Inspiration for the Nation with Yaakov Langer
Inspiration for the Nation with Yaakov Langer

Nechama Leapley: How an Amish Girl Found Her Way to Orthodox Judaism

November 15, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

Nechama Leapley was born Briana, the oldest of seven children in a conservative Christian family that homeschooled its kids, kept them sheltered from television and popular culture, and moved constantly while her father served in the Navy. When she was seven, her parents began incorporating Jewish traditions into their home—lighting Shabbat candles, celebrating Passover, building a sukkah. For young Briana, this was not a casual addition. She became obsessed. She begged her mother to find Jewish ancestry. She learned to read Hebrew. She named the hill in her backyard Mount Zion. Her mother made her a toy passport with a hand-drawn visa for Israel; it became her most treasured possession.

The Amish Years

When Briana was 14, her parents—still Christian but increasingly isolated and seeking community—began visiting Amish settlements. They liked the plain lifestyle, the shared values, the absence of technology. For Briana, the prospect was appealing too: she was an outdoor child who disliked technology, and she desperately wanted to belong somewhere. The family moved to an Amish community in Kentucky in the winter of 2017, when she was 16.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:12) **Childhood and Early Longing for Judaism** - Nechama describes her sheltered, conservative Christian upbringing and the moment her family began incorporating Jewish traditions.
  • 2 (09:10) **The Decision to Join an Amish Community** - At 14, her family sought a community that matched their values, and at 16, they moved to an Amish settlement in Kentucky.
  • 3 (12:52) **First Days in the Amish Community** - Describes the initial culture shock for her parents and the process of integrating into the community.
  • 4 (14:50) **Daily Life and Social Dynamics** - Explains the work, diet, and the persistent feeling of loneliness despite having friends.
  • 5 (24:58) **Amish Rules and Excommunication** - Explains the community's rules regarding technology and the consequences for breaking them.
  • 6 (34:20) **The Decision to Leave Everything** - At 20, Nechama realized she could not stay forever and made the "crazy hard" decision to leave her family and the only world she knew.
  • 7 (38:19) **Arriving in the "Outside World"** - Describes the intense culture shock of moving from the Amish community to Raleigh, North Carolina to live with her uncle and aunt.

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Show Notes

Inspiration for the Nation is the weekly Jewish podcast from Living Lchaim, hosted by Yaakov Langer.


From Amish to Jewish???

Yes.

You read that right. Briana Leapley, now Nechama Leapley, shares her inspiring journey from Amish life in rural Kentucky to becoming an Orthodox Jewish convert in Brooklyn. Leaving behind her family and traditions, she navigates intense culture shock, finds guidance from rabbis, and embraces a life of Torah and mitzvot. Her story is one of faith, courage, and transformation, moving from Amish simplicity to Jewish identity, and from Briana to Nechama, with her heart set on Israel.


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✬ IN MEMORY OF ✬


This episode is in memory of:

• Miram Sarah bas Yaakov Moshe

• Shimon Dovid ben Yaakov Shloima


This episode is for the speedy recovery of:

• Yosef Chaim ben Devorah Chaya Golda


Lchaim.


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