Shira was the youngest of seven, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, and riddled with guilt. Because growing up Orthodox Jewish in Brooklyn, she wasn't supposed to question the life she'd been given.

But she did.

And the incessant amount of rules didn't help: Cover your knees. Cover your elbows. Don't wear anything too bright. Don't wear pants. Don't eat cheeseburgers. (Burgers are cool, though.) Don't question. Collars buttoned to the top. She even had to wash her strawberries a certain way.

And then the blessings... A blessing the moment you open your eyes. A blessing before every sip of water. Another when you're done. A special cup to wash your hands before bread, no talking until you've blessed it, and a five-minute blessing when you're done eating it. (Pastries get their own blessing, of course.)

But some rules weren't simply arbitrary. And as Shira got older, some rules cut deeper.

Marry within your community. Cover your hair once married. Sit separately from the men. Accept that men mattered more. Their voices counted. Their presence counted. Their authority counted. Women were expected to cover up, quiet down, marry young and have babies.

Shira is a singer, and in her world, women weren't allowed to sing in front of men. Or touch men they wasn't related to. Or even count toward the ten people needed for communal prayer.

And it wasn't dating an outsider that finally broke her free. It was one heartbreaking experience that left her questioning everything she'd ever been told was true.

But it would be almost three decades before that would happen. And along the way, somehow the girl who had spent her childhood wanting out kept trying to make herself fit in.

Because getting away from the community was one thing.

Risking losing the people she loved was something else entirely.

But when your menstrual cycle can end with your underwear in a rabbi's hands…

well, eventually you might find yourself asking:

Wait… was I in a cult?

______________

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When we left Evie, she had just landed in Germany with Mary and Liam on a mission from "the gods" to save the world… only to have her money, passport, ID and credit cards disappear almost immediately.

And then somehow, things manage to only get worse from there.

With Evie now stranded in a foreign country, Mary takes on the role of her self-appointed "manager," setting income demands, controlling her schedule and eventually pushing her to sell her body in more ways than one... all to do what?

Give all her earnings to pay for the group to live, of course. All of it.

So how does one go from small town Texas to eventually asylum housing in Germany?

Listen to find out. This is Part 2 of Evie's wonderfully bizarre, funny, and heartbreaking story. And the moment she finally begins asking the question at the center of this entire show: "Wait, was I in a cult?"

____

FOLLOW US
Instagram → @wasiinacult
TikTok → @wasiinacult

SUPPORT THE SHOW
Join our Patreon!
Ad-free episodes, bonus content, behind-the-scenes conversations, and our forever gratitude.

HAVE A CULTY STORY?
Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

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Free shipping and 365-day returns → quince.com/cult

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Evie was only 17 when she met Mary. First, Mary was her friend. Then her girlfriend. Then her friend again. And eventually... her cult leader.

Evie didn't know it then, but apparently there was something about Mary.

Something that got Evie to mess around with pagan rituals like a couple of bored teenagers in Texas... and eventually got Evie to complete missions from "the gods," practice astral projection, and take direction from a water spirit named Flo. All in the name of "saving Texas."

And then somehow...

... got her to QUIT HER JOB, get rid of her WORLDLY POSSESSIONS, and MOVE TO GERMANY to SAVE THE WORLD.

This is Part 1 of 2. And this is only the beginning of where this experience takes our wonderful earnest guest with an infectious laugh, Evie. So be sure to stick around for Part 2 next week.

____

FOLLOW US
Instagram → @wasiinacult
TikTok → @wasiinacult

SUPPORT THE SHOW
Join our Patreon!
Ad-free episodes, bonus content, behind-the-scenes conversations, and our forever gratitude.

HAVE A CULTY STORY?
Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

Quince makes elevated everyday essentials at 50-80% less than similar brands!
Free shipping and 365-day returns → quince.com/cult

Boll & Branch makes organic cotton sheets woven to keep you cool all night.
15% off plus free shipping → bollandbranch.com/cult, code: CULT