Unorthodox Reading Companions: Going Off the Derech with Quarantine's Hottest Show

Unorthodox is generating plenty of buzz. “Captivating”, “devastating”, “stunning”, and “binge-worthy” are just a few of the accolades the show has earned since its premiere on March 26. The story follows Esty (Shira Haas), a young woman who flees her tight-knit Satmar Hasidic community in Brooklyn for Berlin. It’s based on Deborah Feldman’s bestselling memoir, Unorthdox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots. Audiences and critics are talking about the show’s compelling performances, its use of Yiddish, and its depiction of Hasidic life. An accompanying documentary, Making Unorthodox, provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look. Did you know that the show’s plot differs significantly from Feldman’s memoir, which is just as thrilling? Find out more by reading the e-book.

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Unorthodox is part of a powerful, emerging literary genre by and about people who have gone “off the derech” (off the path), meaning that they left an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. If you enjoyed the show, you might also like similarly-themed films inspired by books, such as Disobedience, based on Naomi Alderman’s book of the same name, and Boaz Yakin’s Price Above Rubies; or the (non-book-based) Mendy and documentary One of Us.

Main Reading Room — NYPL Digital Collections: Image ID: 1153329

Libraries—especially public libraries—often play a role in these stories as (forbidden) places providing free access to secular knowledge. Visiting a public library is not allowed in ultra-Orthodox communities; neither is the internet. As a result, people who grow up without these resources have a lot of catching up to do when they enter the secular world. Whether it is self-education or practical skills, The New York Public Library has resources to support people going through transitions of all kinds: free books and internet access, and tools for studying for a GED, school or work exam; finding a job or career; learning English or computer skills. The organization Footsteps also plays a vital role in supporting those who are considering going, or are already, “off the derech”.

Want to explore these themes more? Grab your library card and dive in. Nearly all of the following are available as e-books. (Get a Library card here / Get help here)

Memoirs

Treyf: My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw by Elissa Altman

All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen

Here and There: Leaving Hasidism, Keeping My Family by Chaya Deitsch

Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deobrah Feldman

Exodus by Deborah Feldman

Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life and Finally Came Home by Leah Lax

The Book of Separation by Tova Mirvis

Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman by Abby Stein

Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood by Leah Vincent

Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander

Non-Fiction

Becoming Un-Orthodox: Stories of Ex-Hasidic Jews by Lynn Davidman

Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels by Hella Winston

Fiction

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Clik here to view.The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham

Disobedience by Naomi Alderman

Hush by Eishes Chayil

Light Fell by Evan Fallenberg

I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

The Rabbi's Daughter by Reva Mann

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Prodigal Children in the House of G-D: Stories by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub

A Price Above Rubies by Boaz Yakin

Articles

Boltman-Fasman, Judy. “Off the path: Ex-Hasid memoirs shine a spotlight on Faigy Mayer’s world”. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. August 9, 2015.

Brodesser- Akner, Taffy. “The high price of leaving ultra-Orthodox life”. New York Times. March 30, 2017.

Ross, Tova. “How Ex-Frum Memoirs Became New York Publishing’s Hottest New Trend”. Tablet

Teaching Resources

Moss, Josh; Kirzane, Jessica. “Off the Derekh”: Losing and Leaving Religion. Teach Great Jewish Books (Yiddish Book Center) - Resources and Teachers’ Guide.