Orthodoxy from me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. The episodes expose viewers to other aspects of Judaism, including the mikvah<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Malkie runs into her ex-turned-BFF, Sarah, Sarah asks her if she\u2019s going to the \u201cspiritual spa.\u201d\u00a0Maggie, who doesn\u2019t realize Sarah is referring to a mikvah, gets jealous imagining Malkie naked at a spa with her ex.<\/p>\n<p>This being TV, Maggie decides to follow them there and drags Liza along.<\/p>\n<p>When Maggie goes in \u2014 with her numerous\u00a0tattoos on full display \u2014 one woman yells, &#8220;There&#8217;s a shiksa at the mikvah! Run!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The pandemonium that ensues is exaggerated for comedic effect \u2014 the women race to get out of the water and then drain it\u00a0\u2014 but for the most part, it gives the audience more information about a ritual they might not know much about. For example, when Liza sees a sign that reads &#8220;10 Commandments of Our Modern Mikvah\u201d \u2014 which includes rules like no acrylic nails, no cell phones and you must immerse fully \u2014 there\u2019s actually some Jewish law on display here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. &#8220;Younger&#8221; gets a lot right about being Orthodox and gay<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For a half-hour sitcom with limited time to devote to this subplot, it&#8217;s impressive how many details the show gets right.<\/p>\n<p>For one, it&#8217;s not unusual for an Orthodox lesbian to date a woman who isn&#8217;t Jewish, Kabakov said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a personal preference, but I have met women who have no problem being with a non-Jew; for some it means not having to deal with the conflict [between the Orthodox community and being gay]\u00a0for two people,&#8221; she explained.<\/p>\n<p>At times, the show misses the mark. When Maggie hosts a Shabbat dinner for Malkie&#8217;s friends, she buys kosher food (at a shop called \u00a0The Kosher Butcher&#8217;s Daughter)\u00a0and makes dishes like sweet potato latkes and lox crostini. Maggie\u2019s kitchen isn\u2019t kosher, however, so Malkie and her friends probably wouldn&#8217;t have been so nonchalant about eating off of her nice dishes \u2014\u00a0 she should have at least used paper plates and plastic utensils.<\/p>\n<p>But the accuracies are far more important than the errors \u2014 and what \u201cYounger\u201d does is give readers a taste of this community. Malkie points out there are lots of Orthodox lesbians in Brooklyn \u2014 surprise! \u2014 and Kabakov agrees.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gmail-im\">&#8220;Having a community is key to identity formation and retention,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen people are completely alone in their identity that is seemingly conflictual, the chances of them identifying that way are not going to be as strong as if they have a group of friends that identifies that way and is proud of it and makes it work.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"An%20Orthodox%20lesbian%20character%20%E2%80%94%20and%20other%20reasons%20to%20watch%20%27Younger%27\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7139],"tags":[8188,896,8790,8795,8788,460,8187,8189],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33186"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33189,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33186\/revisions\/33189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}