Careful, Beauties Ahead

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Tuvia Tenenbom, son and grandson of ultra-Orthodox rabbis, left the fold while a very young man. Decades later he comes back, living for over a year in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, arguably the most authentic ultra-Orthodox community anywhere in the world. Tenenbom, a bestselling author of many books, wanted to know how the Orthodox culture and way of life had changed, if it had, and how restrictive it is these days in an increasingly restrictive world outside of it. To answer this question, and many others, he became one of them again, doing what they do: praying with them at synagogues and studying with them at yeshivas, eating with them, singing with them, joining them for shabbat meals, driving with them to the graves of their holy rabbis, chatting with their spiritual leaders and all the while speaking God's language, Yiddish. In time he gained their trust, people opened to him, and their world of faith revealed itself in all its fascination and contradictions. This book is a spiritual journey to the world of faith, packed with Jewish humor, Jewish fears, Jewish wisdom, and Jewish traditions. Extraordinary, profound, enlightening, and entertaining.
Der Spiegel With a lot of humor, and in countless anecdotes, Tuvia Tenenbom opens the doors to a world that doesn't reveal much about itself at first.
Bayerischer Rundfunk Tuvia Tenenbom has written a fascinating book, shedding light on the world of ultra-Orthodox Jews. The intensity of Jerusalem, evident to the casual visitor of the city, builds up in the reader the more he reads this book. The tourist, who will hopefully come to Jerusalem again soon, will now see the people of Mea Shearim with totally different eyes.
Süddeutsche Zeitung Tenenbom writes down the facts as they are - and, as it is usually with him, they are often bizarre and hilarious.... Tenenbom succeeds here in painting an exhilarating description of a largely unknown group of people who, out of ignorance, are often depicted as a negative caricature of 'the Jew.
Hamburger Abendblatt A book full of warmth and benevolence.
tz München Gripping, extremely funny, mercilessly direct, this first-person report - subjective, pointed and biting as one could expect from the suspenders-wearing chubby man - is rousing and very human.
NDR He provokes, but he also has a lot of humor.
Deutschlandfunk Kultur You read this smart, funny book with curiosity. Tenenbom's delicate and biting, ever humane gaze into the sometimes irrational is a blessing - especially since the 7th of October.
Kurier With a wry smile, Tuvia Tenenbom recounts his encounters with holy men, skeptical believers, and scientists tasked with explaining how everything is interconnected. Why are ultra-Orthodox often labeled as anti-Zionists? Who makes the most delicious kugels? Which Hasidic court sings the most beautifully? As a scout in the realm of the incomprehensible, he listens, notes, and explains without mockery. A tour guide who merely reports what he sees and experiences--a profound provocation in our day and time.
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung Along with his sharp sense of humor, which runs through almost every line he writes, Tenenbom's ability to assimilate into ultra-Orthodox society turns his book into a fascinating in-depth journey of ultra-Orthodox existence.
Walla! Mind-changing, extraordinary, brilliant, fascinating, and entertaining anthropological journey into the world of the ultra-Orthodox.
Kikar Hashabat Superb, superb, superb book. Tenenbom is the funniest, most entertaining writer in Israel.
Channel 13 TV Tenenbom is the smartest, most entertaining researcher in town.
Attila Somfalvi's Barricade Podcast Those who loved his previous books will undoubtedly return and find here the good old Tenenbom again. As for those who have not yet been exposed to his writing, they will do well to be exposed to it now, for they will gain not only a new and refreshing insight into the ultra-Orthodox world, its parodies and humanity, but also an insight into Tuvia, a unique and colorful figure in the gallery of present-day Judaism.
Makor Rishon