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In the wake of trauma and abuse, three Hasidic Jews face ostracism, anxiety, and danger as they attempt to leave their ultra-Orthodox community.
Director: Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady
Share this film. Give others the chance to learn from its story!
Donate to the Etty Ausch Educational Trust. Following the events depicted in the film, Etty has set a personal goal to attend a four-year college, and eventually become an attorney that defends those in need.
Support Footsteps, the only organization in North America that assists people who wish to leave or explore leaving ultra-Orthodoxy.
Know the signs of child abuse and don’t be afraid to ask for help from services like Childhelp, a national organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Kids like Ari need your support.
Reach out to those suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts. Share the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline if you feel they are in need – you may save a life.
“One of Us” shook the orthodox world with its release. The movie detailed the stories of three young Jews who had made the decision to leave their Hasidic communities, and the aftermath of their choices.
One of those subjects was Ari Hershkowitz who talks about the movie and his life on the podcast HevriaCast.
“I had no marketable skill beyond being able to charm your pants off. I had never been on a date. I had never heard of The Beatles. And I thought, ‘May the Force be with you’ meant ‘May God be with you.’ ”
Read the article from the film subject Luzer Twersky on Huffington Post.
“Abandoned by a mother who left the faith and a father who was mentally disabled, she was taken in by her grandparents, who brought her up to be a quiet, obedient, God-fearing woman who would get married in her teens and start a large family right away. But Feldman had other plans.”
Learn about her story on New York Post.
The team behind Netflix Original doc ‘One of Us’ had to develop tactics to film within a notoriously closed community.
Find out more on No Film School.
“What truly sets their new film apart from their previous work is its central question: When you want out, what lengths does it take to leave, and is it worth the cost?”
Read the article from International Documentary Association (IDA).
“He speaks in broken English about reading forbidden websites and sneaking off to movie theaters and bars. The life he returns to — his family, Hasidim — is a good one, he says, as long as he doesn’t think too hard about what’s outside of it. ‘I know that my religion is the right way. I would never leave. I love my wife and my family,’ he declares. ‘I won’t let myself get caught.’ ”
Read the article from The Week.
“Young adults who decide to abandon their cloistered Jewish
communities have only one another—and a single organization —to help them navigate the alternate reality of modern-day New York.”
Continue reading on The New York Times.
Learn how the filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing got access to the community and how they found their film subjects on Business Insider Nordic.
Etty Ausch claims she has been abused by her husband for twelve years. She eventually left her husband and the Hasidic community she was born into. In the process, she lost custody of her seven children.
Listen to her speaking on BBC Newsday.
“They’re afraid of being disowned by their family and shunned by their community. They also know that if they defect, their family loses status; the marriage chances of the siblings are down. They are risking an enormous amount.”
Read the article from The Cut.
"One of Us, about three ultra-Orthodox Jews, is a small act of portraiture, but each portrait captures the pain of learning to live life anew."
Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times
"The filmmakers craft a harrowing portrait of trauma, bravery and insular societal oppression."
Nick Schager, Variety
"There's nothing more exhilarating or more terrifying than taking control of one's own life."
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
