Maryland... | Imamother

amother

Tue, Jun 28 2011, 9:06 pm

We would be moving from NJ. I am only anon because we have not yet told ppl we are thinking of moving. We have one DD who is 3. I wear pants and dont cover hair. We would want a co-ed school for DD...

TIA!

obagys

Tue, Jun 28 2011, 9:20 pm

Baltimore definitely has a large Yeshivish community, but it has a MO one as well. Growing up, my family was (is) considered Yeshivish, but my neighbors across the street were very modern (wore pants, didn't cover hair, etc - like you described yourself) and I was good friends with their daughter. Baltimore really has a great range.

There is a co-ed school that goes from preschool to 12th: http://www.btfiloh.org/school.aspx

Silver Spring has a large MO community, you may find you would be more comfortable there, but I don't know much about it.

amother

Tue, Jun 28 2011, 9:39 pm

Olney might be what you're looking for. (Ohev Shalom)

Or Potomac. (Beth Shalom)

Also Kemp Mill or Woodside areas, both in Silver Spring.

For any of the above communities, you would probably want to send the kids to Berman Hebrew Academy in Aspen Hill. There is also a small community living in Aspen Hill around the school.

But if you already have possible jobs in a particular location, think about how much of a commute you can tolerate. For example, it's a long way from Baltimore to Silver Spring. (I know people who have done it, but the commute is worse than it might look on a map.)

There is plenty of diversity in Baltimore. Although the Rambam school just closed, there is a new k-6 school, Ohr Chadash. Someone already mentioned the other modern option, Beth Tefiloh, which is technically a community school, and not Orthodox, but I understand the administration is mostly frum.

If community day school is your speed, there's also JDS in Rockville, but I suspect shomer shabbos families are few and far between there.

spring13

Tue, Jun 28 2011, 11:46 pm

Rockville, Olney, Potomac. Although there is a modern community in Baltimore as well.

I'd look first at where you'll need to be in terms of jobs. Frankly, if you're modern, you'll have more choices than if you're yeshivish or chasidish.