Sometimes, Talmudic learning can be staid. Dry. Earnest, even. Enter Miriam Anzovin, who brings charisma, pop-culture references and sass to traditional teachings through short-form, special-effect-laden storytelling on Instagram, TikTok and more, drawing parallels between ancient stories and modern life.
“A lot of Jewish people don’t feel represented by who they see online. They want to see somebody who maybe talks like them or references things that they’re also interested in and who doesn’t sugarcoat things,” she explains.
Picture the mysticism of Stevie Nicks crossed with the warmth of your best friend: Anzovin is best known for her Daf Reactions Project, where she shares her daily practice of Babylonian Talmudic study in the Daf Yomi cycle from a unique viewpoint as a formerly Orthodox (now secular) millennial feminist, complete with candid commentary, a soothing delivery and a flawless blowout.
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“I talk about Jewish ideas and Jewish texts in a funny, meta, modern way,” Anzovin says. “Jewish people want to learn stuff about Judaism—and non-Jewish people do too—and sometimes we present it in a really boring way. Judaism is the furthest thing from boring. I could study it for my whole lifetime and never scratch the surface.”
There are also some cheeky detours, too, like a Rosh Hashanah-inspired makeup tutorial. (“Let there be light-colored eyeshadow,” she says, wielding a brush.)
Hers is definitely a career niche, building on previous roles as an artist-in-residence at Moishe House and the host of The Vibe of the Tribe podcast. Thanks to this ultra-specific genre and delivery, Anzovin has garnered legions of loyal followers (23,000 on Instagram; 33,000 on TikTok).
What makes this even more impressive is that she stages the high-quality videos in her home, with two simple lamps and an iPhone perched on a tripod: no production team or slick technology.
“I started doing my videos during the pandemic alone in my room, and it was a way to help me remember the material I was learning better, as artistic engagement. I didn’t think more than five people would ever see it,” she says.
Social media is much newer than the Talmud, but Anzovin has adored Jewish storytelling since childhood. She’s simply bringing an ancient tradition—what she calls “collective, narrative world-building”—into 2024.
“I’ve always loved Judaism so much. My earliest memory is being 4 years old, with my father reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to me while my mom was telling me all these Jewish stories. In my mind, they combined into an understanding and appreciation of Judaism’s meta narratives and storytelling history, and how important the act of storytelling is for us as a people, for our identity, for our continuity,” she says.
Anzovin also attributes her appeal to neutrality: She isn’t affiliated with a specific domination, and she doesn’t foist her opinions onto her audience. This is especially important when it comes to religion, she says.
“I think that folks don’t want to be told how to feel about something. They want to be allowed to have their authentic personal reactions to what they encounter in the text, and I’m trying to model a way of doing that. I’m a fellow learner on this journey. Walking side by side with other people on it is what really matters to me,” she says.
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The CJP and JArts Creative Fellowship will allow her to continue this work, deepen her production values with more props and costumes, and hopefully reach even more people at a time when candor, levity and perspective is sorely needed.
Through the fellowship, Anzovin is launching Jewish Lore Reactions, a project that traces the epic characters and narratives of Jewish tradition from the Tanach and midrashic retellings to their reimaginings across the diaspora. By uncovering how these ancient stories connect to modern life, she aims to inspire a new generation to embrace and carry forward Judaism’s storytelling heritage.
“One of the things I always try to emphasize is a sense of Jewish joy. It’s really difficult right now to be a Jewish person in the real world and online. It’s not a friendly time. I wanted to create a space where people could see how, throughout Jewish history, we have called upon certain characters, certain narratives, certain motifs to help us get through,” she says. “There’s almost no daylight sometimes with the current challenges we face and those faced by our ancestors. Giving that window into the past lets us pull that wisdom into the present.”
Find Miriam Anzovin on Instagram, TikTok, X, BlueSky, Mastodon, Threads and YouTube.
Miriam Anzovin is part of the 2024–2025 CJP and JArts Community Creative Fellowship, a program dedicated to elevating local creators who transform Jewish life through storytelling, music and art. Now in its fifth year, the fellowship highlights diverse voices and traditions, expanding the contemporary Jewish canon with work that resonates deeply with Greater Boston’s communities. Learn more about this year’s cohort.
