Reasons for Leaving: Causes and Initial Triggers for Disaffiliation from Orthodox Judaism

Abstract

Investigating both the causes and initial triggers for disaffiliation from Orthodox Judaism is an important part of understanding the complex lived experiences of exiters. This study documents an extensive number of causes for leaving Orthodox Judaism, as well as initial triggers, a less‐often investigated, yet important component of disaffiliation. Using an online survey, over 700 open‐ended responses were collected from 303 participants who self‐identified as having grown up practicing Orthodox Judaism but had since stopped practicing. Content analysis was used to organize responses, resulting in distinct categories that fit into two themes: intellectual and social‐emotional, the former more often reported by males and the latter by females. The most commonly reported causes and initial triggers, respectively, were issues with the community and lack of belief in Torah and Orthodoxy. Our results give voice to exiters by documenting nuanced accounts of the full disaffiliation journey, beginning with the initial trigger.

Religious Disaffiliation From Orthodox Judaism: Social, Psychological, and Intellectual Factors Related to Exiting

“…In our recent work involving the use of open-ended responses inquiring about reasons for disaffiliation among Orthodox Jews (Miles et al 2023), parallels have been found between the quantitative data in this study and the qualitative responses in the aforementioned study. To compare findings, we present (a) the top-reported contributors to disaffiliation from this analysis and (b) the top-reported contributors to disaffiliation from the open-ended responses.…”

“…To compare findings, we present (a) the top-reported contributors to disaffiliation from this analysis and (b) the top-reported contributors to disaffiliation from the open-ended responses. Similar themes emerged across social-emotional and intellectual categories (Miles et al 2023), including moral/ ethical conflicts with Orthodox Judaism, issues with religious laws and practice, and intellectual disagreements or loss of belief in Orthodox Judaism or God. See Figure 3 for top themes from these analyses presented alongside one another.…”

“…Many of these results can be compared to previous research in both qualitative and quantitative studies. Specifically, discrimination, commonly regarding gender, is documented in numerous studies as a reason for disaffiliation (Davidman 2014;Engelman et al 2020;Miles et al 2023;Newfield 2020;Trencher 2016), as well as the belief that one is an independent thinker, which parallels research in which individuals who exited for intellectual reasons often described themselves in ways reflective of independent thinking (Newfield 2020).…”

“…Consistent with our findings, previous studies have identified similar factors as common to narratives of Orthodox Jewish disaffiliation. Specifically, Orthodoxy being restrictive as contributing to leaving has been observed in disaffiliated individuals' narratives across various studies (Berger 2014;Engelman et al 2020;Miles et al 2023;Newfield 2020;Trencher 2016). Furthermore, intellectual factors were reported most often in both the Nishma Research survey of Orthodox disaffiliates (Trencher 2016) and in qualitative interviews of religious exiters (LeCount 2017).…”

Barriers to the Healthcare System Faced by Ultra-Orthodox Religious Disaffiliates

“…For example, they were inspired by secular books they have read and wanted to learn more (Davidman and Greil 2007). Other reasons include the burden of expectations for ultra-Orthodox individuals; feeling of alienation from the community that prioritizes religion over individual needs; and trauma and victimization, including sexual abuse (Heymann 2015;Horowitz 2018;Miles et al 2023;Newfield 2020).…”