Hi, my name is Michael Rachlis.

I'm the guy guy that edited and starred in the "Shit Jewish Girls Say" Videos. While I'm flattered that my video was able to evoke such a strong reaction as to generate this blog post, I think that this video (which, I agree, is not NEARLY as funny or clever as it could have been) needs to be judged in the context of what it is: AN INTERNET MEME. I'm a recent college grad, I teach drama to elementary school kids in LA, and I had a free afternoon in which I had access to a camera and a friend's little sister's closet of clothes--that was literally the catalyst for the video and nothing more.

This video was NOT well thought out by any stretch of the imagination. The primary thrust of the comedy in this video is clearly that however attractive or not attractive I am as a man, I make an irrevocably HIDEOUS woman. Men in drag in funny. The british have known this for years.

My only thoughts in making this video were that I wanted to look ridiculous, I wanted to say Jewish things, and I wanted to get it up on the internet fast, because, as an internet meme, this topic would probably be irrevelant about 4 minutes after I posted it. Furthermore, this video is NOT social commentary. Of course there are things that Jewish girls say more commonly, and there are things that Jewish girls don't say which are more clever and far funnier, but for the purpose of the video, I wanted quick cuts and short little phrases that my non-Jewish friends could relate to and that I could easily edit. The goal was not an accurrate portrayal of Jewish women. The goal was to make a video that was as stupid as it is ridiculous, showing a Jewish man stripped of his dignity running through LA in drag.

Hopefully this clarifies the intention of the video and undercuts any of the offense it may have cause. ANY Jewish girl or guy could make a funnier video and post it, that's the beauty of the internet. My video need not be the Jewish representative of the "Shit Girls Say" meme, or truthfully any reflection of Judaism beyond my own singular expression. If you don't like the video--don't get offended--post a better one! Literally, I filmed this in two hours and edited it in another 2 hours. It's not that hard.

Happy MLK Day!

Sincerely,

Michael "the Jewish Girl" Rachlis

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Donate

Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women.

donate now

Get JWA in your inbox

Read the latest from JWA from your inbox.

sign up now