“In America, every Jew is, in some way, a Jew by choice.” Such is the premise of The New Jew, a four-part documentary series showcasing the many facets of culture, practice and identity in America’s Jewish community. Co-created and hosted by Guri Alfi, one of Israel’s most well-known television personalities, the series crisscrosses the United States, where Guri meets individuals and groups who have, in many cases, gone to innovative, surprising (and delightful) lengths to live rich Jewish lives and keep Judaism relevant and strong into the next generations. Guri’s Israeli perspective – that of someone whose Jewish identity has always been the default (having grown up with Jews in the majority, where Hebrew is the native language, and Shabbat is the entire country’s day of rest) – is both lighthearted and respectful, and the mirror he holds up to American Jewry gives him, and us, plenty to think about.

Episode 4: “I Feel Like I Am a Stranger in This Country Sometime” Guri meets a young couple about to make aliyah, and visits Pearlstone, a farm and retreat in Maryland, where guests can realize and deepen their connection to their Judaism not through the land of Israel, but through the land right under their feet.