Freidom

Freidom
Formation2012; 14 years ago (2012)
FounderGene Steinberg
Legal statusNonprofit
PurposeSocial support and cultural guidance for people who have left Haredi Jewish communities
HeadquartersNew York City
Region served
United States and Canada
Members1,300
Websitehttps://freidom.org/
Formerly called
OTD Meetup

Freidom, originally OTD Meetup, is a non-profit organization based in New York City that hosts social and cultural events for former Haredi Jews in a dozen cities throughout the US and Canada.[1][2][3]

History and Mission

Freidom was founded as OTD Meetup by Gene Steinberg, himself a former Satmar Hasidic Jew raised in Kiryas Joel, NY, inspired by the suicide of his close friend and former Haredi Rachel Nove in 2010, to create a supportive environment for people of such background during their transition into mainstream society, which can be isolating, and to introduce them to new cultural experiences. In 2012, the first events were Shabbos meals and gatherings. Steinberg changed the name in 2019 to Freidom – Frei being the Yiddish word for free – to reflect its members' choice to free themselves from the idea that there is only one path to follow.[1]

Activities

Freidom holds almost 200 events annually in twelve United States and Canadian cities. These include outings to museums, the theater, sporting events, movies, and restaurants, as well as gatherings and virtual meetups. In 2019, Freidom launched its annual "Freifest" festival, which was attended in its first year by around 95 people.[1]

Membership

In 2019, Freidom had a reported membership of 1,300.[1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization saw a significant rise in membership and a 50% increase in participation in events, a result of a wave of religious laxity and disaffiliation caused by various aspects of the pandemic.[4][5]

Allegations

In September 2023, New York based ex-Hasidic support organization Footsteps sent a letter via email to its members stating it had cut ties with Freidom and would no longer promote their events, due to allegations by Footsteps members of lack of safety at Freidom events. Freidom responded in a statement that it could not address the allegations due to the vagueness of the statement.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Partlan, Alisa (November 20, 2019). "For A Growing Community Of Ex-Orthodox, 'Freidom' Comes At A Cost". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  2. ^ Kahn, Gabe. "How Jewish life, demographics changed in the 2010s". njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com.
  3. ^ "Newly Formerly Orthodox". Lilith Magazine. January 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "Pandemic sees New York's ultra-orthodox Jews turn their back on community". The Telegraph. May 6, 2021.
  5. ^ "In New York, pandemic pushes some Orthodox Jews to leave their community". France 24. April 4, 2021.
  6. ^ "Footsteps cuts ties with Freidom citing lack of safety". Shtetl. September 14, 2023.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.