Ex-Ultra Orthodox Jew Teenager's SHOCKING Twist 

Can you help Joseph find work? Did you find his story interesting? Like the video, and comment below.

I engineered and recorded this interview . As a black man living 30 minutes from the community this kid escaped from . It’s crazy . Very insightful . Joseph was such a delight just to listen to , going through all that and still being so charismatic. I’ve recorded 3 Andrew Gold episodes so far btw ! I’m blessed

I'm a librarian who works for a.Public Library in Los Angeles now, but I was a librarian with The New York Public Library when I lived in New York City. In Manhattan, you can go to any branch of the public library and find out about basic literacy programs where you can get help with education. Good luck Joseph!

He has such a sweet smile. I could listen to him talk for hours. I am sending good vibes for Joseph. I hope he finds healing, peace, and happiness.

Most Hasidim can speak and write English enough with this bs

Thanks for the interview ❤ I would like to comment that his story is quite different than most of us.. I grew up in the same community with the so-called fences... I can talk read and write English even it's not my first language.. my parents were not abusive thanks God, and I have a not so bad education, at least better than my friends and neighbors that went to the public schools no offense.. I didn't experience these abusiveness Even though my grandparents are Holocaust survivirus, Not everyone is getting married at 18, I'm still single in my twenties, an average Jewish Hasidic family will have between 4-6 kids.. I feel sorry for Joseph, and I wish him luck in life..

We can help him here in the Midwest! We already have a blended family and need a little more diversity, so we’d welcome him with open arms! And as a Holocaust historian, I would welcome and respect his religious beliefs and encourage him to find a Rabbi or Jewish mentor to help him navigate a very different Judaism!

Great interview. My heart goes out to you, Joseph. Good luck with everything

More amazing than a Hollywood movie is the true story of Chaim Meisels, the great grandson of Rebbe Moshe Teitelbaum, leader of the Satmar Hasidim. Although the Satmars are well known for being anti-Zionist, Chaim left New York as a young man and enlisted in the Israeli army. Chaim did not speak modern Hebrew or English. In a short time, he became fluent in both languages. The handsome young man became tan and fit. He became an officer in the Israeli army, part of an elite unit and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. He kept his identity hidden but was discovered. Israeli media sought him out and he was interviewed a number of times on Israeli television. Chaim Meisels returned to the United States. He gradually returned to the Hasidim. In May 2023, he was married in a religious ceremony to the daughter of a Hasidic rabbi.

This may be one of my favorite interviews you've ever done. Joseph underestimates himself and he is fabulous and adorable. May he be happy, above all.

Joseph has so much courage, there is clearly so much more to his story that he doesn't want to get into. Really hoping he is able to find some good employment and support.

It tears my heart to hear of someone that had such a hard upbringing😢 I grew up in a nearby community and studied computers in school (not a Jewish school) with a group that drove in to NYC every night for class from Kiryas Joel. So not everyone by any means has such a restrictive upbringing. Some of those I knew from school went on to have successful careers in computer science while remaining part of the Satmar community.

His grandmother sounds like one kick-ass lady! He didn't say a lot about her, but to have around 20 kids after living through what she had to live through, she had to be strong.

The American word for pram is “stroller”

He seems very bright, clever, charismatic, talented, and fun. I laugh because I think all those traits originate from the community.. I work in KJ, wonderful place.. All of the boocharim are like that, just more happy and less confused..

Please let Joseph know about using the local library's around him! I don't know where he is staying, but libraries are everywhere! And since he has his I.D. now, he should be able to use them. Even if he has to just physically go inside and use the books and reading material inside! All the best to this young man!

I am a chasidic jew that can read speak and write English I am well educated and know everything about the world should it be medicine medical science nature etc. and I enjoy life. Sorry for Joseph for having to go through such a rough time, there is always help out there to help you clarify your confusion and concerns, But to go spread hate against a religion is non ethical and inappropriate, every religion or community can make mistakes and it simply needs to be addressed and if there is a bad community then leave it but doesn't mean that all chasidic community's are bad or any religion you are from is bad just seek the help and clarify it. And just to be clear the Jewish religion and being chasidic is not the same, chasidic is just a way to praise and believe in God, you can be Jewish without being chasidic (not saying that chasidic is bad just saying it's a choice,) But if you went through something bad in a community doesn't give you the right to spread hate especially with people only interviewing those who had a bad experience... how about hearing the other side of the story and interviewing people who are successful and enjoy the chasidic community? Speaking about abuse there are far more abuse by the non Jewish families look up for yourself the studies... Abuse can happen anywhere to anyone and to any religion or community... Bottom line is it's not bad at all to be a chasidic jew especially a plain jew if you know how it works you can enjoy life and be well educated and still be chasidic it's just the way you approach and understand it. If you don't it you can be a jew without being chasidic or you can leave it and choose whatever religion you like but don't spread hate! I hope everyone choose the right place where they will truly enjoy life but remember to respect all the other community's and religions.

Hi all I live in the Jewish area. The Jewish guys are the nicest guys I ever saw There will always be here to help the other person They have the most organisations to help people Regarding education . There’s so much Jewish businesses Every Jew there I know as a successful live He must probe have some pain that’s why he talking like this My heart goes out for his father & mother that love him so much I wish you all the best I hope you will return one day to your family . after all they love you the most

Most genuine guest I've seen so far on your channel. Most of the others exaggerate or fudge things about their story. Perhaps not to incriminate themselves, whereas Joseph's teenage honesty just said it as it was. Raw truth.

Omg!! I am always amazed how some of these people leave their communities and not afraid to speak about it!!! He is very brave young men and I wish him all the best in life 🙏🙏

Thank you for giving this handsome young man an opportunity to be seen and heard. Joseph, you are going to be safe, warm and loved.

Very good interview. Very much like leaving the Jehovah's witnesses. I was abused in the cult physically by my parents and have a very similar story to you I was totally unprepared for the outside life in the real world. Fortunately I forged a good career and am financially stable. All the best to you Joseph, glad you're free. Enjoy your life and freedom and have a good career. All the best to you!

I think it was “right on” that this young man explains that many organizations sound very nice, but don’t do many of the practical things he needs! Do they coordinate job interviews for young people like this? Do they offer reading and writing classes? Do they set up interviews with companies willing to do on the job training? Do they teach how to navigate interviews, or what to wear? What practical things do they do? Housing help? Financial help?

This dude is a lot more sophisticated than he is letting on. Says he can't read or write English, but quotes the New York Times. There's an organization called Footsteps that helps people who left the strict Jewish community to adapt to productive life outside.

I think you were looking for the American word, "stroller." Love the show.

I'm toward the end... I'm 30 years older than this young man, sitting here amazed at his wisdom and HOPE.

What a lovely young fella. Loved hearing his story. I'm sure he'll get lots of offers of help to get on his feet after this interview. Thanks for sharing this Andrew 💙

The main thing I'm getting from this is how beautiful Jewish men are. Both of them are gorgeous.

Unfortunately u have fallen for the oldest one in the books. U are giving your listeners one side of an extremely complicated coin. If u want to give a proper understanding of the hasidic people u should have a religious person, who is actually still part of the community, alongside someone like Joseph who has left. That would be a more honest and clearer depiction of what our community is all about.

I feel bad for my brother that’s in pain, and please don’t get it twisted, I’m from the Hasidic community myself and I had my fair share of trials and tribulations I was free to leave and in a way I did so it’s not as he’s presenting it, so please don’t judge us just by someone’s personal experience, again I love him as a fellow Jew! 🥰

Such a sweet guy! I'm from Israel, want to invite him to come live here, ans even join the IDF where he can find friends like him. There are quite a lot.

This was a very nice interview and down to basics, like life is all about! ❤❤❤❤

I have only seen two interviews with Jewish people who have left these communities - this being the second. I know there are different sects and I was never under the impression they are all abusuve, corrupt, etc. I actually learned alot from Peter Santellos youtube channel where he goes into the communities in NY - invited and I thought it was extremely insightful and educational.

I am not sure why people interview only Yehudim who went off the dereck. What is the purpose? In such way you make Judaism look very bad and people who have no idea what Torah is, can have negative impression. It hurts to look and hear those things about Judaism. There are some communities which chose this kind of life, but it doesnt mean that Judaism is a cult, it's way too far from the truth. Judaism is the path to perfection. I am myself in the process of conversion to Orthodox Judaism

My heart goes out to this brave young man. I send him love and wish him all the best. I wish I were in the position to help him in a concrete way. I hope he accepts some of the generous offers of hope that have been extended by some of the other amazing people in this community of “Edge Lords.” ❤

Don’t worry too much about the destination Joseph, just start walking through life in the direction of your joy and your dreams, Life will take care of the rest. You are not alone in having to make the choices you did and God will help you every step of the way. Just because your family taught you a twisted version of God that doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist and it certainly doesn’t mean that he is isn’t loving and watching over you. You still have so much you have to learn and unlearn and there are so many of us who are here happy to help, just ask Him and he will send others to smooth the way into your new life. I wish you the very best.

I know he’s only 20 but there’s a lot of history that he’s missing. He’s not a historian but it’s important.

I'm jewish and would love to share my side of judaism. Feel free to reach out

I am a secular Jew in New York and am fascinated by these stories. You should read the book, "All Who Go Do Not Return: A Memoir" by Shulem Deen. You should interview him too, if possible. His story and perspective are worth exploring. Love your channel!

18 Hours a day in school ??why can't he be honest. I am assuming, based on previous experiences listening to Joseph, he will continue to exaggerate and shine a negative light on every aspect of the hasidic community, so it would be pointless to point out every time he does it. Therefore, I beg everyone that is listening to this podcast please remember u are hearing from someone who has had a terrible experience in the community and unfortunately is unable to see anything through a positive lens.

Love your content Andrew. Joseph is able to speak about his experiences, as someone who is still learning English, in such an eloquent and reflective way. I hope his situation improves soon.

I'm also ultra-orthodox and am actually quite shocked at this child's lack of education, secular and Jewish! I look at him as one who is confused and misinformed. I guess this is the nature of Kiryas Joel Hassidim. I grew up in Monsey, NY. His words describing our community totally didn't resonate. He seems to have been raised with zero effort to elucidate any of the complex practices we commit to day in, day out. I feel bad he lacked that, he seems to be one who cares about truth and meaning. I have confidence he will return though. He won't see through western nonsense for too long...

That's a Baby Stroller, Andrew! Loved Joseph, loved his story, thank you both very much! Please provide us with updates from Joseph.

Its so nice to see that pretty much everybody wrote supportive and kind comments.That in itself makes thos clip special.❤

How dare you talk about the holocaust that way?! You two should be ashamed of yourselves!

Joseph needs a course English as a second language and a volunteer tutor to teach him how to write properly .

I wish i was born Jewish not Christian. Christians don't take care of each other, but Jewish families are the best.

Thank you Andrew for this MOST IMPORTANT interview with Joseph❣️🙏🕊️

Good luck in your new life. Educate yourself & build a stable happy life. You are very brave !

Andrew it's good that you give a voice to everyone, but there are thousands of very decent ppl who live in that community and I don't it's fair to smear a whole community because of one person's experience. especially when it comes to religion he has no deep understanding of Judaism what so ever and makes it sound as if millions of othordox jews are dumb.

Beautiful young man. I understand escaping abuse and starting over again. Many dont want to help, its tough. Please realize though God may have helped you leave, He saw into your heart. Don't close the door on Him completely. God bless you.

You Will Be a Beautiful Success Joseph you have a Wonderful Spirit

I would encourage everyone watching this to take this with a grain of salt. His lenses are very distorted and therefore full of lies and exaggeration. Coming from someone who grew up in the same community.

28:54 "here's the girl make 20 babies" for those who haven't realized this is a radical statement and is not true for most of the community im sorry if Josheph's parents were abusive but that is not a fair representation of our community

I don't know how one can talk so much bullshit in one hour.... Not a single word he's saying has anything to do with the truth... Yeah I agree that Judaism is different then other religions, and to grow up and live like a Jew is different but it's nothing like he's putting it up.... Jewish guys can read and write perfectly, they do business the same or even better then any other religion... They enjoy life and do things like any other human being on earth... They have sex like everyone... Yeah there are different rules and regulations that you have to follow but this is normal stuff and it don't give anyone a hard time... Don't spread bullshit on a entire group when you had your small little issues........ Shame.......

He should get in touch with Lani Santo from footsteps. Its an organization that helps them find jobs and friends, etc.

Chassid bashing is in style these days, it doesn’t take much research to figure out that this community is 99.9 percent full of happy people who aren’t abused, who aren’t forced into having 20 kids and who are happy to get married at 18.

I suppose usually these interviews are with people who left their sect or cult a longer time ago. Joseph is still figuring things out, with no pre-existing connections outside & it all sounds a little overwhelming right now. I can’t imagine what it’s like being suddenly thrown into a world as an adult but without a lot of the skills (language, reading, writing, etc) that nearly everyone else has. Luckily this young man has natural charisma, positivity & curiosity that will see him well. I hope he doesn’t lose his faith in humanity to help him & give him a chance. May the road rise to meet you! ☘️

I hope nobody sees this or any other interview with "ex-Jews" and thinks this is Judaism, ultra Orthodox as you call it. It is so far away and such a skewed picture. Im sorry for you all in your struggles and difficulties growing up and I hope for you real healing- not by running away but by really looking inside yourself. Yes the Orthodox community is not perfect-far from it but the exaggerations here are so blatant and its not right that you are interviewing him as if presenting a true picture of a community that is actually on a whole an extremely warm, giving, spiritual community. Its like interviewing an Alaskan who was abused and saying all Alaskans are abusive and its a cult. Go to Alaska and see for yourself.

I hope I'm wrong this time but as a survivor of sexual abuse I think I can recognize a victim when I see one. Whatever has happened to you Joseph, be strong! It takes ages at times to heal and find love within let alone true joy without trying to be someone else or push yourself to fit in, but this painful process is worth it. You will find peace eventually!

There must be 2 levels because I had a Jewish boyfriend and through him I met so many wonderful people in the Jewish community, this was very interesting, I wish him well,

What a brave, young, and intelligent man. I just want to give Joseph a motherly hug. As usual, Andrew, great interview. I love how you have a variety of subjects. I feel very hopeful for him. He has a lot of potential. Cheers from 🇨🇦

Shalom Joseph, Sephardic Asian Jew here. I left mom back in January 2021.

I feel truly sorry to hear how Joseph felt growing up in the ultra-orthodox community. I do want to say though, he does sound quite a bit lost. He's very intelligent but he is convinced that leaving his community will grant him a better life. As someone who's almost left community, what saved me was actually the fact that I was actually quite exposed to the "outside" world. He says once you leave there's no turning back, but actually most of current Jewish conversions are people seeking to join this very community he so badly wanted to leave. Contrary to what he's saying, that our customs are meaningless and over-restricting, it is actually what makes our community the majoritively happy place it is. In my harsh opinion, he hadn't suffered very much in the community as much as he was attracted to leaving it. Well I hope he finds happiness, yet I fear he will find it extremely difficult to find inner peace, knowing his former life contained so much more purpose and true happiness, rather that the glitz and glammer of western society and purposeless self-indulgence. He seems to partly still believe in Judiasm, there are so much more options within the Jewish community, why he threw it all off boggles me and bothers me. I wish I'd be able to speak to him, fully explain to him what he's giving up.

There is obviously things to criticise - but he's exaggerating, and yes, I know the community from the inside as well. It's important to not only interview people who left the community - who obviously hate the community - but also people who have a very different perspective. I feel bad about his upbringing.

Mr. Gold, I live in the Virginia (I don’t know if you know all the US states, but Virginia is just south of DC.) I taught my three daughters how to read and write. (I homeschooled for 9 years.) I can try to do the same with Joseph. I am not familiar with RU-vid all that well, so outside of leaving a comment on both your and his RU-vid channel, I’m not sure how else to communicate with him. (Instagram is not my thing.). If we can figure out a way via social media, I can try to give Joseph the power of words. It breaks my heart to see the anti-Semitism he has faced. While I am Christian, I was never taught to hate Jews. Indeed, I was taught the opposite. I was taught to respect them. My dad worked for a wonderful Jewish man for 39 years.

Oh you are gorgeous - the most kindest eyes beautiful smile - most importantly most beautiful soul

!!רפואה שלמה

I love Joseph! He is intelligent, funny, and charismatic (in a good way.) I would be proud to have him as my son. I will definitely subscribe to his channel. I wish I were in a position to help him with work or just plain money. Well done once again Andrew! (Joseph's English is excellent.)

Thank you for this interview. We are all God's children. Intelligence is not only applicable to Jews. What concerns me, is why he hasn't approached someone to teach him to read and write.

Shalom from South Africa Andrew. What a wonderful interview. I think that Joseph has a backbone of solid steel and I shudder to imagine how courageous it was for him to leave the stringency of the haredi sect. To think that Joseph has never been streamed into normal schooling or the way of life as we know it and to attend University, is humbling and good for us to see and show us that we should never take anything for granted. I expect that Joseph has support hopefully from Hasidic people who also left the sect. It is heartbreaking to have to leave one's family and especially parents and not being able to see them again because one is shunned having chosen to leave the religion. I really feel for Joseph, but it gets better. I admire Joseph and I think that he is terribly intelligent which will serve him well in the future. I firmly believe that he will make it into normal life and I wish him all the best. I truly admire that he has not succumbed to fears of feeling incapable. I believe that his jewish teachings will fare him well throughout his forthcoming endeavours. Well done Joseph and just keep going. If you cant do what you do, do what you can.

So what are his interests, now he has the freedom, what is his dream? He’s so smart, is there a fund to help young people like him? Perhaps college would be in his future. I wish him all the very best. I will say there seems to be a similar problem when fundamentalist lds (Mormon) youth are either kicked out or manage to escape from their cult. The boys are literally turned out and no one seems to care whether they live or die, well no one in their own community. Great interview.

Thanks for the interview. I'm a Jew and i grew up in the same altra Orthodox Jewish community. It's totally not like Joseph is trying it to make look like. If he has bad parents or some issues that made him problems being in this community. It didn't mean that the whole community is bad.... My opinion is that one nice day Joseph will make a u turn and come back to his beloved community. Anyway I wish you good luck in your life.

Me being from kirays joel. Would love to touch base & give you a different perspective

Muslim here so i dont have any personal interest in advancing the Hasidic way of life or religion. But after watching so many videos on this channel, ive come to the conclusion that this is where you come to be educated on INDIVIDUALS' PERSONAL account of trauma/abuse. NOT where you come to be objectively educated about the cults/religions/systems Andrew puts in the titles. Most interviews are honestly void of hard facts or references to scripture or at leaat even scholarly interpretations. Theyre simply personal recollections of abuse. The people Andrew interviews rarely ever give reference to scripture, displaying their lack of knowledge of the system theyre criticising. Say it like it is then - "I was abused by a bunch of inhumane idiots - not necessarily the above-mentioned religion - just by a bunch of inhumane idiots who decided to put XYZ as the abuse label" Obviously its understood that Andrew is catering to a particular audience that probably already have an anti-religion sentiment to them regardless of reason so i understand his focus (be foolish for him to not serve his target market). However, i honestly think itd be much more productive and would be a testament to Andrews devotion to intellectual discourse, if he invited noted scholars/leaders from these cults/religions so that his audience can hear from the other side. A natural requisite to form an educated opinion about anything I'd say.

Such an interesting interview -appreciate Joseoh sharing his experiences and viewpoints, and thanks to Andrew for giving him the platform. Well done, Joseph -looking forward to checking out your channel.

Wishing him all the best in his future endeavours.

Joseph is one of a kind. Most of the hasidic jews are actually very educated and very successful in business 👎👎👎

I fear for the future of NYC. As the Hasidics grow in numbers and power there will be a reaction against then as normal people do not want their lives disrupted. The same is now happening in Israel where the ultraorthodox wield way too much power. So much that many secular Israelis want to leave. The ultraorthodox do not want to hear this but they are their own worst enemies. Peopl will not tolerate those that are this intolerant of others.

To the people debating family size and pressure to marry: Don't be hypersensitive to what Joseph describes. I have come across plenty of Muslim, Christian, and secular/atheist-wealthy families where there was intense family pressure to have "more than 6 children." Let's just leave it at that. This is true in societies where many people died in wars - not just in the families of Holocaust survivors; in many families in many parts of Africa; in many families that are of "special" ("aristocratic" or otherwise notable, including religiously notable) bloodlines. No one particularly pressured me, the emphasis in my childhood home was on education. But, yes, both parents were survivors of WW2 who had seen many of their family and friends, including close Jewish friends, tortured and murdered, dead in mass slaughter events, or under bombardment, fleeing, or on battlefields... And growing up I always imagined I would have 8 children. I am not Jewish; I am a traditional, ecumenical, not overly pious but certainly seriously observant Christian. I only had 3 children; stopped at 3 - could not imagine going through that again, plus simply we could not afford it. I look at my now adult children and 1 grandchild (from an unmarried daughter) and do not encourage them to rush to have children, or to have many children. Schools are getting worse and worse. Life is getting more and more expensive. The number of people experiencing some form of sexual violence (including from people they trust) is rising across the world. Parents need to take responsibility for keeping their own kids as safe as humanly possible: how many of us had children that we imagined would never experience any sexual violence? Does anyone want to have a child knowing that child will experience such harrowing trauma? At a young age? There are dangerous wars proliferating, that may explode into something bigger... Atrocities have become commonplace. Those are all very serious considerations that need to be factored in before anyone says: "Five kids? No problem!" My husband was/is an excellent, loving, attentive, hands-on father who also shares a lot of the cooking and was very involved during the childhood & teen years. Zero violence, zero accusatory shouting, etc. BUT we barely managed to have energy enough for 3: how could we possibly have managed to give 6 children the same attention? Or the "8" I fantasized about while reading the classics of the literary canon? A HAPPY HOME IS ONLY POSSIBLE IF YOU KNOW EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY WELL. You cannot get to know 10 individual children well! They cannot get to know each other well, either! Your household will be a constant meal-making and washing-up and laundry-time factory: there will be no time left for anything else! Not for sleep! Not for conversation! When people procreate out of an obsessive need to increase the numbers without actually improving the quality of the emotional and intellectual interaction, that is not actually serving God. That is serving your own personal vanity. That is saying: "I am so special, the world needs 100 of me." Yet no one alive today is that special, sorry! If you already have children, whatever your faith: NEVER hit them. If you hit your child, God will hit you. If you abuse your child, God will punish you. If you insist that someone marry a person they hardly know, you will most certainly receive the wrath of God, not the blessing of God. No one should be making children with someone they are not in love with, mutually in love with! And those children must be loved in return, they need your time. Time! Children are ideally spaced 3-4 years apart, so they have time to understand how the family grows, so there are FEWER rivalries and less chaos, and so the mother has time to recover from breastfeeding before she starts again, if she is healthy enough and has the means/inclination to add another child. Dragging a child into this world that you are not going to bother to make comfortable, keep fully secure in the knowledge they are respected and valued - and not exploited as some kind of workforce - is not any kind of "righteous act, virtue or sign of piety." It is cruel. Cruelty is never in alignment with any of God's Commandments - regardless of which specific religious tradition you adhere to or are descended from. Well done, brave Joseph! Yes, it shall get better, for you, certainly.

Good luck to you Joseph. You've overcome great obstacles and you are still so young - best of luck to you - you'll do great!

His story is pretty similar to what happens to JWs when they decide to leave the cult.

I have become enamored of Hasidic music and thus have come to study the Haredi. I don't think anyone realizes how hard it is what you are doing. I have come in contact with a couple of guys who seemed like rebels, but they were not. Secular education involves a whole range of interests and every child is different. Your education was one thing only Talmud and Bible. You are doing amazing and keep strong.

The so called Mexican boarder is SUPER easy to get over these days. I imagine much easier than getting out of the Satmar community.

Mr gold please stop youre evil u tube talking against ultra orthodox who many of them are very good people and help out jews and nonj ews

I also have shwartz's in my family history. Im happy how he managed to say how the intention was good originally in religions but they've lost the way and got focused on all these details. Usually people who leave just say in interviews"i just wanted to do what i want" and its just not deep enough for me so I'm amazed that with his communication difficulties due to lack of English education he managed to mention things that are usually lacking in these kind of discussions. This is a nice deep discussion including complex feelings and ideas.

If you lived in closed house and never saw a bird flying or fish that only lives in water and then you see it you would be amazed think about it that is the greatness of GOD that made the great nature so in order to have free choise so one could say that proves nothing

Where is he nowadays? I would love to hear an update. And if there is anything I could do to encourage him. He did nothing wrong… for those criticizing him… he had an horrible upbringing! I’m a frum Syrian jew, there is horrible parents everywhere….. I’m literally crying for this kid!

Just to fact check here, this might be how he personally felt and the way his family treated him but some things said are wildly exaggerated or completely false

He spoke so well for someone whose second language is English and he should be very proud of that. Joseph was very brave and very clever in making his escape from the culty religion. I’m glad he saved himself and has been doing everything he can to make a better life for himself. I hope there’s some help offers in the chat, which knowing the amazing quality of viewers here I’m sure there would be. It was disappointing to hear that the foundations set up for cult survivors don’t have what he needs, such as learning to read and write. Although it could be a funding issue? Who knows? Let’s hope this guy gets a boost up and I’m sure he will rise to the challenge. Great interview Andrew! Thanks to you both for doing it. 🙏❤️

Brutal honesty from this kid

I loved listening to you guys chitchat it was awesome!

I’m confused on how he’s planning to get Swiss citizenship? Doesn’t one of his grandparents or parents have to be born in Switzerland in order for him to be eligible for Swiss citizenship? He said he’s 3rd generation born in the US, which means his grandparents, parents, and himself are all born in the US, therefore making him ineligible for Swiss citizenship by ancestry since his family has been in the US for several generations already? Or did I get something wrong? Unless he’s planning on actually moving over there and waiting 10 years to get citizenship - which would be hard since he doesn’t have a proper education or money. 😕

I know a lot of people who tried to help him out, regardless if he will come back and get religious or not, they just tried to help him find a job and make him stable, but he don't want anything. He just likes to sit in a homeless shelter and hate hacidic jews. It's very painful to see a guy in this situation struggling like that, but what it's much more painful is to see how a person put himself in a position that he would never had to be in. I know quite a few people who left the hasidic community and everyone of them just went their own ways trying to find good luck on there new society. Joseph is not trying to go anywhere, he's busy sticking around the hasidic community and keeps telling all kinds of hateful messages about them instead of just walking away from them. if it's not for you just go and find good luck somewhere else. Don't be busy to blame your past. From my perspective he's just a hateful selfish liar.

@Andrew gold. I like the way you are interviewing ppl, so i would suggest you should make a interview with a hasidic Jew, to get a clear vision on the hasidic community's. BTW i just finished listening to the interview, and what i can say for 💯 is that Joseph is an absolute liar!!!! I know his father very well, and i can say for a 💯 that he is far away from an abusive personality. His father tried more then a few times to help him, regardless if he is coming back or not!! Joseph im sorry to say but you need to be ashamed of yourself. There is One more thing I want to say. I know for a fact that he is lying about "smuggling into Canada", because if you're checking what it was the law in the covid times you can see that the law was if your parents are Canadian citizens you can come into Canada. so he had no reason to smuggle in because his father is a Canadian and his grandparents are still living right now Canada. He is just a teenager who is lying around for a bit publicity and attention.

13:21 In public school he would probably drop out in Preschool, in hasidic school there is no school 18 hours a day, i hope you guys don't believe everything he said, if your not dumb 🥴

Aw he's adorable. He'll do well once he's settled in somewhere.

Waiting...waiting... 🇦🇺 Bloody insomnia 😏

Joseph is a delight. I'll admit I struggled to listen to him at some points but I kept reminding myself of where he came from and I made it to the end of the interview. I grew up in NY around the Hasidic community and even worked for them. I know how these people are. I wish you all the very best Joseph. It will get better! Edit to add: it occurred to me that for him, perhaps the best option would be to join the military? A lot of his needs could be taken care of that way.

For those facing homelessness, start working with state social workers. They will guide you towards resources. Food pantries will have free food for people struggling. Community Colleges have resources for homeless students. They can help find housing,help with books and supplies and help you find jobs.