Just a Casualty
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…
Entries by Chatzkaleh Kofer
We Are Not Lost
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
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 […]
Leah Vincent’s Life and Her Ability to Come Out the Other Side
Via Real Women Real Stories:
Living in Two Worlds
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 […]
Reasons Why People Go OTD
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 […]
Survey Reveals 46% of National Religious Israelis Leave The Faith
Survey: Only 46% of Next Generation National Religious Israelis Keep the FaithThe Jewish Press | JNi.Media | 20 Iyyar 5777 – May 16, 2017 | JewishPress.com A study conducted by the Chotam organization shows that although the “knitted yarmulke” population in Israel has a relatively high fertility rate, its percentage in the population does not […]
Luzer Twersky Left Orthodox Judaism For Sex, Bacon and Acting
Luzer Twersky Left Orthodox Judaism For Sex, Bacon, and Acting Luzer Twersky meets me outside the apartment complex in Williamsburg where he’s been staying with a friend. The location seems somehow fitting: near the demarcation between hipster north Williamsburg and predominantly Hasidic south Williamsburg, and a block from Traif, a popular pork- and shellfish-themed restaurant. […]
Aryeh’s Story
Aryeh is 21 and was raised in Seattle. Today, Aryeh considers himself to be an atheist, but a human before anything else. In many ways he identifies more with his hunter gatherer, primate, and non-mammalian ancestors than his more recent Jewish ones but feels a cultural kinship not related to religion for his fellow Jews. […]