‘The Derech’: Of Entrances and Exits
In a world increasingly in flux, as the landscape of religious life constantly…
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OTD: Leaving Religion
In order to understand why some people leave religion, we need to understand why people join and stay in the first place. Religion provides different things for different people, including community, moral, and intellectual guidance. The broad stereotyping of OTD people that sometimes happens isn’t helpful or accurate. It is a complex phenomenon with no…
- Essays
- Essays
What Leaving Religion Means to Me
I grew up in a religious home. All my friends were religious. All…
- Essays
Leaving Religion: A Changing Conversation
Our communal conversation today around those who decide to leave religion is increasingly…
OTD: Leaving Religion
OTD: Leaving Religion Intro
David introduces the next series of the 18Forty Podcast: why people join and leave religion and what we can learn from their decisions.
podcast
OTD: Leaving Religion Intro
David introduces the next series of the 18Forty Podcast: why people join…
podcast
Shulem Deen: Faith, Without Faith
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David discusses with special guest…
podcast
Philo Judaeus: Is There a Room for Dialogue
In this episode of the 18Forty podcast, David invites a man who…
podcast
Kelsey Osgood: A Conversion Narrative of Sorts
In this episode of the 18Forty podcast, David sits down with Kelsey…
podcast
OTD: Leaving Religion Conclusion
As we challenge the stereotype of those who leave religion, we can…
podcast
Moshe Krakowski: Why Jews Leave Faith Behind
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, talk to Moshe Krakowski, a…
podcast
Daniel Hagler and Aryeh Englander: Can Jews Who Stay Talk With Jews…
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a dialogue…
book
OFF THE DERECH: HOW TO RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGE
This was one of the first books written about the phenomenon of people leaving the Jewish community. It’s a bit dated and spends too much time on the emotional component and not enough on the intellectual issue that causes many to leave. It is still an important read, if anything as a presentation of many communal perceptions and some of the important enduring sensitivities.
book
HIDDEN HERETICS: JEWISH DOUBT IN THE DIGITAL AGE
This is a window into a world previously under examined–Hasidic Jews wearing double lives. The internet has created a more porous society in a world that once had stronger boundaries. It is a modern story of sorts, how the internet and online engagement has reshaped what affiliation looks like for many. It’s an important read that reimagines how faith and commitment have been challenged and reshaped in the modern world.
book
FORGIVE US, FATHER-IN-LAW, FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT TO THINK: LETTER TO A PHILOSOPHICAL DROPOUT FROM ORTHODOXY
Hardly anyone has heard of this essay, even fewer have read it. And it’s a shame. Rabbi Carmy is one of the most profound writers of our generation, though he can sometimes be a bit difficult to understand. In this brief compendium written for the now defunct organization ATID, he writes to a philosophical dropout from orthodoxy. Too many other texts focus on those who leave because they weren’t loved or appreciated. Here, Rabbi Carmy masterfully addresses those dissatisfied with the philosophical tenets of Jewish life. It is presented as a real letter to a student and I have no reason not to think it is. It is a rationalistic explanation of the limits of rationalism. And, as he concludes, “the most surprising discovery you make may be yourself.”