Kiruv & Orthodox Judaism

I’ve been working with a coach on experiencing pleasure. It’s not that I haven’t experienced it at all, but it was few and far between, and I did not enjoy my day-to-day existence. I can probably say I started experiencing joy for the first time about a year ago. My default...

My partner and I recently attended a retreat organized by Footsteps, the organization that supports (mostly) Orthodox Jews leaving religion, especially in the New York area. The retreat was wonderful, and I am grateful to the organization for creating such an enjoyable experience, with a lot of generosity, abundance,...

A recent memory came back to me. At the age of around 14, I remember bursting into tears in front of both my parents. I didn't understand, I told them, what the point of all the Torah study I was doing that I engaged in for about 12 hours...

I hate this time of year. I hate personal growth that gets scheduled on a calendar. A month where everyone goes on their best behavior, like they’re being audited by some heavenly oversight authority. I hate scripted apologies. A specific time of year wherever everyone needs to ask everyone else to...

In the hyperbolic style of Mishpacha Magazine. Inspired by bullshit like this. Mild mannered and unassuming, most people looking at Gedalya Halevi Fleagenkrautz would not realize the man is truly one of the biggest leaders of the generation, a gadol who has brought thousands closer to Yiddishkeit. In the corner, a...

An interview with Rabbi Shalom Tzvi Shore, spiritual leader of the anti-Kiruv movement. This article is part of a series written by the weekly publication Yated magazine, written in their signature broken English and bad grammar that is a mainstay of Orthodox Jewish culture. Speaking with Rabbi Shalom Tzvi Shore,...

The bible, so full of contradictory statements, is a perfect setting for Rorschach tests. It’s all just spilled ink on the page. You see what you want to see. You want airy fairy hippy shit? You got it. “Sons you are, to the lord your God.” You want dogmatic, oppressive, hardline world views? You’ll...

I recently crowdsourced a list of things people had been told or taught during their stint with Orthodox Judaism. None of these are my own. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried. I've organized it by topic to make it easier to digest and jump to your favorite...

Call me Noah Because I'm passed out drunk in a vineyard of my own planting Lying shamefully bare  Tell my children to come cover me up While shielding their eyes so none shall see the damage I've wrought Castrated a generation through overpopulation A messianic cult led by a charismatic leader, a cult of...

Are you wondering how old you are in Jewish? This handy dandy guide will convert your English birth date into the equivalent in Hebrew years. Give it a shot and be amazed! label { font-weight: bold; } button { color: white; background: #CE1126; padding: 10px 80px; border:...