In 2013, Naomi Moskowitz became a member of the organization Footsteps, which has a mission to provide support, a sense of community, and stability for those who have left the Ultra-Orthodox community or are considering leaving.
According to Moskowitz, Footsteps is the only organization of its kind throughout North America.
Today, she works there as the Director of Economic Empowerment — a division centered on helping Footsteps members move forward in financial stability and furthering their education.
I myself am a current Footsteps member, and former Ultra-Orthodox Jew. I joined the organization after leaving my community to come out and be with my current partner.
I sat down with Moskowitz to speak about the financial struggles that she has observed while working with Footsteps members, and the kinds of services that Footsteps can provide members in difficult financial situations, who told me three things.
"Helping members figure out what to do with money isn't very common, because most of our members are very far below the poverty level," said Moskowitz.
Moskowitz went on to say that when you're living in such an insulated world such as the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, you very often don't even have the resources to accumulate money, let alone leave with any when heading into the secular world.
Many people who leave Ultra-Orthodox communities don't have access to simple things like photo IDs and bank accounts, and often lack a strong command of English or any secular education. A Footsteps member with a sizable sum of money to help them transition from community life to life in the outside world is extremely rare.
Moskowitz notes that much of what Footsteps actually does is crisis control. If someone has an apartment set up for themselves, but they don't have the money to be able to move their belongings, Footsteps can offer them a grant.
"It's more like we provide Band-Aids to immediate and critical situations," said Moskowitz. "Due to COVID, we have actually given out close to $400,000 in grants."
It's not just Footsteps employees who lend an outstretched arm to their members, though.
"People can of course pull out their checkbooks and provide monetary help [to Footsteps]," said Moskowitz.
Within Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, other members of the community offer their assistance in everything you might need, including work, housing, private Jewish education, and social groups.
Leaving a community with a large, robust social safety net and entering into secular life can be a shock to Footsteps members, due to how fully independent they are quickly expected to become. The difficulty of this transition can cause depression, a sense of isolation, loneliness, and overall misunderstanding about social etiquette.
Due to this lack of exposure to secular expectations and realistic goals, those who are looking to leave or have already left Ultra-Orthodox life often don't know what is realistic in terms of potential job opportunities.
An example Moskowitz gave was of a young man who had recently left an Ultra-Orthodox community.
"We have a summer internship program to help people try out different industries and gain exposure to find something they might like or have interest in," said Moskowitz. "We have a member who asked us if we could help him become a coach for the NBA — of course, I told him that that wasn't realistic."
Moskowitz further explained that this is something she runs into frequently.
"Life is hard when you have no framework for how to navigate the world or have any idea of what is or is not a realistic expectation," she said.
After boundaries have been set as to what kinds of employment are available to people who have recently left the community, Moskowitz said the next step is helping them locate or obtain important documents that they might not have on hand.
"We help people get ahold of their birth certificates and Social Security information — things that you need in order to further your education or get a job," said Moskowitz.
A problem that Footsteps members face is the kind of work that is available to them, which isn't much. Generally, members are stuck in low wage jobs that are physically and emotionally taxing, which can be complicated for those who struggle with disabilities.
At a meeting with other program coordinators in employment, Moskowitz listened as a colleague said: "If someone really wants a job, they have no problem getting one."
She strongly disagreed with this sentiment.
"Some of our members struggle terribly with mental health, religious trauma, or even physical disabilities," Moskowitz said. "Which means that [many of them] are unable to hold down a full time job."
She added that just because someone lacks a typical secular life experience, it doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of careers in any fields outside of minimum wage physical labor.
Footsteps offers professional networking, where they can link members interested in a specific job to someone who currently works in that field, but these networks are built through volunteers who are willing to offer career advisement and opportunities to its members.
The organization also accepts professional pro bono services for its members like tax prep, website design, and legal services from volunteers according to its website.
"We also currently have a base of about 450 volunteers who offer their services in a variety of areas, such as learning English and tutoring in different subjects," added Moskowitz.
If you would like to volunteer time or money at Footsteps to help members currently struggling, head to their website.
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