Posted by Drealm on
URL: https://coalpha.arkian.net/A-Life-Apart-Hasidism-in-America-movie-tp5112165p5463755.html

I finally had the opportunity to watch this film. While I watched the film I made mental notes of what's applicable to CoAlpha Brotherhood. In the end I think the model is ideal but the historical means that Hasidics used to create their brotherhood would be problematic for us.

To start, it's truly inspiring that a few Hasidic leaders recreated their religion in America. You'd think after seeing six leaders recreate a religion, that it's possible for any small group to materialize. I think this is what fschmidt means by "This shows that a few determined men can make a difference."

However Hasidics had one key thing going for them that we don't. They recreated a religion which already existed, while we're starting from scratch. This alone separates our struggle from theirs by a million miles. The Hasidic leaders also already had a large following of conditioned members. For this reason, I think it will take longer for CoAlpha to build critical mass.

The second difference between Hasidics and CoAlphas is that they're a racially and religiously homogeneous group. Race plays a very big role in group cohesiveness. Groups that survive without racial homogeneity rely on religion instead. Hasidic Jews already have the most powerful cohesive factors going for them (race and religion). Since CoAlpha brotherhood is secular, we're at a disadvantage. fschmidt's Noahidism could serve as a surrogate for religious homogeneity and bridge some of this cohesiveness gap.

Lastly CoAlpha is a virtual brotherhood as opposed to Hasidics who all live in the same community in New York. I've never met Hasidic Jews, but I have met Jehovas Witnesses whom are also fairly strict. The benefits of an in-person brotherhood are enormous. My brother who's a Jehovahs Witness already has a ready made social network. This ready made social network means he doesn't need to associate with people outside his spectrum of values. He's given jobs by Jehovas Witnesses, his friends are all Jehovahs Witnesses and should he ever date there's some level of matchmaking already setup. I would of become a Jehovahs Witness save the fact that I'm an atheist and they employ some cult tactics, which I disagree with.

One part of Hasidic culture I took particular note of was the idea of a benevolent father figure to protect his children. The role of the father figure was filled by the Rabbis. To a certain extent I think all religion is the search for an almighty father figure who'll protect his children. This psychological comfort is one advantage religious folks have over secular folks. The secular version of a benevolent father figure seems to be placed in Soviet Union style big brother figures. I don't know how a secular person can truly find a spiritual father figure, seeing as this contradicts atheism.

Like I say, the end model is obviously good. The question is how do we get there? At higher stages of development, we'll be able to employ more resources. I thought the Hasidic school was a good idea. I especially liked how boys and girls were separated and how girls were taught to dress modestly from an early age with their school uniforms. However something like a school is pointless to consider now. The most relevant question now is what can we apply to a virtual brotherhood? I recall in one part of the documentary a specific "branch?" employed video conferences. This is something to consider.