Shulem Deen

Shulem Deen (born 1974) is an American author, essayist, former Skver Hasid, and critic of Hasidic Judaism. He is the author of the memoir All Who Go Do Not Return (2015), and is a regular columnist at The Forward. He is also the founding editor of Unpious, a journal for voices critical of Hasidic lifestyle and beliefs.

Career

Deen first became known as the author of the blog "Hasidic Rebel",[1] which he wrote from 2003 until 2012, and which was the subject of a 2003 feature article in the Village Voice.[2] Deen's blog was the first widely read website by a born Hasid casting doubt on his religious faith.[3] In 2010, Deen launched the Unpious website, along with "Shtreimel", another ex-Hasidic blogger, and has served as its editor throughout. The site was intended as a platform for voices critical of the Hasidic lifestyle and beliefs.[4]

Deen's memoir, All Who Go Do Not Return, was published in 2015, and chronicles his transition from devout member of the Skver Hasidic sect to secular Jew.[5] Deen's book is part of a subgenre of memoirs by formerly Haredi writers,[6] and is considered to be one of the best.[7][8]

Deen is a regular columnist at The Forward, and writes widely on the intersection of Hasidic and secular life, including articles in the New Republic, Salon, and Tablet. Even though his work is perceived to be critical of the Hasidic lifestyle and worldview,[9] he has appeared on Orthodox media, such as David Bashevkin's 18Forty podcast.[10]

Deen currently serves as a board member at Footsteps, a New York City organization that assists formerly Haredi Jews with transitioning to life outside the Haredi world.[11]

Awards

Personal life

Deen spent his early life among Satmar Hasidim in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn,[14] and joined the Skver Hasidic dynasty when he was a teenager, moving to the town of New Square, New York, the movement's headquarters, to settle after marriage. He was married in 1993, and has five children.[15] In 2005, Deen was expelled from New Square by its leaders for holding heretical views, and several years later, he divorced his wife and left the Hasidic lifestyle entirely. He is mostly estranged from his children, who have remained among the Skverer Hasidim in New Square, New York.[15][16] He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.[3]

Select articles

References
  1. Julie Wiener (2015-04-15). ""Hasidic Rebel" Shulem Deen on leaving Orthodoxy and losing his children". JTA.
  2. William O'Shea (2003-07-15). "The Sharer of Secrets". Village Voice.
  3. Pearl Gabel (2012-12-13). "Heretic Hasidim". Narratively. Archived from the original on 2014-01-18. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  4. Tova Ross (2014-01-07). "How Ex-Frum Memoirs Became New York Publishing's Hottest New Trend". Tablet Magazine.
  5. Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs (2015-04-12). "No Guides for the Perplexed". Wall Street Journal.
  6. Ezra Glinter (2015-03-18). "A Heretic Grows in Brooklyn". The New Republic.
  7. Kelsey Osgood (2015-04-01). "Judaism and the Twice-Born". The New Yorker.
  8. Jennifer Senior (2015-12-06). "Review: 'Here and There', a Renunciation of a Sect, Tinged With Love". New York Times.
  9. Jay Michaelson (2015-03-17). "In the grips of Jewish fundamentalism: New memoir sheds light on Hasidic community". The Washington Post.
  10. Yudelson, Larry (September 9, 2020). "Preaching the Controversy". Jewish Standard. Times of Israel. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  11. Josh Nathan-Kazis (2012-06-08). "The "Footsteps" of Those Leaving Ultra-Orthodoxy". Forward.com.
  12. "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  13. Eléonore Sulser (9 November 2017). "Le beau palmarès du Prix Médicis". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  14. Shaul Magid (2015-04-15). "My Teacher's Son: A Memoir of Heresy is Marked by a Father's Unnerving Piety". Tablet Magazine.
  15. Joseph Berger (2014-09-09). The Pious Ones. New York: Harper Perennial. pp. 2, 158, 194. ISBN 978-0062123343.
  16. Joseph Berger (2013-11-21). "Outcast Mother's Death, and Questions About Jewish Sect's Sway Over Children". The New York Times.
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