Allison Josephs was just a teenager when a tragic event in her hometown made her question everything. A classmate’s father committed a murder-suicide, and the local media fixated on the family's secular Jewish identity. It sparked a realization. If people only see the extremes or the tragedies, they never see the humanity. This wasn’t just a personal epiphany; it became the catalyst for Jew in the City, an organization that has spent the last decade and a half dismantling the "black hat" tropes that Hollywood loves to exploit.
Most people think they know what an Orthodox Jew looks like because they’ve seen Unorthodox or My Unorthodox Life on Netflix. You know the drill. The story usually involves a character escaping a "repressive" community to find freedom in a world of denim and bacon. It's a tired arc. Honestly, it’s lazy writing.
Jew in the City (JITC) exists because the reality is way more boring—and way more interesting—than that. It’s about the professional woman who wears a wig while arguing a case in the Supreme Court. It’s about the marathon runners, the NASA scientists, and the regular parents who just happen to keep kosher and turn off their phones on Friday night.
The Hollywood Problem and the JITC Media Lab
For a long time, the only time you saw an Orthodox Jew on screen, they were either a punchline or a victim. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a character in a streimel or a modest skirt just... solving a mystery? Or performing surgery? Usually, the plot is the religion, and the religion is always the antagonist.
In 2022, Josephs took a massive step by launching the Jew in the City Hollywood Bureau. This wasn't just about complaining on Twitter. It was a formal push to get Hollywood to treat Jews—specifically observant ones—with the same nuance afforded to other marginalized groups. They even got the attention of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Why? Because the museum’s initial permanent exhibition on the history of film almost entirely ignored the Jewish immigrants who actually built the studio system.
It was a glaring omission. JITC stepped in, pushed back, and eventually, the museum apologized and created a new permanent exhibition titled "Hollywood: Land of Belief" to address the Jewish roots of the industry. This is what modern advocacy looks like. It’s not just about feelings; it’s about institutional change.
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The Minority You’re Allowed to Hate?
There is this weird loophole in modern diversity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Everyone is hyper-aware of tropes regarding almost every minority group, but when it comes to the "ultra-Orthodox," the rules seem to vanish. You’ve probably noticed that "Hasidic noir" is basically its own subgenre now.
JITC argues that this constant stream of "escape" narratives contributes to real-world antisemitism. When you dehumanize a group by portraying them as a monolith of suppression, it becomes a lot easier for people to justify bias against them. You’ve seen the headlines about rising attacks in Brooklyn. Josephs connects these dots. If the only thing a person knows about a Hasidic man is what they saw in a sensationalized documentary, they aren’t seeing a neighbor. They’re seeing a caricature.
Making Kosher Food Not Taste Like Cardboard
It’s not all heavy social justice work, though. A huge part of the Jew in the City brand is about the joy of the lifestyle. You can’t show people the beauty of a culture if you only talk about the problems.
The organization’s social media presence is a mix of high-production videos and "kinda" relatable "day in the life" reels. They highlight "Orthodox Jewish All-Stars"—people who have reached the top of their fields without compromising their observance.
- Sarah Hofstetter: Former CEO of 360i and a powerhouse in the advertising world.
- AJ Edelman: The first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics (Skeleton).
- Senator Joe Lieberman: Perhaps the most famous example of high-level success paired with strict Shabbat observance.
These stories provide a counter-narrative. They show that you don't have to choose between your faith and your ambition. For a kid growing up in a religious household, seeing AJ Edelman on an Olympic track is life-changing. It proves the world is open to them.
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The Nuance of the "Flip Side"
Now, being an expert on this means acknowledging the "other side" too. JITC isn’t just a PR firm that pretends everything is perfect. They’ve faced criticism from people who did have bad experiences in the Orthodox world. There are survivors of abuse and people who felt stifled by their upbringing. Their stories are real.
Josephs has had to navigate this carefully. Recently, JITC expanded to include a social service branch called Tikun, which focuses on helping people who have been failed by the system within the Orthodox community. This is a massive shift. It shows a level of maturity in the organization. You can't just tell the world "we're great" while ignoring the people hurting in your own backyard. By addressing issues like mental health and communal accountability, they’re building E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) not just with the public, but with their own community.
What Most People Get Wrong About Modesty
Let’s talk about "tzniut" or modesty. If you scroll through the Jew in the City Instagram, you’ll see a lot of fashion. This is often the biggest point of confusion for outsiders.
People think modesty is about shame. For the women JITC features, it’s usually described as "power." It’s the idea that I decide who gets to see my body and how much of it they see. It’s a subversion of the male gaze, though that’s a controversial take depending on who you ask.
But honestly? Most of the time, it’s just about finding a cute dress that also has sleeves. JITC has partnered with influencers to show that you can be "tzniut" and still be a fashion icon. It’s about merging two worlds that people think are mutually exclusive.
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Why You Should Care Even If You Aren't Jewish
This isn't just about one religious group. The work Jew in the City is doing is a blueprint for any minority group that feels misrepresented by mainstream media.
- Direct Engagement: Don't just complain; create a bureau.
- Highlight Excellence: Show the "All-Stars" who are thriving.
- Clean Your Own House: Acknowledge the internal flaws and work to fix them (like the Tikun initiative).
- Humanize through Humor: Use TikTok and reels to show the mundane, funny parts of life.
How to Support Authentic Representation
If you’re tired of the same three tropes on your TV screen, there are actual steps you can take. It’s not just about clicking "like" on a post.
First, pay attention to the credits. Look for Jewish consultants on shows that feature Jewish characters. If a show features an Orthodox character but doesn't have anyone from that background in the writers' room, it’s probably going to be full of errors. You’ll notice things like the candles being lit wrong or the prayers being butchered.
Second, check out the JITC Hollywood Bureau’s reports. They’ve started putting out data on how Jews are portrayed in media. Data is harder to ignore than anecdotes.
Third, diversify your own feed. Follow creators who live lives different from yours but share the same interests. Follow an Orthodox baker, a Hasidic marathoner, or a Sephardic tech mogul.
Jew in the City has turned a personal realization into a global movement. It’s moved from a small blog to a powerhouse that influences how the world’s biggest studios think about faith. By focusing on the "middle ground"—the millions of people living normal, modern lives while staying true to ancient traditions—they’re filling a gap that’s existed for way too long.
The next time you see a character in a wig or a yarmulke on screen, ask yourself: Is this a person, or is this a plot point? Thanks to the work of this organization, the answer is starting to change. It’s about time we saw the full picture.
Actionable Next Steps
- Watch the "Orthodox Jewish All-Stars" videos on YouTube to see the sheer variety of career paths within the community.
- Follow the JITC Hollywood Bureau updates if you are a creator or writer interested in authentic character development.
- Support Tikun if you are interested in the intersection of religious advocacy and social work.
- Read the reports on media representation to understand the specific tropes that are most harmful and how to spot them in the wild.