I was thrilled to be hired as the photographer for Faces of Orthodoxy Season 6 Atlanta (backed by the Orthodox Union). They profiled 6 movers and shakers, to tell their dynamic stories, and show the world that Orthodox people are relatable, rather than exotic or strange as seen in the media.

Week four: Erika Needleman

“I come from a family of seekers. My father was always exploring. He was ordained as a Baptist minister at one point (he’s Jewish). My mom is a proud Jew. I have half-sisters who are 30 years older than me & both had gurus. I started yoga at 14 & met my first yoga teacher, Janice. I was always looking for a female role model who I could go to with questions. But after getting to know her, I saw that her life wasn’t as great as it looked in the yoga studio. At 19, I moved to an ashram in Upstate NY with Swamis, Hindu ascetics, to become a yoga teacher. I woke up at 5 a.m., meditated & studied Hinduism. By the end of the program, my back hurt from all the sitting & I didn't feel enlightened. But I knew a lot about Hinduism.

I then went to the Dominican Republic to do community service. I didn’t realize it was through a Christian missionary organization. Oops. I watched how they prayed, saw something was there, but the Jesus thing wasn’t sitting with me. My fellow volunteers asked me questions about Judaism, but all I could tell them was about Hinduism. It was embarrassing to be asked questions by missionaries about my religion which I knew nothing about. I had walked away from my people & heritage, but I didn’t know what I had walked away from. I needed a full grasp of my own religion, so I went back to my college, @arizonastateuniversity & became a religious studies major with a concentration in Jewish studies. I was the only Jew in the Jewish studies courses; everyone else was Mormon.

I got an internship at @hadassah_brandeis_institute feminist think tank at Brandeis. I had never encountered academic Jews before. They all had so much knowledge, & I was just a beginner. I had my first Shabbos at my professor’s house with all the interns. For the first time, I shut off my phone & computer. It was transformative. Shabbos was filled with delicious food & wonderful conversation. I felt truly present like I was exactly where I was supposed to be & there was nothing else to do. Like yoga, but it was my tradition. I was totally hooked.”

”They say you don’t know who you are as a Jew until you go to Israel. I went on Birthright & Ulpan. Before my next program, Pardes, started, I needed a place to stay for 3 weeks. My mom was friends with a survivor named Edith who was close to a family in Har Nof. She arranged for me to stay there. I was told to pack modest clothing. When I walked into their home, it wasn't just a husband and wife. It was a Rosh Yeshiva and Rebbetzin. I felt like an alien.

To my utter surprise, in the Rebbetzin I found the role model I was always looking for. I watched her navigate difficult phone calls and visits. I watched her pray in the morning. I saw someone really connected to G-d. This was a person who was in tune with her higher self, & I wanted that. She didn’t get caught in the spiral when things were overwhelming; G-d was at her center. I had never seen anyone able to do that. I saw in her what I didn’t see in my yoga teachers or professors.

I asked lots of questions but I started to realize that some of my questions didn’t make sense anymore. One morning I sat at her table grasping at straws as to why I wasn't religious, and I melted into a puddle of tears. I was going to have to change. Oh boy.

I decided I wanted to learn Torah in an all-female environment, so I went to Shearim Seminary, where I fell in love & felt at home. I told the head of school that I didn’t want to be religious, I just wanted to learn. She told me they just wanted to get my questions answered. Soon I realized this was exactly what I needed & wanted to be. A year later, I started dating. Edith told me that when you meet the right person, you’ll experience a fog. After my first date with my future husband, I experienced an actual fog. We got engaged 9 dates later.

We lived in Israel for the first year, moved to Passaic & then to Atlanta. Over Covid, it became clear that I needed to use my skills in addition to being a mother. I started life coaching. I began teaching Jewish classes to college students. I also speak to girls’ camps, schools & women’s groups. I call it my Renaissance of Self. I’m receiving all the time when I’m teaching or coaching. It fills me up.”

BTS video courtesy of the talented Yelena Hertzberg

Erika: Faces of Orthodoxy