Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls

Stephanie Wellen Levine spent a year in Crown Heights as a Harvard PhD candidate in American studies, examining the world and experiences of Lubavitch girls. She was surprised to find the girls were far more secure, lively and full of self-esteem than many of their peers in general society. While Levine considers the single-sex nature of their education and social life a central factor in fostering this confidence, she also attributes it to their specific Lubavitch mission—the belief that each person, male and female, has the power to bring Mashiach (Messiah), and the sense of purpose in going out and “proselytizing”–bringing this message to other Jews. (Thus it is Habad in particular, rather than Hasidism or ultraorthodoxy in general, which seems to be the determining factor in this prevalent sense of self confidence.) Levine interviewed 32 girls between the ages of 13 and 23. She gives us seven fascinating portraits of individual girls and young women who each relate very differently to their Lubavitch community and to the outside world. She concludes that their community gives these girls, “a combination of comfort, direction and sense of strength that eases their lives and cultivates a deep seated confidence.” Levine vividly portrays these girls, their hopes and their struggles, as well as her own feelings towards Orthodoxy and the Lubavitch way of life.