Creator, Writer, Singer, Actress.
“From there she has to decide: will she follow her heart or her traditions?”
Millennial Jews have many modern-day problems. Dating, and dating Jewish, is just one of them.
Amanda Shilo recognized the struggle many young Jews face. With dating apps taking the place of shidduchim, Amanda saw an opportunity to connect with an audience she herself is a part of.
From a single discussion about the Jewish dating scene, Amanda was inspired. “My friend suggested I write a show called Girl Meets Goy. And so I did.”
The television series tells the story of a Jewish young woman who only dates Jewish boys, until her friends set up a profile for her on a dating site. “Through the site, she meets the perfect guy, but he is not Jewish. From there she has to decide: will she follow her heart or her traditions?”
This is not your typical television series, as each episode incorporates musical numbers to add lightness and vivacity to the content. “I wish my life were a musical…this way I get to live out my musical theatre fantasies!”
In writing this script, Amanda hopes that it will give non-Jewish people a more nuanced understanding of the Jewish community. Through exploring the universal experience of love, lust and heartbreak, the particularity of the Jewish experience will touch the hearts of every viewer.
The series is not out to provide a manual for how to go about dating as a Jewish young person. Instead, it leaves everything up to the viewer’s interpretation. “This isn’t a how-to, and I’m not trying to push any buttons. I just want to start the conversation.”
Growing up in a Jewish community, Amanda was raised to question everything. “In a way, this television series is just an extension of that ideal. Girl Meets Goy gives me the opportunity to live out an alternative life for those who are unsatisfied with the familiar.”
RANDOM RAPID FIRE WITH AMANDA
1. Classical or Jazz
2. Fame or Fortune
3. Tattoo or Piercing? Both
4. Bad habit? Drinking too much coffee
5. Party trick? I pretend I have a string tied to my tooth and pull it to do the Elvis lip curl!
Amanda Shilo Braverman grew up in Ottawa with a strong background in music and dance. She moved to Toronto in 2012, and recently quit her job in event planning upon realizing her passion lies in what she has always loved. The creation of Girl Meets Goy is the start of an adventure that Amanda anticipates will last a lifetime.
Interview by Adina Samuels