‘Lebanon’ Levi Stoltzfus

Although he was born into the most traditional Old Order Amish community, “Lebanon” Levi Stoltzfus was never baptized into the church. That allows him to straddle the modern “English” and Amish worlds. The star of the Discovery Channel’s hit reality show “Amish Mafia” recently published “Amish Confidential” (Simon & Schuster, $24.99). The book exposes his experience in the Amish community as an insider.

I was struck by how your father died.

Yeah, I don’t remember much of it. I was only 2 years old. His leg got cut off up to the hip on the cutter where the fan is, and the choppers are for the corn and the silo. I remember the viewing. I remember standing on little cans tied together and combing my dad’s hair. I remember the day before he died sitting on his lap.

Had he lived, do you think you would have been baptized into the church?

You always question that. It seems in the Amish life there is a lot that still stay Amish, but there are a lot that when their dad or mom dies and they get remarried it seems like it’s not there, you know? They just want to move on and live some different life. I think if my dad would still be living ... I am sure it would be a little bit different.

You talk about being conflicted about the religion and the contradictions even as a young boy. So as a grown man are you confident you made the right decision to embrace the culture but not the religion?

Yeah, absolutely. I think it is time that the outside world sees more inside the Amish.

In the book you say the Amish are the bait for tourism.

Right, they don’t get a dollar outta nothing. All the stores, the Amish clothes, the Amish gifts they sell. The Amish don’t get nothing. It’s pretty sad.

Do you worry that the show “Amish Mafia” is adding to the exploitation?

It’s definitely getting to the insides of it, yeah. That is kind of why I wanted to write the book because the people who follow the show say they would never do such things, of course some stuff is what it is. There is a lot of stuff the Amish do that nobody knows. That’s why it is called “Amish Confidential.” It is the secrets inside of the Amish [community].

Some use modern conveniences by getting around technicalities in Amish law.

Yes, in some of the stores they will have it in someone’s name — either a Mennonite or an English person’s name — so they can have electricity in the store. It is stuff like that. There are ways around it. The Amish are supposed to be plain and simple, which they are, but as the world goes on everybody gets more modern.

Do you find there are less and less original Amish — plain and simple?

Absolutely it is getting less. There is still a good percentage who are very plain. Like my dad [stepdad]. He don’t even know how to use a cell phone.

What do you say to the people who say “Amish Mafia” is fake?

I can’t talk about the show because of my contract, but I will tell you this: It really doesn’t matter how real it is or how fake it is. People are going to believe what they want. I will tell you there is a lot of truth to it.

Aren’t you baptized Mennonite?

I am baptized in a New Order Amish church. It is called New Order Amish Mennonite Church, but the men still have the beards, and they can drive cars and have electricity. The women still wear the coverings on the head and wear dresses. It is basically new order Amish. I don’t go to that church anymore.

You come off as a kind of Robin Hood to the Amish in the show. In the book you bring out serious issues such as the puppy mills that exist and Amish on Amish violence.

The puppy mills I definitely do not like. I didn’t even know it was that bad until the inspectors got a hold of it. That is the best way to do it. You need some more higher power like an inspector and let them get in trouble that way. Other than that they will just keep doing what they are doing.

Do the Amish support you? I know they don’t all watch television.

There are some Amish that watch. They will go to neighbors or to these huts [Amish have hut parties, which are barns or shacks that have electricity for television] because of course no TVs at home. Anything you do in life, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what choice you make in life in the Amish community. They aren’t all going to be in favor.

So you have had a couple of DUIs, and I was wondering if your stepdad ever found out?

Oh yeah. You can hide nothing. Of course he had to know because I lost my license, and I had to get a driver to go to work. When I had my second one I had to go to jail for 28 days. They aren’t too happy about it.

You’ve sort of got your foot in the best of both worlds. If you had been baptized Old Order Amish you would have been shunned.

Right, right. The church really can’t do nothing to you as long as you are not baptized. As soon as you are baptized you are pretty much in the church’s hands. Anything you do wrong you have to confess or get shunned. For me, yeah, I can pretty much do what I want.