After Orthodoxy: Cultural Creativity and the Break with Tradition

There is a widespread fascination with stories about leaving the Orthodox Jewish community. But what happens after this often-traumatic break? Join YIVO for the first conference and festival organized by and featuring formerly Orthodox Jewish scholars, activists, performers, and artists, as we explore the cultural achievements that emerged from this break with tradition.

Through performances, presentations, and panel discussions, we will discuss the challenges and opportunities of leading a meaningful life “after Orthodoxy.” What do formerly Orthodox Jews have to offer the communities they joined, the communities they left behind, and the larger world? What resources do artists and performers draw from their Orthodox upbringings? How have ex-Hasidic activists changed the communities in which they were raised? And how do these challenges and opportunities resonate among those who left other insular religious groups?

Panel discussions will include ex-Orthodox activism with Naftali Moster, Elad Nehorai, Beatrice Weber, and Lani Santo; religion after Orthodoxy with Yehuda Jacobowitz, Amichai Lau-Lavie, Shaul Magid, and Jericho Vincent; scholarship and the break with tradition with Yair Hass, Roni Masel, Zalman Newfield, Naomi Seidman, Jessica Lang, and Dikla Yogev; and leaving other insular religious communities with Hannah Abbasi, Jeremy Jenkins, Amy Jemmett, and Jessica Pratezina.

The conference will also include a music, film, and performance festival, featuring Luzer Twersky as MC; Castles in the Air, a new film by Pearl Gluck; the visual art of Sara Erenthal and Malky Goldman; and performances by Basya Schechter, Riki Rose, Rayne Lunger, Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, Melissa Weisz, and Michael Wex.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.