In the summer of 2009, Julia Haart was in a decidedly different social milieu than the one in which we find her in 2021 in the Netflix reality TV show, My Unorthodox Life. Before she lived in a 10,000 square foot penthouse apartment in TriBeCa and served as the CEO for Elite World Group, a global modelling and talent agency, Julia Haart was Mrs. Talia Hendler. At the time, she was living in Atlanta, Georgia, teaching Jewish courses in the Beth Jacob Conference Room at the Atlanta Scholars Kollel for the “Bena Women’s Series.” As indicated on the 2009 class schedule, all classes “are for women only, unless otherwise noted.”

"Cutting Out the Middleman: The Diamond Industry & the Politics of Displacement in a European Port City" has received the Michael Bernstein Dissertation Prize in Judaic Studies. 

The Michael Bernstein Dissertation Prize in Judaic Studies is awarded annually in March to a recent graduate of the University of Michigan. Recipients must have received a Graduate Certificate in Judaic Studies, have completed completed their dissertation and have been awarded their doctoral degree in May, August, or December of the two years prior to the award being given.