W. Orange/Livingston New Jersey?

sara_rivka

Tue, Apr 28 2015, 1:19 pm

I have spent some time there (extended family lives there and we are very seriously considering moving there) so I can give a partial answer to these questions -- although I am still looking to hear responses about Kushner.

There are two orthodox shuls - the larger one with more young families and surrounded by more affordable houses (as well as higher-end houses as well) is Suburban Torah. The rabbi there, Rabbi Eli Mischel, is relatively new (has been there 2-ish years) and he is young, full of energy and enthusiasm, very kind and approachable, and is committed to growing the community. There is currently something like 200+ families and people tend to be friendly and not judgmental, very welcoming - and I found from personal experience that there are a bunch of young families especially committed to welcoming new young couples . The shul's outlook is modern orthodox, as are most of its members, but there are a few prominent Chabad families who run the Friendship Circle and unlike in most communities which have a separate Chabad house, in Livigston they daven at Suburban Torah. Suburban Torah also runs a popular and well-loved (from everyone I talked to) nursery school. Also in the summer a bunch of families host shabbos afternoon play groups in their homes.

The other orthodox shul, Etz Chaim, is in another area of town surrounded by only expensive homes. Other than the fact that it is smaller, I don't know anything about it.

There is a mikvah in town which I have heard is nice but haven't used it so I can't comment. I can say, however, that I have met the mikvah lady and she is extremely nice.

There is a dairy restaurant with excellent pizza, great Israeli food, and the usual smattering of fish and pareve entrees. It is called Jersualem. It is very casual but the food is good and well-priced. There is a kosher bagel shop in town which is also good. There is no meat restaurant in town but there are options in neighboring West Orange and a Chinese meat restaurant in nearby Springfield that delivers. There are a couple of kosher caterers in town.

Food shopping: the local Shop Rite has a huge kosher selection including a deli. Also the aforementioned Jerusalem restaurant sells various kosher products such as a variety of cheeses, frozen baked goods, and lots of imported Israeli items. The local Costco has kosher meat and cheese and tons of other products but the bakery is not kosher. There is a bakery in West Orange but it gets mixed reviews.

In the school front - I know that in addition to the nursery school at Suburban Torah, the main yeshiva (Kushner) has a preschool starting at 3's, I believe. Kushner is the only game in town for a yeshiva (not just in town, but folks from the surrounding areas send their kids there) -- it is preschool through 12th. I have seen the campus and it is impressive, and I have heard from people who send their kids there and all have only good things to say about the elementary school. I have read online that the high school has lots of AP classes, interesting programming, etc., but I haven't spoken to anyone who sent their teenagers there yet -- which is why I bumped this post! I heard from a friend in Teaneck that supposedly the smartest kids end up going by bus to Frisch in Teaneck for high school, but I have no idea if that is true or just her opinion or a rumor. I also know that Kushner has a separate academy for students with special needs.

Also -- probably not relevant for the imamother crowd but I think there is a Solomon Schechter in town as well. That leads me to the following point: there is a vibrant and bustling frum community but also generally tons of Jews in Livingston and the broader Jewish community does interact and overlap in such areas as volunteering with the Friendship Circle and even at the nursery school which apparently attracts a handful of non-frum families since it has such a good reputation. (I heard there are non-frum Jewish preschools in town as well.)

As for distance from NYC -- by car, depending on traffic, 30-50 minutes (rough average). Unfortunately no train, which to me is the biggest (only?) downside since I work in NYC. But they have a commuter bus that tons of people take and it drops you off at Port Authority in approx. 45 mins (also obviously traffic dependent, which for a daily commute isn't so ideal). I spoke to a bunch of people who do this and say that the bus is comfortable and reliable. Other people drive to nearby PATH or NJ Transit stations in Harrison or (S. Orange, I think?) and take the train, which might be what I would end up doing.

Anyway, if anyone has personal experience with Kushner and could weigh in, please do!

wordsmith

Tue, Apr 28 2015, 9:28 pm

I’m going to leave the specific postings about Kushner to parents of students there, but I do want to say that Livingston is an amazing and welcoming place. There are not a lot of communities like it in the New York metro area -- and by that I mean inclusive communities where Jews from across the Orthodox spectrum come to daven together and participate in activities together. When you live in Livingston you are not merely another person, you count and matter. It’s like living in a small town, but in the best sense.

The mikvah is absolutely amazing and beautiful -- you can see some pictures at mikvahchana.com, and yes it does look like that. Also, the regular mikvah attendant is amazing. She will go out of her way to make you feel comfortable, answer any question or get you the answer to any question if you don’t want to ask a rav yourself.

Many people here do commute into the city every day, and the bus is very convenient and comes quite often between 6 and 9 am. There is a shuttle bus from the local mall to the South Orange train station if you want to commute that way.

Under Rabbi Mischel’s leadership, Suburban Torah has been increasing the number of classes it offers and the special guest speakers who come for Shabbas and special programs. There are weekly youth groups at shul Shabbas morning, and yes, the spring/summer youth groups held at different people’s homes -- broken down by age.

In addition to Chabad, we also have an Aish couple here and they host a learning minyan at Suburban Torah -- I want to say once a month. They also host High Holiday services.

In terms of schools, while most everyone does send to Kushner, Chabad families attend school in Morristown and I know of a handful who send their kids to school in Passaic or Teaneck and Golda Ochs Academy (the Solomon Schechter school).

Home prices in Livingston vary greatly, and there is an effort to grow the Jewish population of the “south side” of Mount Pleasant Avenue -- literally the area right behind Suburban Torah. The homes in this area are great starter homes, many have three bedrooms and at least two bathrooms.

In terms of food, I think Sara Rivka laid it out pretty well. I’ll just add that we have a kosher chocolate and candy store and we have a Rita’s (water ice and custard shop) and Haagen Daaz.