A new Netflix series, 'Unorthodox,' tells the real-life story of a woman who flees her strict Hasidic community. Here, we look back on the stories of other women who similarly had to redefine themselves in a secular world.
Danese is half Japanese and grew up feeling like an anomaly in her primarily white Yeshivish sect in Flatbush. The lack of acceptance is what lead Danese to eventually distance herself from the ultra-Orthodox community, which she calls a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Fortunately, her father remained supportive, unlike the family members of many who choose to leave. “I couldn’t have done it without him,” Danese says.
Stein’s entrance into the secular world required two wardrobes: One when she left the Hasidic community as a male and another when she transitioned to female. “I think for a lot of people who leave [Hasidic Judaism], it ends up being a struggle fashion-wise. It’s not that you have a prescribed fashion, it’s that you never had to choose,” says Stein. “It’s hard to learn everything from scratch. The first time [as a male], I failed. The second time [as a woman], I think I’m getting it.
Weisz, now an actress and a producer who performs in Yiddish and English, felt destined to leave her Satmar community in Borough Park. There, accepting given answers is the easiest way to navigate life, especially as a woman. Weisz recalls being treated differently because of her desire to learn. “I was told to shut up so many times,” she says. “I just was questioning things. I was told I was bad for thinking and being me.
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