By Libby Herz
This past Yud Tes Kislev, Inbetweeners Anonymous celebrated its fourth anniversary at The Shull in Crown Heights. Rabbi Yonah Korn spoke about his life story as it related to Yud Tes Kislev, a beautiful leather Tanya was raffled off, and gifts were given to the young teachers of Inbetweeners Anonymous.
Inbetweeners Anonymous, the brainchild of Mimi Deitsch and Mushka Feldman, is a unique Instagram page that began in 2019, when Mimi and Mushka worked as madrichas in Machon Alte. The two were saturated with the teachings of Torah and Chassidus. From morning until night, the pair learned, taught, and weaved Chassidus into their daily lives. That year, at a Yud Tes Kislev farbrengen, they pondered methods of making Chassidus accessible to a broader audience.
“Every space needs to be elevated,” Mimi says. After hours of deliberation, the girls decided they would expand their reach beyond the students of Machon Alte by creating an Instagram account packed with one-minute Tanya gems.
The duo began experimenting with Instagram’s one-minute video limit, learning how to teach daily Tanya in under one minute. They also created a WhatsApp group for those who prefer not to use Instagram.
As the account was brought into being, the students at Machon Alte were filled with anticipation. But still, there was no name for the account. Inspiration came in the form of Rabbi Chaim Miller’s sefer, The Practical Tanya; the Book for Inbetweeners. “Rabbi Miller used the term ‘in-betweeners’ to describe a Beinoni,” says Mimi. “It refers to a Jew who constantly strives in the service of Hashem. Our page was created directly for the Beinoni.”
The new account was created to support those working on transforming the animal soul, and the name “Inbetweeners Anonymous” captures the essence of Mimi and Mushka’s goal to support those individuals. The term ‘Anonymous’ symbolizes a support group, as in ‘Alcoholics Anonymous.’
At first, Mimi and Mushka wrote and presented each one-minute clip on their own. Over time, what initially took hours of learning and preparation, and hundreds of takes, became a streamlined and efficient five-minute process.
It didn’t take long for the Tanya in under a minute videos to gain popularity. That first year, the girls celebrated the page’s success at a siyum together with hundreds of followers.
The following year, Mushka got married and had a baby. This required a shift in responsibilities. The duo asked themselves, “What would the Rebbe want?” It was clear that after years of teaching Chassidus, they should expand in their endeavor and not subtract from it.
So they implemented a schedule including fourteen friends who would share the teaching responsibilities. “This took a massive weight off our shoulders,” Mimi says. Over the years, the duo adapted to various life changes.
Now, new faces began teaching Tanya. When some volunteers weren’t able to produce a video, they had other friends do it instead. Over time, more volunteers began teaching, and even more new faces began showing up on the account. “It’s opened up this channel making Tanya so accessible,” Mimi says. “The Rebbe writes that ‘if you know aleph, teach aleph.’ You don’t need to look a certain way or be a certain type of person. Anyone can teach Chassidus.”
Inbetweeners Anonymous has faced its share of criticism and objections. “Some people sent us messages claiming that women shouldn’t be teaching,” Mimi says. Still, the duo remained undeterred, and maintained complete confidence in their mission. In fact, the young women take the resistance they face as proof that they have made it. “When you get backlash, it means you are doing something,” Mimi says. “We are legit!”
The account receives encouraging feedback and support from unexpected sources on a daily basis. Mimi regularly visits the Ohel and gives the Rebbe updates, reviews, and comments sent to her account. “I feel I have the Rebbe with me,” she says. “I take this very seriously as my shlichus.” She firmly believes that just as the Rebbe sent people to faraway places, her Instagram page is no different. It may be unconventional, but she’s more than ok with it. “This is where we have to be,” she says.
Inbetweeners Anonymous has touched so many Jewish souls, and four years later, the account has grown way beyond all expectations. Now, there are copy accounts of Inbetweeners Anonymous in other languages, including Hebrew, Spanish and Portuguese.
As this unconventional account embarks on its fifth year of supporting Beinonim worldwide, it promises new faces and continued growth, making the teachings of Chassidus accessible to all who seek it.
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This would is be a better story for the press to pick up.