bais yaakov maidel

Also, can you all help me pick a name?

I’m thinking along the lines of: “Bais Yaakov to Med School” but maybe something that flows better.

ujm: I see you’re heading straight for the kill; it’s a long discussion – hence my thoughts about a blog. In short, it’s not the dream answer of coming out the way I went it. However, the change in my religious observance is much more a function of my thinking and evolution as an adult than medical school. There are a handful of charedim who go to medical school and remain charedi, but I was veering off the charedi path even before I started medical school. I consider myself modern orthodox today. Not because modern orthodoxy is “better” or “has the answers”, but because it gives me space to be who I am and at least aknowledges that there are areas of challenges that need to be tackled. And also because I need to slap a label on myself when people ask and that’s probably the best label available. (As for the intellectual reasons, that’s a long discussion.) I want to emphasize that although I am no longer charedi, I am fully aware that the chaedi world is an excellent place for many people and I still feel very connected to it. I am thrilled to be able to help charedim in the hospital; somehow I have the word “jew” written on my forehead and they scout me out. But I do not plan on sending my children to charedi schools.