The 2015 National Jewish Book Award Winner, All Who Go Do Not Return, is Shulem Deen’s memoir of living with one of the most insular religious sects in the United States, and what happens when he loses his faith. Deen’s debut book, it also won the 2016 GLCA New Writers Award in Nonfiction. He is a board member of Footsteps, an organization in New York that offers help and support to those who leave the vigorously Orthodox Jewish community. Deen was born into the Satmar sect before joining the Skverer sect as a teenager. It is important to understand what this means to make sense of the book, and Deen offers some clarity. This Skverer sect is based in New York City. Like many others, it was formed to preserve a Jewish way of life after WWII. However, the Skverer group became increasingly fanatical, and it is known now as one of the most radical sects in Hasidic Judaism. This Hasidism is a generally conservative and secluded sub-movement within Judaism, and followers adhere to Orthodox Jewish practices. There is little tolerance for outsiders, or even for more moderate and liberal Jews. All Who Go Do Not Return chronicles Deen’s journey from the marginally less severe Satmar group to the Skverer village, which, ultimately, leads to his freedom. It is a memoir of a man’s journey to find intellectual integrity and the strength to question what he has been taught to believe. Deen offers rare insight into a secluded group. Deen boldly declares that, although he is not the first member of the Skver to be expelled, he is the first to be expelled for heresy. He notes that being expelled is easy as even minor infractions are forbidden. For example, no one may form a prayer group, because set scripture is studied under strict supervision. Anyone who reads or studies outside of this prescribed scripture risks expulsion or exile. It is startling that heresy is unheard of in this community. No one knows how to handle it or how to punish it. Everyone is so obedient that heresy has almost mythological connotations. Deen notes that everyone in his village spreads different rumors about him—some think he does not believe in God, and others think he is corrupting the community. By the time he is formally accused of heresy, his list of supposed crimes is endless. Everyone agrees on one thing, however. Deen must leave the village behind forever. After reflecting on his expulsion, Deen’s narrative goes back to the first time he realized he did not believe in his religion anymore. He covers the years leading up to his expulsion and the ways he challenged what he was taught. Accepting that exile from the village is an inevitable fate for someone like him, he still finds it hard to accept at first, especially since he has a family to look out for. Deen describes life inside the sect. The people believe in total abstinence from the modern world—including all technology, such as television and the Internet. Even the radio is considered dangerous— which for Deen, was true. One day, Deen heard something on the radio that gave him pause. He wondered why only his people live this way and why they believe what they do. Those questions led to more dangerous ones. Soon, he was questioning everything he knew. Although Deen criticizes the organized world he grew up in, he also tries to protect it. He wants to protect the devout followers who think he is a heretic because he respects their beliefs. All Who Go Do Not Return was not written to inspire hatred against secret sects. Instead, it is a guidebook for readers who question their own beliefs and don’t know what to do about it. Much was at stake when Deen was expelled from the village. Forced to marry at eighteen, five children soon followed. They could not leave the village with him, resulting in divorce and years of difficulty trying to see his children. Understandably, he wants to protect them from negative consequences flowing from this book. What is unique about Deen’s story is that, before his faith was questioned, he was a very devoted follower. In fact, he became a scholar of the community, studying the prescribed scripture with admirable intensity, preferring his studies to his family. However, this passion for learning ultimately led Deen to question the world he knew. After his exile, Deen felt lonely and lost in New York. Now, however, he is thriving; he hopes his book will encourage others to ask questions of their own. Again, he respects everyone who chooses to stay faithful to radical scripture, such as his own community. Nevertheless, his book is an inspiration to those who follow religious teachings to challenge themselves.

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Shulem Deen

Adult

Autobiography / Memoir

Nonfiction

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