Excellent article from imamother.com: Top Ten Things Not to Say to a Kofer | Imamother People going through religious struggles or an off-the-derech journey are often confronted by well-meaning individuals who make useless and even offensive comments. I did a little survey of my OTD friends and here are the worst offenders, in no particular […]
From the moderators of the Off the Derech Facebook group, a new social media outlet with the following description: Why do people go off the derech? How can we bring frum and frei together? Well, just join the conversation and have a virtual coffee in our OTD FYI group. And, FYI, the group is called OTD FYI.
From the cover: “Dina-Perla grew up in Jewish orthodoxy and a suffocating reality, where nothing is what it seems. As a young girl, she fough for freedom and love, flees her parental home and decides never to return.” Dina-Perla Portnaar’s debut is called “Exodus from the lighthouse” and will be sold in Dutch stores starting […]
Leaving is okay I had an open conversation with a religious friend who watched the One Of Us documentary. She admitted that she hadn’t been planning to watch it, but after reading my blog post, she decided to give it a shot. It touched her.
Dear mom, If only you would be more concerned with my wellbeing and less concerned about religion You would still have me If only you would give me what I need And not what you want me to need If only if only…
by Aryeh Levine I’m tired of seeing rabbis bemoaning the existence of OTD kids as “the loss of so many children.” I just want to grab them by the shoulders, look them in the eye, and say: We are not lost. We are still here. We lost you. Before we ever had you, we lost […]
The Day My Hasidic Father Visited Me at Wellesley Walking around the leafy campus in his black hat and long black coat, my father looks like a historical figure from another era. Fascinated by the elaborate architecture, he points to a poster on Wellesley’s Science building. “What is the meaning of science?” He asks. I’m […]
Via Real Women Real Stories:
People who are still living as an Orthodox Jew to the outside but on the inside have left Orthodox Judaism, have to deal with living in two worlds: the orthodox home / society / family on the one hand, and the personal beliefs and private actions of this person on the other hand. Dealing with […]
There is a widespread misconception (based on Sanhedrin 63) that the only reason why people leave observance is to indulge in their desires. In general, we can say that there are plenty emotional and rational reasons why people leave Orthodox Judaism. Rational reasons include: Lack of belief in the notion of God Lack of belief in the authority […]