In order to know who the initial ‘customers’ are for my blog, I created a poll asking “Are you an ex-orthodox Jew”?
31 People voted (I am proud of you, guys!), as follows:
- Yes (51%)
- No (12%)
- I am not Jewish (9%)
- It’s complicated (25%)
I find it interesting to know more about the 21% of people that visit my site, although they are not specifically targeted: OJ and non-Jewish people. Of course everyone is welcome, I am just curious :)
I'm one of the 12% that isn't ex-orthodox.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of Jewish blogs out there. The vast majority, I have found, are highly uncritical -- of Israel, of Judaism, of pretty much everything. And therefore uninteresting. The big exception are the OTD blogs, mostly because they are written by highly intelligent, conflicted, and deeply introspective people. Althgouh I am not orthodox, reading about how others grapple with their own Judaism is fascinating, insightful and inspirational.
Thanks for doing it.
where do we vote? and what do you classify as orthodox? ex orthodox? i suppose that makes me it's complicated.
ReplyDeleteRR: Great to hear that! I learn something new every day ;)
ReplyDeleteKS: I took the poll offline when it finished. Exactly, that's why I made the 'it's complicated' answer ;)
GOD is dead....the levayah is tomorrow
ReplyDelete-rembrandt
I am BT and I like to read OTD blogs in order to see what the "other face of the medal" is, i.e. what are subjective impressions of children who grew up OJ It allows me to discover aspects they never mention in kiruv programs.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason is that I see a parallel - or rather a symetry - between myself and OTDs.
Ant third: although they do not want it any more, they still know an awful lot more than I could ever learn. (I particularly enjoy r. Pinky Schmekelstein's drashot)
Swiss BT: Anyone is welcome here :) What is the symmetry you see?
ReplyDeleteClearly I've found this blog very late, but am enjoying reading the posts. I'm in the same boat as RR, and am KFB . . .Kofer From Birth :. My reasons for reading are similar to the other readers . . . I think the symmetry SBT speaks of is intellectually parting with the doctrine of one's youth . . . If you do read this note, please keep in mind those of us who were not raised Orthodox and could use some help with the jargon. Really awesome blog!!
ReplyDeletep.s. would be curious in another poll as to whether OTDs are more likely to be children of ppl who are BTs or FFBs . .
ReplyDeleteTali: Thanks for commenting! And feel free to join us on our Facebook group called "Off the Derech" where we can answer all your questions about people like us and our jargon ;)
ReplyDeleteI have been browsing your website for the better part of an hour, and it is an extraordinary resource. I imagine it is a godsend to ex-Orthodox individuals and their supporters. I happened across it while conducting research related to my work in television development.
ReplyDeleteI am working with RelativityREAL, an LA-based TV production company, and we are developing a new slate of documentary series. One of the concepts we are considering is a series about formerly Orthodox or Hasidic Jewish young people. Most of the content on this topic is either exploitive or judgmental. Is is our desire to create programming that is neither of these things.
The CEO of our company is the creator of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for ABC, and one of our more popular currently airing shows is Coming Home for Lifetime. Our usual network partners are TLC, Discovery, and A&E. These networks specialize in documentary programming about people facing unconventional challenges. I think that formerly Ortodox and Hasidic individuals fall squarely into that category.
An thoughtfully and compassionately produced documentary series about ex-Orthodox individuals has the potential to initiate a much needed dialogue about religious and cultural identity.
I would love to speak with you in order to better educate myself about ex-Orthodox issues before moving forward in this process. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me via email or call me at any of the numbers below. Thank you for your consideration.
Bernard Parham
bernardcasting@gmail.com
(O) 323.860.6746