Elad shares how he grew up a secular Jew with Israeli parents and went on a spiritual journey, seeking meaning and community. This led him to a Hasidic community where he found “beauty, truth and beautifully true people.” Over time, though, he realized that ongoing acceptance within this religious family required a “total sublimation of my selfhood.” He describes the painful journey into a spiritual home, through disillusionment and, finally, walking away from the beliefs, people and places that had been his home to return to his authentic self. Note: 2 years have passed since this interview with Elad was first recorded. Naturally, Elad's views and writings have evolved since then. This episode begins with Elad reading from his piece, "I Sold My Soul," published on his Substack newsletter.

Find Elad on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/EladNehorai/ and

On Substack https://eladnehorai.substack.com/

Trigger Warning: Explicit mentions of sex and death threats. In addition, due to these episodes containing stories that involve cults and other types of coercive control that may be disturbing to some, listener discretion is advised.

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Intro & outro by Jon Snow; Original Music by Esther Friedman

Editing and production by Vanessa Hennessey

Huge thanks to Living Cult Free’s intern, Nikki Kattamuri, the Living Cult Free Board of Directors, and Erica A. Slauson for help with transcriptions.

Music and sound by:

Ashot Danielyan, Jerome Chauvel, Fae Spencer, UNIVERSFIELD, Sergei Chetvertnykh, Piano Amor, ArctSound, and Sergii Pavkin

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Living Cult Free. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. Please keep in mind that each episode is recorded long before it is shared live and the views and perspective of the storyteller may have changed. The Living Cult Free name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.