After Orthodoxy: Cultural Creativity and the Break with Tradition

Conference Sep. 15 (Day 1) | 9:00am-10:00pm ET Sep. 16 (Day 2) | 10:00am-1:30pm ET Co-sponsored by the University of Toronto, the Jewish Studies Center at Hunter College, Footsteps, and Hillel (Israel) In Person: Admission: Free Registration is required. Register Zoom Livestream: Admission: Free Registration is required. Register

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-Haredi activism with Naftali Moster, Elad Nehorai, and Beatrice Weber; religion after Orthodoxy with Yehuda Jacobowitz, Amichai Lau-Lavie, Shaul Magid, and Jericho Vincent; scholarship and the break with tradition with Yair Hess, 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; and performances by Basya Schechter, Riki Rose, 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.