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Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism Paperback – April 10, 2020

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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Those who exit a religion—particularly one they were born and raised in—often find themselves at sea in their efforts to transition to life beyond their community. In Degrees of Separation, Schneur Zalman Newfield, who went through this process himself, interviews seventy-four Lubavitch and Satmar ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews who left their communities.He presents their motivations for leaving as well as how they make sense of their experiences and their processes of exiting, detailing their attitudes and opinions regarding their religious upbringing. Newfield also examines how these exiters forge new ways of being that their upbringing had not prepared them for, while also considering what these particular individuals lose and retain in the exit process.

Degrees of Separation presents a comprehensive portrait of the prolonged state of being “in-between” that characterizes transition out of a totalizing worldview. What Newfield discovers is that exiters experience both a sense of independence and a persistent connection; they are not completely dislocated from their roots once they “arrive” at their new destination. Moreover, Degrees of Separation shows that this process of transitioning identity has implications beyond religion.

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  1. Print length
    227 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 10, 2020
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1439918961
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1439918968
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Degrees of Separation is an original and imaginative investigation of the character and consequences of exiting closed and closely knit religious communities. On the basis of extensive interviews and observation of two Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New York—Lubavitch and Satmar—Newfield examines the experiences and consequences of exiting. He rejects the taken-for-granted assumption that exit can be clean and decisive and hence prefers to talk about ‘exiting.’ Like whistleblowers, exiting individuals are typically subject to symbolic attacks and are often regarded as psychologically unstable by the community. Exiting can never be complete, because individuals have deeply ingrained habits acquired from early socialization in the community. Degrees of Separation is not simply a study of religious communities; it offers important insights into membership of and exit from any community or ‘total institution.’”—Bryan S. Turner, Presidential Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and author of The Religious and the Political: A Comparative Sociology of Religion



“Degrees of Separation is a nuanced, sensitive book about ‘exiters’—those who leave their Hasidic communities of origin—for all kinds of reasons. Newfield’s account moves beyond a simple binarism, that of staying or going; instead he foregrounds the complicated ways that exiters experience long-term liminality, simultaneously attached to and independent of the totalizing communities in which they grew up. Newfield has written an accessible, fascinating book sure to be of great interest to a wide audience—a real accomplishment.”—Ayala Fader, Professor of Anthropology at Fordham University and author of Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age



"[A] fascinating and inspiring read that challenges readers to consider the religious periphery of religious exiters and the development of their new journeys.... Most importantly, it opens a door to a largely unknown world full of mysticism and tradition and highlights the struggle against its oppressive systems. Newfield’s own positionality as an ex-Lubavitcher and the realization of his own transcending liminality make this book a very informative yet intimate story—a story of belonging, curiosity, and bravery but also loss and grief."—Politics, Religion & Ideology

About the Author

Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social Sciences, Human Services, and Criminal Justice, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Temple University Press; 1st edition (April 10, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 227 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1439918961
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439918968
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

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Schneur Zalman Newfield

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

N
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful introduction to sociological analysis
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2022
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I keep making the mistake of assigning just the Introduction to this book to my students, naively thinking that they won't ask to read the rest, since my course is not specifically focused on the sociology of religion. And so, here I am again, buying my third copy, as the second "loaner" copy is still "in circulation" and has not yet been returned. This is such a well-written example of reflexivity in academic writing: here, Prof. Newfield demonstrates how one's own personal experiences can, indeed, inform scholarly inquiry, contrary to common assumptions, as pure detachment is neither possible nor desirable. Moreover, I have to repeat, this is a scholarly book that students WANT to read, as Newfield is able to both make foundational, complicated sociological theory immediately accessible and to make insights about a specific community that resonate for all of us.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and insightful
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020
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"Degrees of Separation" is a well-written, in-depth look at the experience of leaving ultra-Orthodox Judaism. At the same time, it offered insights broadly applicable to the experience of transitioning away from an upbringing in any community with a "totalizing worldview," whether religious or not, and it will likely resonate with many readers for that reason. I found it an interesting counterpoint to memoirs such as Educated (Tara Westover) and All Who Go Do Not Return (Shulem Deen). And while it is clearly an academic work--and therefore one I would probably not have found but for the fact that I know the author--I found it accessible as a non-academic.
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E S
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and important
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020
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I'm not someone who writes reviews often, so please excuse my writing.
The author has done extensive research to analyze the topic of identity for those experiencing major life transitions. I have read numerous books on this topic, but this one stands out. The author did not attempt to tell one story, but instead uses the sociological framework to analyze the complete experience with utmost sensitivity. I can't recommend this book enough. And like other reviewers have written, although it is an academic book, it is very accessible for the common reader.
4 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing reading on a fascinating subject matter
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021
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Though this book is about exiting religious sects specifically, I found this book completely intriguing on the subject matter of human change in general. How easy is it for anyone to leave the past behind? Professor Newfield's discussion about the liminality present in the process of exiting an insular community such as the Lubavich is equally translatable to anyone making a transformational life change: it isn't easy, and even when it's "done" there are still remnants of your upbringing from which you will never be able to fully exit. This book establishes that the concept of liminality can be a useful container for delving more deeply into the sociological study of transformational life changes whatever they may be.
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GradyGuy
3.0 out of 5 stars To much sociology verbiage
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2021
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The snippets of interviews from those who left ultra-orthodox life was interesting. However there was way too much sociology science mixed in for my liking. Therefore I found it somewhat disappointing.
4 people found this helpful
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Simon
4.0 out of 5 stars New information contradicts common beliefs
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2021
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Interesting analyses of prevailing attitudes of those who exited from Ultra Orthodox communities. The book is an important companion to the memoirs written by those who left the community because these books do not describe in a general way the attitudes and beliefs the exiters took with them when they left. For example, it was interesting to read that those who left look down upon more liberal forms of Judaism, even Modern Orthodoxy, as not really being Jewish, or the men take away negative attitudes toward the dress and role of women, or hold onto some unfortunate racist views. The only caveat is that the size of the sample interviewed for the author's study is very small and restricted to two Ultra Orthodox groups in the U.S. But book is worth reading.
3 people found this helpful
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Karen & Charles
5.0 out of 5 stars Changed the way I think of identity
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2020
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Zalman Newfield skillfully combines a scholarly sociological study with accessible narrative writing. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the nuances of identity, learning about what life is like in the Hasidic and Satmar communities, and learning about a fascinating life story.
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Just ask me!
5.0 out of 5 stars Opens the door into a couple of ultraOrthodox communities
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
While the interviewees who agreed to speak to the author aren't a representative sample of those who choose to leave their ultraOrthodox sects, this book shines a light on Lubavich and Satmar life.
Read this book rather than believing the dramatized, fictionalized versions.
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john sanders
5.0 out of 5 stars The role of embodiment in identity formation.
Reviewed in Canada on May 26, 2023
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This monograph breaks new if somewhat derivative theoretical ground.The author is himself a refugee from Hasidism.While acknowledging the travail of Hasids seeking a more liberal form of Judaism he seems to see the persecution of exiters by community groups as functional even if coercive assuring group survival.To that extent he underestimates the traumatic effects of rejection experienced by transitioners to more liberal forms of life and worship. He gives the opportunities for critiques of Jewish fundamentalism to his small sample of individual "exiters" abandoning a totalizing lifestyle with excerpts from his interviews.
He identifies two categories of exiters by their motivations for leaving, as socially emotionally motivated versus intellectually or cognitively motivated with a preference for the intellectually academically motivated. This seems to me to ignore that these two categories the emotional and intellectual are congruent with any person. Nevertheless Newfield suggests but does not fully explore embodiment and unconscious motivation ensuring a half in half out stance. He misapplies Victor Turner's concept of liminality to give credence to the turmoil involved in choosing an alternative lifestyle as a gradual process. Jewish rituals seem to determine a lingering fealty to some orthodox norms even by secular Jews.The idea of the unconscious partial retention of tropes and norms invokes stereotypical definitions of Jewishness. It is questionable that the internalization of norms and practices acquired in childhood predetermine an absence of choice later in life? Newfield relies too much on Eric Erikson's stages of personal development determining future possibilities.
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