Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Forward 50 2014

Leah Vincent

Leah Vincent, 32, became the new face of the burgeoning ex-Orthodox community this year with the publication of her feted memoir, “Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood.” Vincent is just one of several formerly Orthodox authors to tell their stories in recent books. But in addition to describing her own experiences, she has also become an activist for those undergoing similar life changes.

Born in Pittsburgh to a prominent Orthodox family, Vincent became estranged from Orthodoxy while studying in England and Israel, and later while living by herself in New York. In her memoir, she describes the painful journey away from religion, and her efforts to come to terms with her sexuality. Although her story had a happy ending — in 2007 she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and earned her master’s degree in public policy in 2009 from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government — she also survived rape, prostitution and abusive relationships.

Like many ex-Orthodox Jews, Vincent is a critic of her former community, but also an advocate for increased collaboration and dialogue between the ex-Orthodox world and the larger Jewish community. Through her work with organizations like Footsteps, her writing and media appearances, and the “It Gets Besser” video project, Vincent has helped make the ex-Orthodox experience a part of mainstream Jewish life.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.