Posts Tagged ‘ off the derech ’

I lay next to Heshy on the couch, comforted by the warmth of his body. As usual, the bachelor pad that Mendy and Heshy shared was filled with assorted members of the Monsey underworld. Most were ex-Chasidic, whether or not…

At first all we did was hang out with our own. Fellow Chasidim on the fringe, men only. We didn’t know many women, and those we did know weren’t like us at all. With time we progressed. We met friends,…

“He’s not coming,” I said, and threw my finished cigarette on the ground. I moved my shoe over the remnants of the butt, about to be extinguished by my ballet flat. I took a deep breath and exhaled as the…

These days, I cruise the streets of Williamsburg—Marcy Avenue, Wythe Avenue, Bedford—camera dangling from my neck, protected by my flannel jacket, pillowed against my chest. I pedal slowly, on the lookout for my mark. I never know in advance what…

I Love You, Brother. You’re a part of me, and I can’t let go. My heart hurts that yours is broken. I watch you twist and turn and I feel knotted up inside. I see you blink back tears, and my own eyes sting. I smile when you smile, brother. Because I do care and I...
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Chaim Wassertzog, an overweight, forty year old, had a way with “kids who were off”. Wherever he would meet one, he would talk to them,  provide them with food, he would comfort them when they were worse for…