The Woman Behind Chaya Suri

OK, people – the mystery has been solved. Chaya Suri of “A trip to Miami” shvim kleid tsnius fashion advice fame is not for real. I repeat – NOT for real. But she sure had some people fooled.

She is a character invented and played by Deena Mann, who my source tells me is originally from Cleveland, but now lives in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Once you know who she is, Mann isn’t hard to find (in other words, just look her up on Facebook). My source has also shared with me some other videos she has made. Interestingly, in one of them she appears to be playing an African-American character, and in the other she seems to be an African-American version of Chaya Suri. Hmm.

Click here to view the first video.

And here is the second one:

And, of course, such a provocative (not to mention viral) video as “A trip to Miami” would spawn response videos. Here are a couple:

By now, we should all realize that these are all just one ongoing Purim Torah, and that there are probably more of them on the way between now and the 14th of Adar (II).

But all kibitzing aside, my source, who is herself a Hasidic Jew, had this to say: “Think how biased so many were to think she was real!!!! The Satmar women I know are well educated, sophisticated, travel etc… so  it  is interesting that we fell for it. What does it say about our prejudices?” Indeed.

© 2011 Renee Ghert-Zand. All rights reserved.

Tags: Chaya Suri, Deena Mann, Jewish satire, Orthodox Jews, Purim, satire