The “Shtisel” family is finally back… sort of. For those of you who loved the hit show about the ultra-Orthodox family living in Jerusalem’s Haredi neighborhood Mea Shearim, which aired in Israel between 2013 and 2021, the prequel of the show, “Kugel,” is now available to stream stateside.
While “Kugel” does feature some beloved members of the Shtisel family, this show is quite different from the Israeli drama that became a Netflix hit back in 2019. Here’s everything you need to know about “Kugel.”
Where can I stream “Kugel?”
“Kugel” is now exclusively streaming on IZZY, an Israeli content streaming platform.
When is “Kugel” streaming?
It premiered its first two episodes on Thursday, February 28, and will premiere a new episode every Thursday until April 11.
Does “Kugel” have the same cast as “Shtisel?”
Unfortunately, many of our favorite “Shtisel” actors are not in “Kugel,” at least not in this first season. The show centers Nuchem Shtisel, played by Sasson Gabai, who is the brother of “Shtisel” patriarch Shulem and the uncle of many of the main “Shtisel” protagonists, as well as his daughter Libby Shtisel, played by “We Were the Lucky Ones” star Hadas Yaron. They’re our only returning “Shtisel” protagonists.
Michael Aloni’s Akiva, or Kiveh, is not in the show this season; neither is Ruchami, played by Shira Haas, whom we first fell in love with through “Shtisel” and is now an international star after her role in “Unorthodox” and the latest Captain America film.
Is “Kugel” made by the same team as “Shtisel?”
Yes and no. Yehonatan Indursky co-created “Shtisel” with Ori Elon. Elon is not involved in “Kugel,” and neither is “Shtisel” director Alon Zingman. The show does have the same producer, Dikla Barkai, and the same production company, Abot Hameiri. But other than that, the behind-the-scenes team is quite different.
Erez Kavel, director of the excellent Israeli drama “The Chef,” is in the director chair, while Indursky is on writing credits. That means the show has a really different visual language and quite a different feel (check out this fascinating post from cinematographer Guy Raz on how he worked to make the visual language of “Kugel” stand out in comparison to “Shtisel”).
What is “Kugel” about?
“Kugel” is, as mentioned before, a prequel to “Shtisel.” It takes place a few years before the events of the beloved Israeli show, and focuses on Nuchem and Libby’s life when they lived in Antwerp, before they moved back to Israel. When we first meet them, Libby is a dreamy aspiring writer hoping to find her bashert in the matchmaking market, and Nuchem is a diamond salesman with less than savory sales methods. Nuchem is married to Yiddis, played by Mili Avital, a wedding gown designer. When one of Nuchem’s schemes upends his marriage, he finds comfort at the local kugel shop, run by Pnina (Rotem Abuhab). Libby struggles between her dreams to be an accomplished author and her desire to find a vort (a marriage contract), and her dad’s reputation and her parents’ divorce doesn’t help matters.
Where is “Kugel” set?
The show takes place in Antwerp, Belgium, a seaside town with a population of around half a million, including about 20,000 Jews — about half of them being Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jews. The show was shot entirely on location in the city, and the actors told Kveller they got to interact with the local Jewish community quite a lot, which was more open and welcoming than their experience shooting in the more insular Mea Shea’rim neighborhood. Plus, many actually recognized Gabai from “Shtisel!”
What language is “Kugel” in?
While “Shtisel” was mostly in Hebrew, there’s a whole lot of Yiddish and even a few touches of Flemish in “Kugel,” though a lot of it is still in Hebrew. You’ll definitely want to hit that closed caption button!
Can you tell me a little bit about Antwerp’s Jewish community?
Natuurlijk! (That’s “of course” in Flemish, the spoken language in Antwerp.) The Jewish community in Antwerp started growing in the middle of the 19th century. By the dawn of World War II, it was in the tens of thousands, full of Jews from Eastern Europe and other places in Europe who sought refuge in the city. While the community was greatly impacted by the war and thousands of Jews were deported and murdered by the Nazis, the Jewish neighborhood was never destroyed and began rebuilding itself at the end of the war. The community there is considered to be one of the oldest and biggest in Europe, aside from London’s. Some call it the last living shtetl of Europe, others, the Jerusalem of the North. Historically, the Jewish community has been at the helm of the city’s thriving diamond business, but that has been changing in recent years, a fact that you can see in the excellent Netflix show “Rough Diamonds.”
Wait, what’s kugel again?
Kugel is a beloved Ashkenazi Jewish dish made out of noodles and eggs and other goodies. There are lots of different variations of kugel, including both savory and sweet, and if you’re jonesing for some kugel after watching “Kugel,” you can find many recipes here at Kveller and on our sister site The Nosher.
Who are the stars of “Kugel?”
There are some really exciting actors starring in “Kugel!” Let’s have a look, shall we?
There’s Nuchem Shtisel, the family patriarch, a jewelry salesman and conman with a heart of gold (or at least, some would say that). Nuchem is played by Sasson Gabai, one of Israel’s biggest stars of stage and screen. Gabai starred in both the film and the Broadway production of “A Band’s Visit.” He played Shimon Peres in “Oslo,” and Mousa Ghani in “Rambo III.” He’s also in the latest season of “Tehran,” which recently aired in Israel but hasn’t premiered on Apple TV+ yet because of the war.
We know Hadas Yaron from the second season of “Shtisel,” but also from the excellent “Fill the Void” and “We Were the Lucky Ones,” where she plays Mila Kurc.
Mili Avital plays Yiddis, Libby’s mother and Nuchem’s wife, and is another one of those stars that made it into big overseas productions, most recently starring opposite Anthony Hopkins in the Netflix movie “Mary” about Jesus’ mother. She was in “Kissing a Fool” opposite David Schwimmer and “When Do We Eat?” with Max Greenfield. She’s starred in TV shows like “Damages” and Israel’s “Prisoners of War,” the show “Homeland” is based on.
Rotem Abhuhab plays Pnina, the local kugel shop owner, and is a widely respected TV actress and stand-up comedian in Israel. She’s starred in TV shows like “Sabri Maranan” and the excellent movie “Aviva, My Love.”
Roy Nik plays a handsome yeshiva boy Libby runs into on the tram. He was in the original Israeli “Euphoria,” the French-Israeli show “Possessions” and in the show “Commandments.”
Aury Alby plays a young man who works at a magazine Libby submits a story to. He was most recently in the Prime Studios show “House of David” and in the Israeli show “The Chef.”
Nu, should I watch “Kugel?”
We think you should! The show has quite a different feel from “Shtisel.” It’s more intimate and less of an ensemble cast, and it has this fairytale-like feel and look, but the relationship between Nuchem and Libby is quite beautiful, and these new characters are charming and complex. Its portrayal of Antwerp feels magical and the whole thing has an almost Wes Anderson-like vibe. And it’s full of a lot of delicious kugel, which can’t hurt.
The first two episodes of “Kugel” are now streaming on Izzy.
