Zalman Newfield launches "Brooklyn Odyssey," with Saul Austerlitz

Zalman will be joined by writer Saul Austerlitz for a reading, conversation and Q&A, followed by a reception and signing.

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Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth.

Brooklyn Odyssey is Newfield’s poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community.

From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey.

Praise for Brooklyn Odyssey

"Zalman Newfield has achieved the near impossible in Brooklyn Odyssey—he tells the whole truth, stripped of euphemism, yet filled with heart. Tender, courageous, and deeply human, this book is both beautiful and important. Five stars. I’m proud to give it my highest recommendation.” —Dr. Sara Glass, author of Kissing Girls on Shabbat: A Memoir

“Zalman Newfield’s journey from his Chassidic roots in Crown Heights makes for compelling reading. Humble, innocent, refreshing, and informative by turns, I found myself staying up late to read ‘just another few pages.’ Some memoirs of leaving conservative backgrounds are bitter and vengeful. Not Newfield’s. He writes movingly of searching for education and connection in the secular world, without leaving his readers saddened. Bravo!” —Goldie Goldbloom, author of On Division: A Novel

Schneur Zalman Newfield was raised in the Lubavitch Hasidic community in Brooklyn and attended yeshivahs in Chicago, Miami, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. He participated in Lubavitch outreach activities in Russia, China, and Singapore. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brooklyn College and a PhD in sociology from New York University. He taught sociology courses for two years in six medium- and maximum-security New Jersey state prisons. He is now Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College (CUNY). Newfield is also a host on the New Books Network podcast, interviewing scholars from a diverse range of academic disciplines.

Saul Austerlitz is the author of six previous books, including Kind of a Big Deal: How Anchorman Stayed Classy and Became the Most Iconic Comedy of the Twenty-First Century, which was selected by New York magazine as the best comedy book of 2023, and Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era. His work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Slate, Vanity Fair, and other publications. He is an adjunct professor at New York University, and lives in Brooklyn.

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