Comments on: Yippee: a Journey to Jewish Mazursky

By: Ester

Ester — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:15:50 +0000

Anybody sitting next to me would not have had to ask me what I thought of it - as the tears were running down my face. I have heard quite a bit about this annual event - but always imagined a little knot of a few devoted followers at the graveside. I could not ever imagine or conceive of something like this ! And as a female , I felt particularly thrilled and privileged to be able to witness it all in this way. ( Not that I have ever, as a “non-Hassid” felt all that thrilled about so much of the exclusion, - but there you go, & I do understand it.)
But talk of understanding - Wow … dear Paul Mazursky made me more than understand..so much… with my heart….
I have always been interested in the special Spirituality of Rabbi Nachman, and this unique, marvellous, deep, loving, touching, funny,(hilarious) and moving film made me feel an affection and admiration for all the goings-on that I would never have thought possible. Yes, it was indeed a very Jewish experience. And when one thinks of all the layers & dimensions of what has been gone through by so many, - even to one with a very open mind and open heart & tiny bit of objectivity, it brought home the true depth of that Heart and Soul for which one may be so grateful.
Thanks to Paul Mazursky - what a wonderful man, of a very special kind.

p.s. I came across your website when searching for the DVD which I will get.

By: Adamchik

Adamchik — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:11:32 +0000

One of the reasons that this film is so well-liked among those who have been there, and those who support the cause, is that it has no ax to grind.

It is one of the few films that just show it like the director saw it, with very little editorializing. It comes across as being very genuine.

We all wish that the director would have been more inspired from what he saw, but it is probably the best that we’ll get from a Hollywood icon.

I’m sorry that your support of the film is so equivocal. I think that we should be thankful for such an authentic and respectful sharing of an experience, even if it isn’t how we’d have portrayed it.

I can only imagine that the deep Breslov wisdom and subtleties of serving G-d with joy, as an acknowledgment of him as the source, are difficult to see in the severe golus of London. The British doctor in the movie, however, is an inspiring (if brief) character.

By: Ori Pomerantz

Ori Pomerantz — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:56:09 +0000

I am going to touch on the tafel (= unimportant point) here, but would it be wrong for a gentile cameraman to take videos during Shabbat and Yom Tom (= holiday)?

By: Garnel Ironheart

Garnel Ironheart — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:20:03 +0000

> While at least in part this can be attributed to the lack of filming on Rosh HaShanah (something that wasn’t mentioned in the film), there was still a (deliberate?) failure to explore the real depth of the experience.

Actually, that is the most important part to me. When a Jew shows true joy by celebrating with Hashem, it’s done privately without the whole world looking in with their cameras. Our relationship with Hashem is not something for display on Youtube and I think it’s better that way.