Toronto - desperate for information!!

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Jul 01 2015, 4:15 pm

Anyone know anything about Toronto???

We are thinking of moving there from Eretz Yisroel. We are RW yeshivish, in our mid-30s with 3 small kids.

How are the schools - esp yesodei hatorah, toronto cheder, beis yaakov, beis chinuch l'bonos. What are the differences between them?
Where do people our age live? What's the difference between Bathurst/Lawrence, N of lawrence, S of lawrence, S of 401 and Clanton Park?
Are people friendly? Is it easy to meet people?
Is it a very rich city? Would I have to always be dressed up and have my kids in brand names to be accepted, or can I shop at Walmart? Smile

Any opinions / info you can share would be wonderful!!

TIA

WriterMom

Wed, Jul 01 2015, 8:38 pm

I have friends who moved there; she was not happy with it, said it was a very formal community and she felt pressure to be perfectly dressed with makeup to get the kids after school and get groceries.

However, Toronto has a huge Jewish community and this was one niche of it. I will get in touch with her and ask about the places/neighbourhoods you mention, because I'm sure there's lots of variation. Also, FWIW, she moved from Europe, so her 'baseline' would be different than an American's or an Israeli's.

Gerbera

Wed, Jul 01 2015, 10:13 pm

Wow....Toronto is a huge city with a Jewish population of 200,000 so what people have mentioned is a huge generalization. You can drive on one street for well over an hour and the community lives all along it.

There are different areas you can consider. There is a RW Yeshivish community in Thornhill where ppl "our age" live and who send their kids to the schools you mentioned.

Then there are the areas you mentioned. You SO do not need to worry about what clothing your kids are in unless you yourself want to get caught up in that. Sure there are rich ppl....there are rich ppl everywhere and there are plenty of middle class ppl too.

I would say a large difference between some of the schools mentioned is some are affiliated with UJA and receive subsidy money as they comply with Ontario curriculum standards when it comes to English studies. Not all schools are affiliated and there is a great variance on the secular education.

People say Toronto can be cold....as in social warmth. Depends on where you go and how active you are as well in getting out and meeting people or attending shul, school events, etc.

I have lived here for over 25 years and you can not lump the community into one as a whole. You need to figure out what features are important to you and what area will suit you best.

If you have specific questions or want more info on something. Feel free to PM me.

amother

Violet

Wed, Jul 01 2015, 10:23 pm

Toronto real estate is certainly expensive but I don't feel as if you need to be rich to fit in. There are MANY families that are not wealthy. Tuition costs are a big chunk of my family's budget. If you pay full tuition, it would be probably about $11,000 to $13,000 per child for the schools that you mentioned. I do not dress my children in designer clothing (unless I get it on sale!) and I do not feel at all self-conscious. I will however, usually put on a sheital before I pick up the children from school. There are others that don't! There are probably more youngish families near Bathurst and Lawrence as there are a lot of apartment buildings and rentals there. Clanton Park is lovely and a more established neighbourhood with lots of extended families with relatives all living close by. I find that since many people have family nearby, they tend to be less likely to go looking to make new friends. It's also more affordable for housing and close to the highway if you need to commute. Let me know if you have any other questions that I could help with.

amother

Violet

Wed, Jul 01 2015, 10:36 pm

I don't think any of the schools you listed are included in the list of schools that gets funding from the UJA. Generally, the more RW schools do not get any of that funding and are therefore not compelled to follow the UJA's idea of what should be taught. Torah education is heavily emphasized at all the schools you mentioned and the quality of the chol studies will vary from school to school, as the other poster said. I supplement the secular education of my children at home.

amother

Gold

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 12:51 am

We moved here last year from miami, although I grew up here so already had friends. It can be hard to come here as a person with no support system. I would say to get involved with something to meet ppl. There is a nice yeshivish community in thornhill who all send to the schools you mentioned, most of them are involved in the thornhill kollel. There are similar communities around Bathurst and Lawrence and also Clanton park, each has their pluses and minuses. There is pressure to dress fancier, you can either ignore it or give into it, it also depends how old your kids are and how much they notice these things. Many ppl here have money, and many don't.

Call the schools before making a decision, many of the classes are full in the yeshivish schools, and especially this close to the new year, it might be hard to get into certain grades.

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 5:05 pm

Thanks so much for all of the responses!

I actually grew up in Toronto, just not frum, but haven't lived there in 15 years. My parents are there, and getting older, and we would like to move back to be near them.

So I do know some people, just not frum people, and I don't know what the community is like. We are considering Clanton Park mainly because the housing is (very slightly) cheaper than anything closer to Lawrence, but I want to live near people my age, who also have young kids.

Where in Thornhill do the people affiliated with the kollel live? How do they survive driving down to Lawrence and back twice a day???

The problem is that we can probably just afford a house, but with the mortgage, property tax, and expensive tution, we're not going to have much left over for optionals like fancy clothes, shoes, sheitals etc. I'm also personally not into fashion or spending money on those things. So the question is - how hard is it going to be to make friends? For my kids to make friends? I keep hearing from people that Toronto is a "rich" community - does that mean that you need all those things to fit in?

Re: the schools - are they considered good schools? Is the administration available to the parents? Are the teachers? Are you happy with the schools? Why or why not?

Urgghh.. I have so many questions and don't even know where to start..... but thanks for your help!

Gerbera

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 10:19 pm

The people affiliated with the kollel have seemed to mostly all end up on one street....I live on it :-) there are exceptions though! Most people dont drive down twice a day! They have a school bus that takes the kids there and back. I don't think it should be hard for you or your kids to make friends. I really don't see where this "rich" community thing comes in. There are wealthy ppl everywhere. I find most ppl where I live so down to earth and not caught up with that nonsense. You don't need that stuff to fit in at all.

After grade 1 UJA provides subsidies for tuition for affiliated schools. You are not expected to pay full tuition if you can't. Most schools subsidize preschool as well just That comes out of their own pocket. The schools you listed are not affiliated so I don't know their subsidy process. Bais yaakov high school and Tiferet bais yaakov high schools are affiliated.

Can't speak for those schools. My kids are at Eitz Chaim. Most people In my area send to bais yaakov and TTC....Toronto cheder and some yesodei. You may need to figure out how important secular studies are to you and see what the different schools offer. I know ppl are very happy at TTC and some of the rebbes live up in Thornhill.

I'm not sure what community is around Clanton park. Maybe you should consider renting before purchasing to ensure you are in the right area for yourself.