By and For Jewish Women Only: The Musical Film "The Heart That Sings"

The musical film, “The Heart that Sings” (2011), written and directed by Robin Saex Garbose, is part of a genre of films created by and for Orthodox Jewish women. Heart provides a case study that illustrates the depth and breadth of Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson’s (1902-1994) influence on Jews and Jewish life well beyond his own community members. Schneerson’s outreach work via his shlichim, or emissaries, to unobservant Jews is well-recognized. The extent and nuance of his influence on a broad cross-section of Jews, however, has yet to be fully traced. Heart tells its viewers that Jewish women from all backgrounds can create an empowered, unified community, if religiously observant, Orthodox practices are in place, perpetuating Schneerson’s message with a feminist bent and musical twist.

By and For Jewish Women Only: The Musical Film "The Heart That Sings" Journal Articles