A NYC conference celebrates the cultural creativity of formerly Orthodox Jews
YIVO hosts a two-day symposium on Jews who went “off the derech,” or religious path
Off The Derech
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Forverts in English WATCH: A powerful song by a young woman who left the Hasidic world behind
Read this article in Yiddish. Although there have been a number of new Yiddish songs recorded in the past couple of years, it‘s rare to see songs written by women who have left the Hasidic community. Hannah Gee was raised Hasidic but decided early on that this wasn’t the life for her. Yet, in contrast…
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Life Why Did Netflix Cut ‘I’m Gay’ From Documentary About Ex-Hasids?
NEW YORK (JTA) — A woman who was featured in a hit Netflix documentary about former Orthodox Jews says the fact that she was openly lesbian was cut from the film. Etty Ausch, 33, is one of three people who tell their stories of leaving the Brooklyn Hasidic community in “One of Us,” which was…
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Fast Forward ‘One Of Us’ Director Apologizes For Remarks On Holocaust And Hasidim
The director of the Netflix documentary “One of Us,” about formerly ultra-Orthodox Jews, apologized last week for inaccurate comments she made about the Holocaust, the Jerusalem Post reported. In an appearance on the Charlie Rose show, Heide Ewing made it seem as though Hasidic Jews were targeted at a higher rate than non-religious Jews. “The…
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News Even After Leaving Ultra-Orthodoxy, Women Report A Culture Of Sexual Misconduct
Earlier this month, a woman who had broken with ultra-Orthodox Judaism welcomed another ex-Orthodox man into her home in New Jersey. The man had promised to advise her on managing divorce proceedings with young children. He claimed to have been through a similar ordeal, she said. Instead of asking her about her upcoming trial, the…
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News EXCLUSIVE: 3 Ex-Orthodox Women Accuse Community Member Of Sexual Assault
Five women who have broken with ultra-Orthodox Judaism are accusing a man in the ex-Orthodox community of sexual misconduct, with three alleging that he sexually assaulted them. The allegations surfaced when one of the women posted her story to Facebook, which prompted several women to tell their own stories of alleged mistreatment — from pressuring…
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Fast Forward Ex-Hasidic Woman Gets Children Back After Coming Out As Lesbian
After coming out to her children as a lesbian, a formerly Hasidic woman lost custody of her children. Now, after a landmark ruling by three Brooklyn judges, she has won not only the right to see her children, but the right to express herself however she wants with them, the New York Post reported. When…
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Fast Forward Formerly Ultra-Orthodox Millennials Get Special ‘Off The Derech’ Moishe House
Two not-for-profits, Moishe House and Footsteps, are teaming up to create a center for formerly ultra-Orthodox millennial Jews. Moishe House is known widely for subsidizing co-living spaces for residents who use the spaces as hubs for the local twentysomething Jewish community. The residents of the new Moishe House Crown Heights are all Jews who are…
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