New Books Network Zalman Newfield, "Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism" (Temple UP, 2026)
Feb 23, 2026
Zalman Newfield, Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies and author of Brooklyn Odyssey, recounts leaving the Lubavitch Hasidic world. He talks about secret learning, travels doing outreach, doubts around messianic fervor, the shock of shaving his beard, and choosing secular education and a different path in love and family. The conversation traces cultural ties, grief, and the complexities of exit.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
When The Rebbe Failed To Reveal Himself
- Zalman Newfield describes childhood belief that Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the Messiah and the 1990s ceremony where the Rebbe failed to reveal himself.
- The dashed expectations at the curtain-opening when the Rebbe sat in pain sparked Zalman's first doubts about taught beliefs.
Why His Parents Chose Spiritual Safety Over Secular Education
- Zalman's parents joined Lubavitch from a secular background and prioritized spiritual safety over secular success for their children.
- Their choice explains why Lubavitch schools omitted secular studies: protecting the soul outweighed conventional measures like diplomas.
Secretly Learning English With An Uncle's Workbook
- At 15–16 Zalman realized he couldn't sign his name in English and secretly learned from his uncle using second-grade workbooks.
- He progressed from illustrated children’s classics to Solzhenitsyn, sparking a lifelong love of secular reading.
