Hasidism vs the Westboro Baptist Church

This semester we have seen two videos about small religious communities from a greater sect: “A Life Apart: Hasidism in America” and “The Most Hated Family in America”. But how on earth could Hasidic Jews and the Westboro Baptist Church have anything in common? After watching the documentaries on both, I believe they do have a number of commonalities but a greater number of differences. Both sects exhibit a strict interpretation of their respected holy works, are conservative and have an air of spiritual elitness. But they differ greatly in the details of their religion and way of life.

The Hasidic Jews and the Westboro Baptist Christians may seem to be extremely different, but they do share some commonalities. Both sects believe in the strict interpretation of their holy works. The Hasidics study the Torah in great detail and are very observent of it. The Torah dictates their way of life. This is very similar for the Westboro Baptist Christians, for the WBC follows a strict interpretation of the Bible. Their strict following of their respective holy works creates conservatism among both sects. The Hasidics dress very differently from the rest of soceity. The school uniforms for girls is very conservative when compared to the rest of soceity. Their skirts must be four inches below the knee with tights or high scoks. Men and women must wear head coverings in the synagog. The WBC is also conservative. The girls do not wear short shorts or skirts or dresses, nor do they wear tight or low-cut tops and dresses. Due to their respective interpretations, both sects see themselves more spiritually elite than the rest of the population. The Hasidics are often described as “arrogant” as seen in the documentary. Pearl Gluck stated this in h...

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... very different groups like Hasidic Jews and the Westboro Baptist Church have anything in common, the documentaries “A Life Apart: Hasidism in America” and “The Most Hated Family in America” proved that they in fact do share some commonalities. They both share conservatism, a strict interpretation of their holy work, and an idea of spiritual eliteness. The devil is in the details and that is where these two groups differ. The WBC is described by nearly everyone (including the KKK) as a hate group, while the Hasidics are just seen as different. The WBC places themselves in the public eye with their protests, while the Hasidics just want to be left alone in their neighborhood and carry out their traditions. The Hasidics are peaceful people, while the WBC is aggressive and hateful. But dispite their differences they share a common idea: to worship God in their own way.