Faranak Margolese
Faranak Margolese | |
|---|---|
Margolese in 2025 | |
| Native name | פאראנאק מרגוליס |
| Born | Faranak Rofeh 1972 (age 53–54) Manchester, England |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American Israeli |
| Alma mater | Columbia University Stern College |
| Notable works | Off the Derech |
| Website | |
| offthederech | |
Faranak Margolese (Hebrew: פאראנאק מרגוליס; born 1972) is an American-Israeli writer, best known as the author of Off the Derech, a book about contemporary assimilation in the Orthodox Jewish world.
Early life and education
Margolese was born in Manchester, England, in 1972,[1] the great-granddaughter of the former Chief Rabbi of Tehran, Iran.[2] She was raised in Los Angeles, California, to Persian immigrant parents in a traditional Sephardi Jewish household.[1] She graduated from Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles,[3] received a BA in philosophy from Stern College and a Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction creative writing from Columbia University in New York.[2]
Career
From 1995 to 1997, she was an adjunct professor teaching expository writing at Yeshiva University and Queens College.
Off the Derech
Origin
Margolese conceived of the idea for Off the Derech: Why Observant Jews Stop Practicing Judaism; How to Respond to the Challenge while living in New York City and noticing that some of her friends who had grown up in Orthodox households were no longer observant.[3] She spent five years doing research, conducting interviews, and setting up an online survey with people who had left their Orthodox way of life.[1][4] She also interviewed rabbis, educators, therapists, and program directors.[5]
Summary
Off the Derech (A Jewish term that means "off the path")[6] explores the phenomenon of Jews raised in Orthodox households who choose to leave that lifestyle as adults, examining their reasons for doing so and offering preventative measures for the Jewish community to take.[1] Margolese writes that "there is no greater challenge facing the Jewish world today".[4]
Praise
Off the Derech has been called "a ground-breaking book",[7] with Margolese earning praise for "authoring the first seminal work on contemporary assimilation from the ranks of the previously observant".[8] Her writing style has been called "extremely lucid and logical".[3] Rabbi Abraham Twerski endorsed Off the Derech as "mandatory reading for every rabbi, teacher, and parent".[9] Publishers Weekly wrote that Margolese's conclusion ("God cannot be confined to the narrow path we walk... neither can his people") "will resonate with those of all faiths".[5]
The Outliers
About a decade after publishing Off the Derech, Margolese published a revised version in Hebrew, called "HaYotziim" (The Outliers – Why Religious People Leave Religion and How to Deal with the Challenge). HaYotziim is based on a new study, focused on the israeli society in which Margolese interviewed rabbis, academics, psychologists, educators and people who left the religious fold in Israel to better understand if there are any differences between the religious Jewish communities outside of Israel and those in Israel proper regarding the phenomenon of leaving orthodox observance.[10][11]
Other work
Margolese served as Editor of the 1999 edition of Freedom in the World.[12] The comprehensive annual report by Freedom House monitors political rights and civil liberties in nations and disputed territories across the globe.[12] She has also worked as a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Jewish Times,[13] and columnist for The Jerusalem Post.[14]
Bibliography
As author
- Off the Derech: Why Observant Jews Stop Practicing Judaism; How to Respond to the Challenge, Israel: Devora Publishing Company, 2005.ISBN 1932687432, 978-1932687439
- היוצאים – מדוע דתיים עוזבים את הדת וכיצד להתמודד עם האתגר (The Outliers – Why Religious People Leave Religion and How to Deal with the Challenge). Israel: Sella Meir, 2017.
As editor
- Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 1998–99, New York: Freedom House, 1999.
Personal life
She immigrated to Israel in 2002 with her husband David Margolese.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Finding your own way on the religious path". haaretz.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ a b Frances Kraft, "Author Explores Reasons for Lapses in Jewish Observance," Canadian Jewish News, March 2, 2006.
- ^ a b c "New book tries to keep Orthodox, well, Orthodox". Jewish Journal. September 21, 2006. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ a b Daniel Septimus, "Where did it go wrong?" The Jerusalem Post, January 12, 2006.
- ^ a b "Off the Derech: Why Observant Jews Leave Judaism--How to Respond to the Challenge by Faranak Margolese". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ "Jewish Telegraphic Agency - The Global Jewish News Source". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ Rosally Saltsman, "Title: Off The Derech – Why Observant Jews Leave Judaism/How To Respond To The Challenge," The Jewish Press, February 10, 2006.
- ^ "Online Casinos in Israel 2025 | Top Israeli Online Gambling Sites". Online Casino Israel. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ "Amar's insults". jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com. January 26, 2026. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ קמפינסקי, יוני. "מדוע "היוצאים" עוזבים את הדת?". ערוץ 7 (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ "הספר שחייב להיות בכל בית דתי בישראל - סרוגים". www.srugim.co.il (in Hebrew). June 26, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ a b Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 1998-1999. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4128-5018-6.
- ^ "Off the Derech Book by Faranak Margolese » About the Author". www.offthederech.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ "Coronavirus and the ten plagues". The Jerusalem Post. April 8, 2020. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved February 23, 2026.