Brooklyn Odyssey
My Journey Out of Hasidism
Book •
Zalman Newfield's Brooklyn Odyssey is a personal memoir tracing his upbringing in Crown Heights within the Lubavitch Hasidic community and his gradual exit from that world.
The book describes formative moments including encounters with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, international outreach missions, secret engagement with secular books, and the emotional consequences of leaving.
Newfield reflects on family ties, the death of loved ones, and the decision to pursue higher education and marry outside the Orthodox community.
He situates personal narrative within broader social and religious contexts, illuminating the cultural and institutional forces that shape Hasidic life.
The memoir offers an intimate, scholarly-informed account of identity, faith, and belonging.
The book describes formative moments including encounters with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, international outreach missions, secret engagement with secular books, and the emotional consequences of leaving.
Newfield reflects on family ties, the death of loved ones, and the decision to pursue higher education and marry outside the Orthodox community.
He situates personal narrative within broader social and religious contexts, illuminating the cultural and institutional forces that shape Hasidic life.
The memoir offers an intimate, scholarly-informed account of identity, faith, and belonging.
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Caleb Zakarin
Zalman Newfield, "Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism" (Temple UP, 2026)
