Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
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From the moment it was officially announced that she would be a cast member, she has faced a torrent of antisemitic comments.
Lizzy Savetsky, social media influencer and star of Real Housewives of New York announced that she is leaving the cast. Filming had barely begun, but due to the antisemitic abuse, she could stay no longer.
From the moment it was officially announced that she would be a cast member on the show, antisemitic comments have not stopped. Lizzy, 37, has over 200,000 social media followers, and proudly proclaims herself a Jew and Zionist on Instagram. All of that backfired, as Lizzy’s bombshell statement mentions, “Unfortunately, from the time of my announcement in the cast, I was on the receiving end of a torrent of antisemitic attacks. As this continued, I realized that this path was no longer right for me and my family.”
Here’s a sampling of the comments hurled her way:
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Lizzy and I met this past Passover at a program in the Bahamas. We were both speakers, and enjoyed attending one another’s classes.
She focused on her personal struggle with infertility, as well as her love of Israel. She raised over $57,000 to write a Torah scroll to present to the paratrooper unit in the IDF.
The letters of the Torah scroll represent the souls of the losses various women have experienced through miscarriage. Families from around the world came together to support this beautiful cause. In June of 2022, Lizzy traveled with her family to Israel to present this gift to the IDF.
Lizzy stresses the importance of utilizing social media to promote Jewish values. She has also been very upfront about her struggles with alcohol and shared her personal story with Aish.com readers.
In joining Real Housewives, Lizzy was attempting to be a positive Jewish role model to the world. It was a big risk for her personally, because she is a recovering alcoholic, and Lizzy knew the pattern that most sober alcoholics who join the show don’t stay sober for long.
But she moved forward with the decision in order to show the world Jewish values in action and to promote positive feelings towards Israel.
I have really gotten to know Lizzy and see that her words and actions are aligned. Her family is her priority, and her sobriety matters more than anything else. And she is not afraid to stick to her Jewish values and stand up for Israel and for being a Jew, no matter the consequences.
Her choice to leave the show was not an excuse, but an unfortunate reality. She was brave enough to try, and brave enough to know her personal limits and make the courageous decision to back away. I can’t wait to see what her next steps are!
