Faranak Margolese


Faranak Margolese 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, the great-granddaughter of the former Chief Rabbi of Tehran, Iran. She was raised in Los Angeles, California, to Persian immigrant parents in a traditional Sephardi Jewish household. She graduated from Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles, received a BA in philosophy from Stern College and a Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction creative writing from Columbia University in New York.

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 many of her friends who had grown up in Orthodox households were no longer observant. She spent five years doing research, conducting interviews and setting up an online survey with people who had left their Orthodox way of life. She also interviewed rabbis, educators, therapists and program directors.

Summary

Off the Derech 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. Margolese writes that “there is no greater challenge facing the Jewish world today.”

Praise

Off the Derech has been called “a groundbreaking book,” with Margolese earning praise for “authoring the first seminal work on contemporary assimilation from the ranks of the previously observant.” Her writing style has been called “extremely lucid and logical.” Rabbi Abraham Twerski endorsed Off the Derech as “mandatory reading for every rabbi, teacher and parent.” Publisher’s Weekly wrote that Margolese’s conclusion “will resonate with those of all faiths.”

Other work

Margolese served as Editor of the 1999 edition of Freedom in the World. The comprehensive annual report by Freedom House monitors political rights and civil liberties in nations and disputed territories across the globe. She has also worked as a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Jewish Times.

As author

She immigrated to Israel in 2002.