Heshy Fried
Encyclopedia
Heshy Fried is an American stand-up comedian
and blogger
.
, leaving his father to raise him and his younger brother Charlie alone. As a consequence of his mother's untimely death, Fried led a troubled youth and developed a chronic stuttering problem. He was expelled from a number of Jewish day schools, eventually graduating from the Providence Hebrew Day School, an elementary school located in Providence, Rhode Island
in 1995. He matriculated to the Talmudical Institute of Upstate New York (TIUNY) in Rochester, New York
, but left prior to graduation. In 2000, he received his high school equivalency.
Fried attended the State University of New York
at Brockport where he graduated cum laude in 2006 with a degree in political science
. He worked briefly at several state agencies in Albany, New York
, including the New York State Department of Education and the New York State Assembly
. He worked for a year as a private investigator
in the workers compensation and disability fields while living in Albany.
While in college, Fried became an avid outdoorsman and cyclist. He raced mountain bikes, skied frequently, and went on extended backpacking trips throughout the United States northeast, as well as Montana
, Alaska
, and Utah
. In June 2006, while working as an intern during budget season for the New York State Assembly
, he began writing down his thoughts about the Orthodox Jewish
community and posting them on Craigslist
New York's "Rant and Raves" section. Around this time he attended a wedding in Toronto and was introduced to blogging by his friend Sarah Zeldman, a life coach and professional blogger.
Fried moved to the San Francisco Bay area in early 2010 and is currently employed as a line cook at The Kitchen Table, Silicon Valley
's only kosher eatery.
, but did not enter the spotlight until about six months later when he wrote a post outlining different categories of sects in the Orthodox Jewish community. Several more notable bloggers linked to the post, and Fried's work began to attract more attention. In November 2008, Fried performed stand-up satirizing the Orthodox community on stage for the first time when Israeli comedian David Kilimnick asked Fried to open for him in New York
. Rave reviews pushed him to start posting stand-up comedy videos of himself and others on YouTube
, where he gained a large following of thousands of viewers.
Frum Satire averages approximately 50,000 visitors a month. Blog posts have received as many as 250 comments, and the website provides a forum for all types of readers, Jews and gentiles alike, to discuss varying issues in an open, uncensored forum. It has developed into an arena in which Jews as distinct as Ultra-Orthodox Haredim and secular and irreligious debate topics such as racism
, child abuse
, and dating issues in a completely anonymous manner, something almost unheard of in Orthodox Jewish circles. It's not rare for readers to take offense to what he writes, and a few Jewish websites have refused to publish his material.
Fried was named one of the most influential Jewish blogger
s in 2008 and was one of seven bloggers invited to Israel to attend the first International Jewish Bloggers Conference hosted by Nefesh B'Nefesh
on August 20, 2008. Fried was also invited to attend the Fourth Annual ROI Summit from June 28 through July 2, 2009, held in Tel Aviv
, Israel
, for influential young Jewish innovators from around the world.
In February 2009 Fried was invited to participate in the Jewlicious Festival 6.0
Although Fried usually generates a positive response to his comedy, he also has experienced a fair share of negative reviews within the Orthodox Jewish community. He aims to be provocative in choosing his topics of discussion, and those who would rather such issues remain untalked about frown on his humor. He has been called an anti-Semite, chillul Hashem and a general disgrace to Jews by many within the Orthodox community. Many Orthodox Jewish news outlets have chosen not to feature Fried, instead covering lesser-known and less controversial writers, bloggers, and comedians. However, Fried's work is spread widely through grassroots marketing via social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and blogger
J-Blogosphere
J-blogosphere is the name that some members of the Jewish blogging community use to refer to themselves. Blogs with a Jewish focus are called J-blogs. The name "J-blogosphere" was coined by Steven I. Weiss when he was the leader of "Protocols," a now defunct group J-blog, and one of the first...
.
Biography
Fried was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. At the age of 6, his mother died of breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, leaving his father to raise him and his younger brother Charlie alone. As a consequence of his mother's untimely death, Fried led a troubled youth and developed a chronic stuttering problem. He was expelled from a number of Jewish day schools, eventually graduating from the Providence Hebrew Day School, an elementary school located in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in 1995. He matriculated to the Talmudical Institute of Upstate New York (TIUNY) in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, but left prior to graduation. In 2000, he received his high school equivalency.
Fried attended the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
at Brockport where he graduated cum laude in 2006 with a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. He worked briefly at several state agencies in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, including the New York State Department of Education and the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
. He worked for a year as a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
in the workers compensation and disability fields while living in Albany.
While in college, Fried became an avid outdoorsman and cyclist. He raced mountain bikes, skied frequently, and went on extended backpacking trips throughout the United States northeast, as well as Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. In June 2006, while working as an intern during budget season for the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, he began writing down his thoughts about the Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
community and posting them on Craigslist
Craigslist
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
New York's "Rant and Raves" section. Around this time he attended a wedding in Toronto and was introduced to blogging by his friend Sarah Zeldman, a life coach and professional blogger.
Fried moved to the San Francisco Bay area in early 2010 and is currently employed as a line cook at The Kitchen Table, Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
's only kosher eatery.
Frum Satire
Fried began blogging on Frum Satire in June 2006 when he lived in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, but did not enter the spotlight until about six months later when he wrote a post outlining different categories of sects in the Orthodox Jewish community. Several more notable bloggers linked to the post, and Fried's work began to attract more attention. In November 2008, Fried performed stand-up satirizing the Orthodox community on stage for the first time when Israeli comedian David Kilimnick asked Fried to open for him in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Rave reviews pushed him to start posting stand-up comedy videos of himself and others on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, where he gained a large following of thousands of viewers.
Frum Satire averages approximately 50,000 visitors a month. Blog posts have received as many as 250 comments, and the website provides a forum for all types of readers, Jews and gentiles alike, to discuss varying issues in an open, uncensored forum. It has developed into an arena in which Jews as distinct as Ultra-Orthodox Haredim and secular and irreligious debate topics such as racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, and dating issues in a completely anonymous manner, something almost unheard of in Orthodox Jewish circles. It's not rare for readers to take offense to what he writes, and a few Jewish websites have refused to publish his material.
Fried was named one of the most influential Jewish blogger
J-Blogosphere
J-blogosphere is the name that some members of the Jewish blogging community use to refer to themselves. Blogs with a Jewish focus are called J-blogs. The name "J-blogosphere" was coined by Steven I. Weiss when he was the leader of "Protocols," a now defunct group J-blog, and one of the first...
s in 2008 and was one of seven bloggers invited to Israel to attend the first International Jewish Bloggers Conference hosted by Nefesh B'Nefesh
Nefesh B'Nefesh
Nefesh B'Nefesh is an organization that encourages immigration by Jewish people to Israel from North America and the United Kingdom...
on August 20, 2008. Fried was also invited to attend the Fourth Annual ROI Summit from June 28 through July 2, 2009, held in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, for influential young Jewish innovators from around the world.
In February 2009 Fried was invited to participate in the Jewlicious Festival 6.0
Standup
Fried has performed in many Jewish communities throughout the Northeast and Midwest of the United States, as well as in Israel.Although Fried usually generates a positive response to his comedy, he also has experienced a fair share of negative reviews within the Orthodox Jewish community. He aims to be provocative in choosing his topics of discussion, and those who would rather such issues remain untalked about frown on his humor. He has been called an anti-Semite, chillul Hashem and a general disgrace to Jews by many within the Orthodox community. Many Orthodox Jewish news outlets have chosen not to feature Fried, instead covering lesser-known and less controversial writers, bloggers, and comedians. However, Fried's work is spread widely through grassroots marketing via social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.