Off the derech

Sociologically, off the derech OTD (literally, "off the path") is a term used by Orthodox Jews to describe someone who has intentionally stopped practicing the accepted tenets of hi/her branch of orthodoxy frumkeit. The phrase is often applied to rebellious teenagers. Teenagers who are not yet off the derech but who display signs of rebelliousness from Orthodox norms, such as changes in dress or associating with off-the-derech friends are often referred to as "teens at risk".

There is perceived be an increasing trend of young people going OTD, although since there are few reliable statistics, it may be just that more community focus is being addressed to this issue. It is generally becoming much easier for youngsters from very sheltered backgrounds such as yeshivish or chassidish communities to go OTD since they can get information, contacts and helpful resources via the Internet to help them reestablish themselves in the general community.

Further reading

• Drop Outs Can Repair the Rifts
• Faranak Margolese. Off the Derech: Why Observant Jews Leave Judaism; How to Respond to the Challenge, Devora Publishing, 2005.
• Hella Winston. Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels, Beacon Press, 2006.