Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels

by Hella Winston

Book Overview

An exploration of Hasidic Jews struggling to live within their restrictive communities--and, in some cases, to carve out a new life beyond them When Hella Winston began talking with Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn for her doctoral dissertation in sociology, she was surprised to be covertly introduced to Hasidim unhappy with their highly restrictive way of life and sometimes desperately struggling to escape it. Unchosen tells the stories of these "rebel"...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807036277
• ISBN13: 9780807036273
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Why are people so defensive?

I am truly amazed (but probably should not be) by how hard some of these reviewers are trying to discredit this book by claiming that the people portrayed in it are "rare" or that the author is in it for the money. As someone who knows this world VERY well, I can say that these stories are NOT so rare, and that it is about time that people stopped performing a cover-up for the sake of image and appearances. Yes, there are some very wonderful things about this world, and the author acknowledges those. But there are also some not so good things and bringing that out might actually help people, like the ones in the book. It is a shame that some people are so threatened by the truth.

Challenging subject sensitively handled

This book deals with a challenging subject. Unlike some of the reviewers below, I do not see it as an attempt to smear Hasidic people or their way of life, but rather to tell the stories of those who cannot live that life. People who see it as otherwise might be reading something into this book that I do not think is there. To question why the author did not write about native american "rebels" or "rebels" from other groups is, in my opinion, just plain stupid. Others can and I am sure have and will write those books, however this book is about Hasidim. And even so, I think the struggles of the people portrayed in this book have a very universal appeal as they reflect the struggles that all human beings go through (I am not even Jewish and I could identify with these characters). If you have an open mind and compassion in your heart you will enjoy this book.

explore this book with an open mind

This is an easy to read book, with important true-life stories. Told well and honestly. I recognize many of the characters from my own experiences in the litvishe yeshiva world. If you want to gain insight into the complexity of a wonderful but imperfect community -- read this book. It is not condemning, and it does not mean that all Hasidim are sad and wanting more. The author is quite matter-of-factly about what she found. And many of the accounts and stories made me laugh. Although the topic as a whole is challenging. There is a good story here, one that is hopeful, especially with people like Malkie, and others who humanize these people. Read it, think, hope, and maybe even help out. See others as people, real people with real issues. Don't be fooled by the garb. There are real people in the black coat, some happy, some sad, and many are quite wonderful.

Wonderful and informative

For a modern-day tale of the triumph of the individual in the face of a closed society that demands conformity, please read this book! This book documents the hidden stories of people, mostly young, who struggle to find their own identities within the ultra-orthodox Jewish communities of Brooklyn. As the author points out, these communities demand strict adherence to their perceived concept of Jewish Law. But as we see, this embodies much more than just religious practices; this adherence affects every single aspect of these Jews' lives, from the bedroom to the bathroom to eating to shopping to who one can talk to, who one can marry, in short - everything. If one thing stands out from this outstanding book is that so much of the survival of insular religious communities depends on an unspoken fear of 'standing out' and not being accepted. This fear is enforced by a group mentality that is instilled by community leaders, rabbis, teachers and parents. Any challenging of the rules results in sharp condemnation and a rebuke to 'get back in line.' The heroes and heroines of this book refuse to live by medieval ways of living. They want to explore scientific ways of thinking , they want women to have equal rights as men, they want to find their friends and partners on their own, they want to engage with the society in which they live, they want to see the world outside of their protective cocoons. In short, they want to be individuals! Thank you Ms. Winston for telling their stories, and I hope the romaticized view we have of such communities will become more nuanced as we are exposed to the silent suffering of good and decent people who are struggling to find themselves. After reading this book the old saying which resonated with me so strongly was 'to thine own self be true.'

A Great Read

Reading Unchosen made me think that even a non-Jew could cook an authentic Cholent, something I never believed possible. What is sometimes referred to as a homogeneous body, "Chassidic Jewry" is in fact splintered into many different factions. At times, these factions are indistinguishable from each other, and at other times they are unrecognizable as belonging to the same religion. Sadly, most Chassidim--especially those descended from Hungary--live as a close-knit community and have little or nothing to do with the outside world, not even with their Jewish bretheren, as the Lubavitch Chassidim do. Lubavtichers are extremely different in their outlook and interaction with the "outside." Hella Winston chose to write about this less well-known majority of Chassidim, focusing on the "unchosen," or rebles. A hard, laborious task considering the closeness of the community and the tight-lipped members of Satmar and other lesser-known branches of Chassidism. Unchosen will make an excellent read for Jews who are not affiliated with Orthodoxy--which, today, is most Jews. Every secular, Reform or Conservative Jew descends from an Orthodox ancestor not too far down the line and this is a fascinating way to re-live a great grandfather's quandary, an ancestor's pain and misery in leaving a tradition or way of life, or to understand the love/hate relationship with anything sacred of a beloved grandmother.