One of the first of her friends to have a baby, Marion Haberman naturally turned to the internet — namely YouTube — to help her prepare for motherhood. The lack of “Jewish mommy bloggers” in 2015 inspired the mom of three to become a content creator.
Haberman now has 133,000 subscribers on her YouTube page, My Jewish Mommy Life, nearly a decade later. In addition to pregnancy updates or tips on caring for a toddler, Haberman’s channel features a tutorial on hosting a Passover Seder and more personal topics including her family’s Holocaust story and her Jewish childhood.
Passionate about Jewish learning, Haberman is the vice president of education of her synagogue, where she has served on the board of directors for a total of five years. The Washington, D.C., area resident believes that robust Jewish education is the antidote to antisemitism.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
My family is from South Africa, [they’re] South African Jewish, and they moved to Los Angeles before I was born. So, [I had a] very traditional upbringing. We were part of a Conservative synagogue in LA. I went to Valley Beth Shalom Day School for elementary and middle school, and synagogue life and school were really intertwined with my upbringing. We went to synagogue on Friday nights and kept kosher. Through high school, I was really involved in [United Synagogue Youth] and went to Jewish summer camp. That was a huge part of my Jewish identity and shaped my values and spirituality as I entered college. In college, I was really involved in Hillel, so [I’ve] always been very engaged with the Jewish community and have a lot of friends in the Jewish world.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Right now, we’re in summertime, so a lot of my life is doing carpool shuffle [and] packing all the lunch boxes. My youngest is in preschool half [of the] day. So as soon as I get everyone where they need to be, I come home and do work for a few short hours until I have to go pick him up. I film and edit for YouTube and create those videos to go up. I also create content for Instagram — taking pictures, making Reels, putting up Stories. I try to interact with my audience every single day on Instagram Stories, so [I’m] present there, replying to messages and creating content daily.
My days are very full. I’m a stay-at-home mom primarily and have a lifestyle where I can create content as my job but also be flexible to be home as a mom.
What prompted you to pursue content creation?
I worked for National Geographic and Discovery Channel here in D.C., and I did that for almost 10 years post college. I got my MBA and I was very much in that high-powered TV world of Nat Geo and Discovery. At that time, I was working for Discovery International and I spent a lot of time on YouTube; that’s where we would find talent to put into television shows. I had this peek into the online social media world because of my role in TV, and then when I had a baby and left that world, I really wanted to be part of that online community because it had been so helpful to me.
When I was pregnant, I constantly searched on YouTube [for] what to pack in my hospital bag, how to design the nursery. I was learning so much from other moms online. When we were getting ready for my first son’s bris, I realized there was no other Jewish moms putting content online at all. I decided to fill that space and create that content. I started on YouTube making videos a few weeks after I gave birth, talking about my birth experience, what I packed in my hospital bag, getting ready for the bris, and it evolved from there, but [I] primarily [talk] about my life as a Jewish mom.
What is it like publicly being Jewish online?
Something really unexpected, but such a wonderful benefit of sharing Jewish life online is I actually interact with so many people who don’t know anyone Jewish, who are not from major metropolitan areas, and I’m really the only “real Jewish person” that they know because there aren’t any Jewish people around them. That day-to-day peek into “I’m just a normal mom who happens to be Jewish” I think is really transformative and positive in the Jewish online space. So many of my followers are not Jewish. A lot of them are interested in conversion; a lot of them are religious Christians who are interested in the Old Testament. A lot of them are just people who are interested in people of other faiths.
I’m very happy to [educate people online about Judaism and Jewish life]. I do it out of love and joy and I absolutely have the best time and so much fun putting content out. I try to be so mindful and cautious, know[ing] that what I say is representing a larger group than myself. It’s always felt like a gift and just a wonderful, exciting thing in my life that I’m so grateful for.
Thank you, Marion, for sharing how My Jewish Mommy Life is such a meaningful bridge—bringing Jewish customs, parenting wisdom, and real-life experiences into homes in a way that feels both authentic and uplifting. It’s inspiring to see someone turn personal journey into a space of education and community. Wishing you continued joy and connection in everything you create!