Oprah Finds (Only?) Black Hasidic Jewish Family in Crown Heights

Being a Black Hasidic Jew is not easy. In yeshivas, Black Hasidic Jews are sometimes taunted as “monkeys”, according to the New York Times, and they endure blank stares at synagogues and kosher restaurants. (And you thought Brooklyn hipsters and yuppies had it rough just because some Hasids don’t like those Crown Heights newbies and their flagrant suntanning parties.)

So Oprah just came to Crown Heights, and found what she’s calling one of the only Black Hasidic Jewish families in the country… and that seems pretty much spot on. Black Hasidic Jews are a super-, super-, SUper-minority–a group so small that in Crown Heights, they can’t even get enough men together to form a minyan (group of 10) for group prayer.

Oprah’s interview with this family will air as part of Hasidic Jews of Brooklyn, part of her new “Oprah’s Next Chapter” show on the OWN Network (Part 1: Feb. 12, 9-10 pm ET; Part 2: Feb. 13, 10-11 pm ET), which will show Oprah meeting with Hasidic Jews in Borough Park and Crown Heights. Other highlights include a sit-down meal with a family of 12, a “no holds barred” interview with Hasidic mothers and wives; and a Mikvah tour.

-via Oprah Talks to Black Hasidic Jews – Find Out What They Say on February 12-13 « DailyHeights. Photo: COLLive.com – Oprah Seen in Crown Heights (from back in October when they were filming).