Shalom Shore grew up in a strict ultra-Orthodox Jewish environment in Jerusalem connected to the organization Aish HaTorah, dedicated to its mission of bringing secular Jews back to strict religious observance. As the oldest of nine chiIdren, Shalom grew up in a household that appeared ideal, but was marked by emotional neglect, financial stress, and a constant focus on religious outreach. Shalom’s chiIdhood and education were dominated by intense religious indoctrination. He attended a strict ultra-Orthodox school 365 days a year, where boys studied religious texts from early morning until late at night, with little secular education and frequent physical punishment from teachers. The rigid environment, lack of emotional support, and strict moral expectations led to anxiety, obsessive religious guilt, and deep internal conflict, particularly around s*xuality and personal identity. The community’s teachings pushed him toward early marriage as a supposed solution to normal s*xual urges and loneliness. He then became a Rabbi and eventually left it all behind. Watch our follow up LIVE with Shalom: https://www.youtube.com/live/qUcrg7WUZ-0?si=ePfFt9yZH6i63eVg Watch our recent panel with 4 Former Ultra Orthodox women: https://youtu.be/z57-ezTPwU8?si=RpDJsQlWCG4ct-pL Find and support Shalom! Shalom’s podcast, Beyond Belief: Tales of Religious Exodus https://open.spotify.com/show/7yWbv1wSD5FwQuSBhbPksF  Instagram: @shalomshore Personal website: shalomshore.com Religion site: freidomfighter.com Hypnosis site: navyahypnosis.com Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClips Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/ Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_ https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_ TikTok @cults.to.consciousness https://www.tiktok.com/@cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon https://twitter.com/cultstocon Chapter Marks 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:52 Disclaimer on Shalom's sect of Judaism 00:08:13 His parents' introduction to the cult 00:12:30 Shalom's chiIdhood 00:19:31 CW: CA, Conditions in jewish schools 00:23:32 Things missing from chiIdhood 00:27:55 Intense rules he was expected to follow 00:34:01 Connecting with other chiIdren and siblings 00:40:16 The structure of the cult 00:44:17 Shalom's teen years & being pushed towards marriage 00:51:55 Wedding and the struggles in marriage 00:59:48 Marriage and adulthood expectations vs reality 01:06:30 Marriage and belief falling apart 01:12:36 Leaving Israel 01:15:50 Shalom's life now & final thoughts **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**