Cascading Exits of Haredi Divorcees

• In Event: Leaving Orthodox Judaism: The important role of familial and experiential factors

Abstract

When people exit the Haredi community they sometimes find themselves on a path toward cascading exits, each exit distancing them further from Haredi life. Expanding on Helen Ebaugh's seminal work on role exit, this paper examines the exit paths of Haredi divorcees. Drawing on qualitative interviews with divorcees who left Haredi life, this paper explores the way one exit sometimes begets another and the way certain exits in particular serve to cement an exiter status and trigger further exits while other kinds of exits leave pathways for return.

Author

• Miriam Moster, The Graduate Center, CUNY