Gesher: Breaking Free

What happens when you decide to leave the only community you've ever known? For Emily Green, it meant a bitter legal battle, the threat of losing her five children, and being turned against by people she had trusted all her life. But it also meant hope - and freedom.

After ten years of marriage, Emily decided she could no longer live within the restrictions of her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. But escaping was only the beginning. Building a new life outside the community brought challenges she could never have imagined.

In the final episode of this three-part series, Emily and Darren reveal the difficulties of leaving ultra-Orthodox Judaism, from losing family connections to finding their place in mainstream society. But they also explain why it was the best decision they ever made - and how there is a fulfilling life waiting for you on the other side.

We also discover how Emily's experiences inspired her to establish GesherEU, a charity helping others navigate the same journey and build a new life.

About GesherEU

GesherEU provides support and assistance to anybody who has decided to make the difficult transition from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community into the mainstream world. We’re based in North London, and also have a chapter in Manchester. Our members come from across the UK.

Connect with GesherEU:

Website: https://geshereu.org.uk/ 

Email: [email protected] 

⚠️ This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, which may be sensitive for some listeners. Please listen with care.

At the age of 20, Emily Green married a man she had only met twice. On her wedding day, surrounded by 500 guests, she was filled with dread.

Growing up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in London’s Stamford Hill, Emily had always been taught to trust her family and follow the rules. But married life brought new restrictions, and she began to question the future that had been chosen for her.

In the second episode of this three-part series, Emily reveals the pressures of marriage and the expectations placed on women in her community. We also hear from Darren, whose experience of being intersex challenged everything he had been taught about his place in the world.

About GesherEU

GesherEU provides support and assistance to anybody who has decided to make the difficult transition from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community into the mainstream world. We’re based in North London, and also have a chapter in Manchester. Our members come from across the UK.

Connect with GesherEU:

Website: https://geshereu.org.uk/ 

Email: [email protected] 

At the age of 30, after a 10-year-long marriage, why did Emily Green decide to take her five children and escape the only community she’d ever known?

Emily grew up in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in London’s Stamford Hill. Her experience of leaving the community was so traumatic, she later set up the charity GesherEU so no one else had to go through the same pain she did.

In the first episode of this three-part series, Emily reveals what it was like growing up in her community, and how restrictive her childhood was. We also hear from Darren, who is also a former member of an ultra-orthodox Jewish community.

About GesherEU

GesherEU provides support and assistance to anybody who has decided to make the difficult transition from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community into the mainstream world. We’re based in North London, and also have a chapter in Manchester. Our members come from across the UK.

Connect with GesherEU:

Website: https://geshereu.org.uk/ 

Email: [email protected]