Shulem Deen

Shulem Deen, born in Brooklyn in 1974, spent the first 30-odd years of his life fully immersed in the ultra-Orthodox Skverer Hasidic sect. He was educated in yeshivas, married young, had five children, and even hosted a radio show, becoming a respected—if eventually questioning—member of his cloistered world. His origins are, shall we say, undeniably Jewish. Five out of five, no arguments there.

His memoir, All Who Go Do Not Return, chronicles his gradual departure from the Hasidic community, the loss of his family, and his grappling with a secular life. It's a poignant, brave, and sometimes brutal account that earned him critical acclaim, including a National Jewish Book Award. Leaving an entire way of life, and sharing the story with such honesty, certainly counts as Kvell-worthy for those who appreciate intellectual freedom, if not for his former community.

While he no longer identifies as religiously Jewish in any traditional sense, and his current practices would score low on the