Podcast Summary: New Books Network
Episode: Zalman Newfield, "Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism" (Temple UP, 2026)
Host: Caleb Zakrin
Guest: Zalman Newfield
Date: February 23, 2026
Overview
This episode features Zalman Newfield, Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, discussing his forthcoming memoir, Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism. The conversation traces Newfield's upbringing in the Lubavitch Hasidic community of Crown Heights, his parents’ journey as religious seekers, his gradual departure from Hasidism, and his eventual embrace of secular academia and identity. The discussion touches on family, faith, language, culture, and identity, offering both deeply personal anecdotes and sociological insight.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introduction and Background
Timestamps: 00:04-04:45
- Newfield describes his childhood in the Lubavitch Hasidic community of Crown Heights, NYC.
- Parents joined Lubavitch as adults; Zalman grew up fully immersed in Hasidic education and practices.
- Explains Lubavitch’s unique outreach-centered ethos and its global impact.
- “I made a Passover Seder in Russia once. I spent a year in Singapore, I spent a summer in China, all kind of doing Lubavitch outreach activities.” (02:57)
- Pursued secular higher education (Brooklyn College in psychology, then NYU for sociology), eventually becoming a professor.
2. What Is Hasidism?
Timestamps: 04:45-09:40
- Outlines the historical development of Jewish denominations post-Enlightenment.
- Hasidism defined as a pietistic movement founded in Eastern Europe in the 1700s.
- Focus on spiritual leaders (“Rebbes”) and mystical, joyful piety.
- Lubavitch (Chabad) sect named for its Russian origins, led by the revered Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
- Importance of genealogical identity: children often named after Hasidic leaders.
- “This is a very common practice in the Hasidic community for parents to name their children after the Rebbes…” (08:19)
3. The Charisma and Messianism of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Timestamps: 09:40-17:49
- Lubavitcher Rebbe’s global influence, unique messianic fervor.
- Personal recollection: as a child, witnessing the intense anticipation that the Rebbe would reveal himself as the Messiah.
- “We were interacting with the Messiah, the one that Jewish people throughout history were waiting for, were praying for, were singing about, were crying about.” (12:32)
- Profound disappointment when the Rebbe, incapacitated by stroke, did not fulfill messianic expectations.
- Early seeds of doubt: “I think that was kind of the beginning of my sense that the messages that I had been taught… were not quite right for me.” (16:58)
4. Parental Journey: Becoming "Baal Teshuva"
Timestamps: 17:49-23:17
- Parents came from secular, socialist, and non-Orthodox backgrounds.
- Embraced the Lubavitch lifestyle out of spiritual searching.
- Newfield grapples with the challenges and gratitude of being raised in this context.
- “They believed that the most important thing for a Jewish person was…to protect the purity of their soul and to ensure their spiritual security and safety.” (21:32)
- Strict Hasidic education, absence of secular curriculum, and criticisms directed at his parents for this strictness.
5. Moving and Yeshiva Life: Glimpses of Diversity
Timestamps: 23:17-28:48
- Family’s moves: Crown Heights to Morristown, NJ, back to Brooklyn.
- Participated in the common Lubavitch practice of attending yeshivas in various global communities (Chicago, Miami, Argentina, NJ).
- Small but notable regional differences—even within Lubavitch communities—shaped by local culture.
- “From the outside, all Lubavitchers kind of look alike…At the same time, there is local particularities…” (24:23)
6. Social Class Within Lubavitch: "Gezha" and Outsider Status
Timestamps: 28:48-35:20
- Social nuance: being children of “baalei teshuva” (returnees to faith) meant lacking the established Lubavitch “blue blood” status (“gezha”).
- Not explicit exclusion, but a subtle hierarchy, especially visible in matchmaking/marriage.
- Maintaining contact with less Orthodox family members provided exposure to broader American culture and ideas.
- “We were definitely kind of exposed to this other culture, this kind of secular culture…” (30:57)
7. Learning English—A Forbidden Act
Timestamps: 35:20-41:35
- Lubavitch schools shunned all secular studies, including English literacy.
- Describes learning to write his signature as a teenager and secretly studying with workbooks sent by his secular uncle.
- Secretly read children’s classics, then more advanced literature and history in English.
- “My primary occupation in yeshiva…was…secretly running into my dorm upstairs to read my forbidden books.” (42:52)
8. Travel and Worldly Exposure: Seeds of Dissent
Timestamps: 41:35-47:50
- International Lubavitch outreach brought Newfield to Russia and China.
- Despite Hasidic community’s belief in one-way influence (they bring Judaism to others), travel increased his curiosity about—and openness to—other worldviews and practices.
- “All of this was kind of fascinating to me in a way that I felt I couldn’t and I didn’t want to refrain from…” (46:13)
9. Telling His Parents: The Leap to Secular Academia
Timestamps: 47:50-52:41
- Decision to attend college was fraught with terror and profound guilt over parental disappointment.
- “It was terrifying. It really was, because I love my parents very deeply…for me to go to college was really a real taboo…” (48:47)
- Mother in particular devastated, fearing for his future and prospects within the community.
10. Becoming Himself: Outward and Inward Shifts
Timestamps: 52:41-56:55
- Wrestling with double life: inwardly questioning faith, outwardly maintaining Hasidic appearance and practice.
- Describes the powerful experience of shaving his beard—a profound, visible marker of departure from the community.
- “When you shave your beard, this is a visible marker that you have changed…that you are a deserter…” (54:35)
11. Dating and Marriage—Inside and Outside Hasidism
Timestamps: 56:55-62:36
- Explains vastly different approaches to dating and marriage: arranged by matchmakers, minimal contact before marriage, heavily gender segregated.
- Failed attempts at traditional Lubavitch dating led him to online dating, through which he met his wife, Jenny—herself from a different background.
- “It’s not clear how much they know about these people. Sometimes it seems like they might just kind of pull their name out of a hat, whatever…” (58:55)
12. Rethinking Judaism: From Orthodoxy to Personal Choice
Timestamps: 62:36-67:50
- Describes his Jewish identity now as "cultural"—engages joyfully with traditions, but does so by personal, not divine, imperative.
- “For me, I feel like regardless of exactly my kind of level of observance, I feel like it’s experientially totally different because it’s rooted in my choice and my own decisions about how to practice my Judaism.” (66:48)
- Shares anecdote about fasting on Yom Kippur—he doesn’t, but much of his family’s practice is shaped by mutual negotiation and meaning.
13. Teaching, Mentoring, and Broader Lessons
Timestamps: 67:50-72:23
- Now teaches courses on Hasidic culture; interacts with students from a range of religious backgrounds, some experiencing journeys similar to his own.
- Emphasizes the importance of individual choice—what worked for him may not for everyone.
- “I really have no ax to grind, and I certainly don’t think that because this is what I personally went through…that this is appropriate for everyone else…” (71:34)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We were interacting with the Messiah, the one that Jewish people throughout history were waiting for, were praying for, were singing about, were crying about.” (12:32)
- “I believed and understand that my parents always loved their children very dearly and only did what they thought was best for their children. It’s just that they had a different kind of yardstick for determining what would be the best for their children.” (21:11)
- “When you shave your beard, this is a visible marker that you have changed, that you are different, that you are a deserter…” (54:35)
- “Everyone needs to look into their own heart and their own soul and figure out what's appropriate for them to do…” (71:41)
Chronological Index of Key Timestamps
- 00:04–04:45 — Introduction, origin, and overview of Newfield’s life
- 05:22–09:40 — Hasidism in Jewish history and Lubavitch customs
- 10:23–17:49 — Growing up with the Lubavitcher Rebbe and messianic anticipation
- 18:16–23:17 — Parents’ journey to Hasidism and Lubavitch education philosophy
- 23:46–28:48 — Geographic and cultural diversity within Lubavitch communities
- 29:28–35:20 — Navigating insider/outsider status and secular family influences
- 35:52–41:35 — Secretly learning English and forbidden secular reading
- 42:41–47:50 — Effects of travel and exposure to new cultures on faith
- 48:43–52:41 — Difficulties revealing secular ambitions to religious parents
- 53:34–56:55 — Exiting Hasidism: significance of shaving his beard
- 57:56–62:36 — Contrasting dating cultures before and after leaving Hasidism
- 63:34–67:50 — Redefining Jewish practice as a matter of personal meaning
- 69:43–72:23 — Teaching, advice for others, and personal philosophies on religious journeys
Closing Thoughts
This episode provides a unique window into the lived experience of moving from insular Hasidic orthodoxy to secular, academic, and pluralistic identity. Newfield’s story resonates beyond Judaism, offering universally relatable insights about tradition, belonging, discovery, and the courage to forge one’s own path.