The secular world has a narrative about what it means to leave Orthodox Judaism. The Orthodox world has a narrative, too, one that treats those who leave as pitiful people who were dealt a bad hand in life. This story is so deeply ingrained that even those who leave take it with them, whether they want to or not. What does it mean to shed that self-perception?

Episode Credits:

Written by Naomi Seidman and Produced by M. Louis Gordon. Recorded by Lucien Lozon at MCS Studios Toronto. Mixed by Cory Choy at Silver Sound NYC, with theme music by Luke Allen, and special thanks to Alex Dillon. Our Senior Producer is David Zvi Kalman.

Heretic in the House is a podcast from the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, you can dial 988, the U.S. national suicide hotline, for help. A list of hotlines in countries outside of the U.S. can be found here.

If you're OTD/ex-Orthodox and you need support, Footsteps is an organization that can connect you with services that may help. You can reach them at footstepsorg.org.