Hashkafah.com: Frum Family takes in "Wayward Youth" - Hashkafah.com

British teens get a taste of Orthodox Israeli life on reality TV

By Nathan Jeffay, The Forward

It was clear that something unusual was going on in the Orthodox-only village of Nof Ayalon, in central Israel, when residents spotted a bikini-clad teenager strutting her stuff.

Nof Ayalon, near Modi'in and not far from the Green Line, very much bears the imprint of its founders. It was set up in the mid-1990s by the nearby Yeshivat Sh'alvim, and ever since it has been a bastion of punctilious observance and modest dress.

Until, that is, the middle of May, when a British teenage girl with a penchant for provocative outfits arrived as part of a reality TV show. Also taking part in the program was a teenage boy who is a self-styled Goth and body-piercing enthusiast.

Both youngsters are non-Jewish high school dropouts from Hampshire, England, and the idea of the program they were taking part in was to see whether a week living with an Orthodox family could transform them from madcaps to menches.

The show is part of a BBC series, "The World's Strictest Parents," in which unruly British teenagers are sent to live with strict families in different countries. The episode filmed in Israel is due to air later this summer.

As the program will show, the battle lines between the Israeli family and the youngsters were clear from the start. You don't get keener devotees to authority than Tzipi and David Shaked (pronounced sha-kayd) and their five children, whose ages range from 5 to 18. The Shakeds live in accordance with every dictate of Jewish law, and moved to Nof Ayalon to be among others who do so. And few people have such an aversion to authority as their houseguests, Jack Travers and Gemma Lyons, aged 17 and 16, respectively.

"We saw it as a rare opportunity to extend a hand to troubled non-Jewish teens and in so doing, showcase Jewish values which should be seen by the outside world," said Tzipi Shaked, who, like her husband is American born.

In terms of Jewish doctrine, the Shakeds were determined "to push nothing down their throats," but when it came to their guests' conduct, discipline was in no short supply. Travers and Lyons were expected to overhaul their dress habits - skimpy in her case; medieval-style clothing, multiple piercings, thick black eyeliner in his - and observe various Jewish practices, including some Sabbath laws and rules of negia, which forbid members of the opposite sex from touching. The teenagers got a further dose of discipline from the army: they spent a day training on an Israel Defense Forces base.

The Israel episode produced a stormier clash than any that had occurred in the previous two seasons of the show - other host families have included Alabama Christians and Indian Hindus. Lyons was infuriated by the modesty expectations and flouted them by donning her bikini. The family threw her out of the house, and producers had to take her to a hotel - something that has never happened on the program in the past. "It was a massive deal," director Colin Rothbart told the Forward. After a day and a half, she apologized and was allowed back in.

...

Next season they are doing it in Meah Sharim.

Kalashnikover_Rebbe, on Jun 26 2009, 07:04 AM, said:

LOL, I want to see this. When are they showing the ep? How can we get it in America?

Kalashnikover_Rebbe, on Jun 26 2009, 02:04 PM, said:

Considering Israels reputation in England, I'd be worried about this part.

Quote

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!