I’m Michael Eisenstein, 29 years old and living in Herzliya. I grew up in a modern ultra-Orthodox community in Bnei Brak, but ten years ago following a lifelong inner desire for self-fulfillment and freedom, I enlisted in the IDF and disaffiliated myself from ultra-Orthodoxy entirely. After the army, I started filling gaps in my education and joined Hillel. I accessed social activities, received a tuition scholarship and enrolled in a pre-academic preparatory program. Today, after completing two degrees with distinction, I work as an attorney.
I really want to speak now to those who are on the brink of deciding to leave: “I want you to know that you don’t have to do this on your own. If you need help or to talk, there are people who understand what you’re going through and are willing – you just need to ask.”