Turkish YouTuber and documentary filmmaker Ruhi Çenet’s latest film examining life in New York’s Hasidic Jewish communities has drawn attention in the United States after being reviewed by prominent streamer Asmongold.
Released on Aug. 26, “The World’s Most Secretive Jewish Community: Hasidic Jews (48 Hours Inside)” follows Çenet during two days in Hasidic neighborhoods.
The roughly 40-minute documentary examines religious observance, education, family life and the restrictions some community members observe on smartphones, television and internet use.
It includes interviews with members of the community as well as a woman who left it.
The film reached a wider U.S. audience after Asmongold reviewed it during a broadcast.
He praised Çenet’s production and access, calling the filmmaker “a total legend.”
His commentary also fed an online debate over the participation of some large Hasidic households in public assistance programs.
Claims circulated on social media that families could receive between $75,000 and $100,000 in annual government support.
The figures do not represent a fixed or religion-specific payment and have not been established as an average for Hasidic households.
In a separate development, President Donald Trump received a delegation of leading Hasidic rabbis in the Oval Office on Sept. 3 ahead of Rosh Hashanah.
A White House official described it as the first comparable gathering since 1979.
Discussions included housing, religious education, prison reform and tax credits for large families.
The delegation included the leaders of the two principal branches of the Satmar movement.
Their inclusion drew criticism from some pro-Israel conservative figures, including Trump ally Laura Loomer, because of Satmar’s religious opposition to Zionism.
The meeting had been planned for months and there was no indication that it was connected to Çenet’s documentary.
