IJII

‘ANTM’ Contestant to Forego Observance; Tyra Banks Show Stages Modern Orthodox Drama

When Esther Petrack stood before Tyra and the Jays for the first time during the season premiere of America’s Next Top Model, we learned something shocking: The 18-year-old brunette beauty from Brookline, Massachusetts, is a Modern Orthodox Jew. Almost sounds like a setup to a joke: An Orthodox Jew and Tyra Banks sashay down the runway.

After letting Esther say a bit about herself—namely, that she was born in Jerusalem—Ty Ty [Tyra Banks] asked her about her Orthodox Jewish practice. “Do you honor the Sabbath?”

“Yes I do,” Esther responded, proceeding to explain the rules regarding the usage of electricity, computers, cell phones, and cars on Friday night and Saturday. Tyra sternly informed her that ANTM contestants work all the time, seven days a week. (I never realized that modelling was so urgent!) Would Esther, Tyra wanted to know, be able to adhere to the ANTM work schedule?

She replied after a momentary hesitation: “Yes, I would do it.” [1]

The above article is a segment of a story that I noticed was posted on FaceBook one morning before I left for work--a story of a teenage Jewish woman faced with a dilemma on national television. Further, a Jew faced with the old time Sabbath conundrum, to observe or not to observe. To progress in the work place or not to progress in the work place, what is the right thing to do? Of course the talk backs and responses on such an issue can go from support, understanding, the middle, to all out scorn and disdain.

As usual in situations such as this, the comments also included scrutiny of Esther’s Jewish education, often the source of questioning when a Jew supposedly strays away from the tenets of said Jewish movement.  There were also those who questioned her moral and personal values. This is the case when people, especially ones connected to a title such as Modern Orthodox, feel as if a decision has been made by one of their own who casts a dark shadow on the title and the group who fall under its rubric.

I doubt that Esther would have ever dreamed that her moment of decision, or indecision, would bring her the attention she has now received. All of this begs the question of does it really matter, and what impact if any does this have on Modern Orthodoxy?

I don’t think this issue has anything to do with one’s Jewish education or even Modern Orthodoxy at all. This has to do with choices and the ability to be a victim to them or a victor with them. 

My Experience with the Shabbat Choice

I was once in a situation where a company I was working for requested that I travel to Japan on the Sabbath in order to have a meeting there on a Monday. It was well known that I was Torah observant, and I informed my manager that I couldn’t travel on Shabbat. I was told by him, “I won’t say you must go, but if you don’t it wouldn’t be good.” I knew this kind of language very well, and the impression I got was that he meant that it wouldn’t be good for me--and to be honest that scared me.

My fear was that if I lost my job at that point I would have a hard time finding another one in New York’s/New Jersey limited engineering environment. Losing that job, I felt, would hinder my ability to pay rent for the next month and it would ruin my preparations for making Aliyah (moving to Israel). At the time, like many New Yorkers in my age group, I was living from check to check, and even though I was an electrical engineer making $80,000 per year, several bad financial decisions along with the beginning of the market down turn of 2005 made me feel I was in no position to stand up against management.

When I prayed the morning prayers the next day, I asked Hashem to help me. I felt that the situation was way beyond me and my power to act, and I needed help from above to give me the ability to avoid this horrid thing that my company was requiring of me. I spent many hours toiling over how helpless and powerless I was in the situation. I also thought to myself, how dare they ask me for such a thing when they know that it was against my way of life.Yet, once again I was afraid to take a stand because at that time my job was one of the only things, outside of Judaism, that made me feel like I had a purpose.

There was even a manager who never wore a kippa or tzitzit who would not travel to Japan on the Sabbath; and even though his position in the company was a lot higher than mine, he more than likely made the ground rules evident early on and simply continued to make them evident. When he travelled to Japan he would do so on Sunday and never on Shabbat, regardless if he was late to the main meetings on Monday or not.  Yet, being in the position I was in, he was of no assistance to me; thus I had no back up for this moment of indecision.

Eventually, I begrudgingly agreed to go “just this once”but I knew I needed to quit that job as soon as possible. As the various administrative assistants began to make our travel plans, I felt a sharp sting when one of them asked if I wanted a kosher meal for the flight. How strange would that be, “Yes I want the kosher meal for my flight to Japan, leaving on the Sabbath.”I couldn’t even imagine in my mind what it would feel like travelling to or even standing in an airport on the Sabbath. How embarrassed I would have been if someone in my neighborhood saw me heading to the airport on the Sabbath, without my kippa and my tzitzit. What if ten Jews saw me getting into my car or a cab on the Sabbath, and what kind of image would I portray the next time I was seen in the community wearing a kippa and tzitzit again?

The next day, I felt hurt and alone in a way that I had not felt in years. I had dedicated at least 6 years to this company working late nights and on Sundays, knowing that my life as a “so called religious Jew”was safe from their grasp. I once stayed at work for two days in a row without sleep, and not going home, in order to a complete a critical project. I dedicated so much of my life to the company thinking at least my Judaism and the Shabbat were safe, only to find out this was not the case.  The rest of the week didn’t matter to me, and my social life during the normal days of the week could be sacrificed, but not the Sabbath or the high holy days. So now everything that I was, as a person, was on the chopping block because I understand how the corporate world works. Bend once, they thank you with the biggest of smiles and then they proceed to bend you even further.

Fast forward to the Thursday before we were set to go to Japan and my fears and anxieties increased more and more, as well as a certain sadness in my heart at how helpless I felt. That Thursday evening the people we were to meet in Japan called and suddenly, without reason, cancelled the meeting. This was amazing, it was a miracle, I thought to myself. I was so elated, that I went outside for a moment and yelled out “YEAH, in your face non-Jewish world!”Upon returning to my cubicle, my boss came to me and said in a sarcastic way, “Well I guess this works out for you.”I thought to myself, “Yeah, Hashem came through for me.”Then I realized that this was not as much of a victory as I had thought, and on some level I was at fault.

As I thought about the situation, I felt as if this was a test that I failed. The right action, on my part, would have been to refuse to go on Shabbat from the start. It wasn’t Hashem’s responsibility to save me, if you will, from oppression in this situation. It was instead my directive to stand up for my dedication to do the will of Hashem by keeping the Shabbat holy and not turning to my right or left when my dedication was being tested by external forces.  Hashem had already put in place for me the spiritual, moral, and legal tools needed to deal with the situation but I dropped the ball because I saw myself as a helpless Jew facing a juggernaut of a decision.

I made a mistake by even allowing the company to pressure me and thinking that I didn’t have the power to stand up against the injustice of the situation. The reason I see it this way is because the entire point of being a Jew and being Torah observant is to do the will of Hashem. Thus I forgot about our ancestors and the choices they had to make to stand for the Torah of Hashem.  I forgot how it is said that Avraham Avinu stood up against 10 trials and how he even stood up against Avodah Zara (paganism) by being vocal and unwavering in his decisions against falsehood. This was a stance that put him at odds with his family, the local government of ancient Babylon, and the world around him. Who was I to hide behind my modern sensibilities by not taking the kind of stand that Avraham did?

Thus this is the issue that many Torah based Jews face, a simple question of “is this decision drawing me closer to Torah or setting me away from it?”  So on some level I won, and on some level I lost. Yet, as they say you live to fight another day.

A Tanakh Precedent

Anyone who has seriously studied Tanakh knows that there are many parallels to this type of situation. The one that stands out the most in my mind is during the Babylonian exile when four Jewish youths were made the offer of a lifetime. It is a perfect view of what a Jew who is dedicated to doing the will of Hashem may potentially face in an environment that stands for a different type of morality.

Daniel Chapter 1:1-21

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And Hashem gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of Elohim [Hashem]; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god, and the vessels he brought into the treasure-house of his god.  And the king spoke unto Ashpenaz his chief officer, that he should bring in some of the children of Israel, and of the royal family, and of the nobles, youths in whom was no blemish, good looking, and skilful in all wisdom, and skilful in knowledge, and discerning in thought, and those who had the ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's food, and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years; that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

Now among these were, of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And the chief of the officers gave names unto them: unto Daniel he gave the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the officers that he might not defile himself. And Hashem granted Daniel mercy and compassion in the sight of the chief of the officers.[2](Emphasis mine)

On some level this may seem like a simple act, but if one considers what it would be like telling a dictator who recently conquered your homeland that you won’t eat his food because of your own social/ethnic considerations-- you can imagine what kind of bravery the above gesture took. We are later told that by taking this unusual stand against the laws of a major super-power of that time, Daniel, Hananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah prospered and found favor with all who witnessed them. Yet, Hananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, who had been renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were tested on their own concerning whether their loyalties were with the king of Babylon or with the Torah of Moshe.

Daniel Chapter 3:3-17

Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  4 And the herald cried aloud: 'To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at what time you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up; and those who do not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.'

Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.  At that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews.  They spoke and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: 'O king, live for ever!  You, O king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image and those who do not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.  There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded you: they don’t serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.'

Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to have Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego brought before him. They were then brought before the king.  Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them: 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?  Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made [, well]; but if you don’t worship, you shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?'

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king: 'Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If our Elohim (Hashem) whom we serve is able to deliver us, He will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and out of your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.' [3]

It is interesting to note that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego never once mentioned their cultural affiliation or their norms as a part of some sort of “religious affiliation”.  They didn’t bring up what Jewish day school they had attended or whether or not one or both of their parents had converted. They didn’t claim political positions on the right or the left and they lived in a time when there was no such things as Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, etc.

They lived in a time when there were those who stood on the foundation of Torat Moshe, those who walked away from it, and the nations that stood against or in stark contrast to the Torah way of life. There was very little in between and there was little room for compromise. The concern Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had was the will of Hashem as well as their responsibility to it, and their refusal was based on those concerns alone, no matter the cost.

Back To the Top Model Situation

So back to Esther Petrack, her situation as a Modern Orthodox Jew, and her quest to be America’s Next Top Model. This includes question of what Esther’s commitment would be as a model, and what was the demarcation line for the commitment?  In order to understand both the strain and the falsehood of the issue, one has to realize one major problem. The television show, America’s Next Top Model, is a reality TV program; but how much reality does one get from such a program? According to Wikipedia:

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors…… Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality, utilizing sensationalism to attract viewers and so to generate advertising profits. (Emphasis mine) [4]

This is something that is often both forgotten or not known by most people: all reality shows are heavily edited and it is hard to know what the real situation was to begin with. If they filmed 5 hours of footage in one day, it is possible that only 10 to 20 minutes of that is edited together to make various elements of the show more appealing. So in one sense the situation, as it was presented, may not have really been the “reality” or even the entire reality of the actual situation.

The next issue is the focus on Esther being a Modern Orthodox Jew, and the mention of it in the show.  Knowing that reality TV is not actually reality, but simply editing and some level of pre-planned drama and knowing that people tend to act differently when they know they are being filmed, someone being presented as so called “religious” on a reality show, is in reality a plot device to see, "What will the so called religious person do?"

Reality shows have been tinkering with this plot device for some time, and across the religious spectrum, not just among Orthodox Jews. If you are supposedly religious (pick a religion) and you enter into the reality TV arena, they will find a worthy opponent to pit against you to test this so called religiosity for the sake of drama and ratings.

A similar situation happened on an episode of MTV Road Rules several years ago where the group from a particular season had a challenge that included eating pork, and lo and behold one of them protested that she couldn't because she was Jewish. She cried and she cried, and after much pressure as well as so called assurances that it was perfectly fine from her non-Jewish team mates she eventually broke down and ate the pork so the group could win their challenge and collect spending money to continue on their trip.

(Note:it is highly doubtful that the producers of the show would strand them in a foreign location without the ability to proceed if they didn’t pass the challenge.)

"Live with a man 40 years, share his house, his meals, speak on every subject. Then tie him up and hold him over the volcano's edge, and on that day, you will finally meet the man."  [5]

Choices: The Real Issue

The issue is simple: Modern Orthodox or not, people make choices. Some are as easy as opening an umbrella in the rain, while others require a level of self-preservation and awareness that some people just don't have or are not trained to have. It is not about blaming or justifying them or their actions, because all of us have made choices of a different magnitude which may not have been to our best interest or completely in line with our purported moral fiber.

Being a Torah observant Jew in the non-Jewish world is not easy, and at times it can be a lonely place. It has a set of challenges that don’t exist when one is insulated by a Jewish community on all sides at home, at work, at school, and at play. To do the will of Hashem in the face of a lack of professional advancement can be like a person running full force directly into a tsunami.  Something like this can even test the most seasoned of the so called religious Jews, and this is not a new reality to us, but has been a difficult part of our existence in various areas of the non-Jewish world.

Esther Petrack made a choice based on her own acceptance of the rules and regulations of being a model within the reality show context. Her choice was made while being rooted in whatever moral outlook that she was not only taught but also has accepted and lives by. I don’t personally know her, and her decision does not stir any emotions within me for or against her. I have been there, not as a model, but as a regular Jew stranded on a desert island of non-Judaica and I understand the pressure that comes with not being insulated on all sides.  I understand having to make a decision with the tools that you currently have and trying not to fathom what the cost will be to stand on a certain ground or not.  I also understand the pain of making the wrong decision and having to live with that feeling as well as working through the reality that decisions are not easy. I also understand the joy of knowing that I successfully stood on the ground of Torah, and that I was performing the will of Hashem.

At the same time, I live my life as a Torat Moshe Jew and I don’t live as Esther does. I am not a model, nor would I want to be. I am not a contestant on a reality TV show, nor would I want to be. I am a Torah observant Jew, living in the Land of Israel, who works hard at trying to do the best I can to do the will of Hashem, based on His Torah. Sometimes I win by making proper choices in line with Torah, and sometimes I fail with bad decision making. Yet, at the end of the day I, and I alone, am the one who stands with the results of those decisions, and I am the one who must dedicate myself to direct my life toward better Torah based decisions. That is my reality to live with, and I refuse to take on a different path or view of reality.

Esther's choice neither hurts nor helps Judaism nor the Modern Orthodox movement and it is not a new phenomenon. What it hopefully will do is shine a light on each person, to ask themselves the following questions. What are my real motivations in life? Do I really stand for the things that I say I do? At what cost am I willing to bend or even break my so called moral commitments?

Each of us faces these questions daily as Jews when it comes to our love for Hashem and our dedication to guarding His Torah. It is all about exerting the free will that Hashem gave us to maximize our level of Mitzvoth so that the will of Hashem shines through and we can be a light to the nations.  It is our choices that also reveal where our priorities are and where our real loves in life reside.

There is also the other position where Judaism, no matter what branch, is simply that religious thing we do here and there; some more than others, some less than others. Is it just that thing that I hang around my neck like an amulet to shield me against the world which at times is a heavy burden and at times can be unloaded for the right price? At the end of the day we each have to make choices to decide to be victims or to be victors in our decision making. Yet in this case I am reminded of the song, "If I guard the Shabbat, Hashem will guard me. It is an eternal sign between Him and me."

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