another lakewook question

amother

Tue, May 14 2013, 1:09 pm

We are considering moving to Lakewood, but know NOTHING about it! Can anyone give me some information from scratch--what are the different neighborhoods, schools, etc. Is there bussing for the kids or do you have to carpool? Who are the doctors around, where is the good shopping. I want to know everything!

We would like to move to a mixed Chassidishe/Litvishe neighborhood and put our kids in Yiddish speaking schools with mixed crowds. Anything like that there?

Thanks!

PS--this is anonymous because we haven't told anyone yet!

naturalmom5

Tue, May 14 2013, 2:35 pm

OK for the 1000th time.
I apologize, if you are new to this forum
DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT!!!!!!!
Move here if you don't have a letter from a school guaranteeing they will take your children....save yourself a lot if heartache and aggravation

amother

Fri, May 17 2013, 9:05 am

amother wrote:

Does this exist in Lakewood? What do you mean by mixed?

iamawesome

Fri, May 17 2013, 10:22 am

The schools here are either litvish/yeshivish or hiemish/ chasidish. Most schools are full to the max and dont accept new students. Lakewood is a big mix in general with hundreds of neighborhoods. Raintree whispering pines, Coventry, pine river, presidential, 14th street, high street, chestnut, etc. it's impossible to list them all. What kind of neighborhood are u looking for? How old are your children?

21young

Fri, May 17 2013, 10:48 am

This question would need three pages to answer. Do you have any friends or relatives who live in Lakewood? Pick their brains.
The best I can tell you is that some of the neighborhoods you may want to look into, based on what you described, are Brookhill, Coventry, Louisburg Square, Whispering Pines, Whispering Woods, Ridge area, Presidential...

Schools are not mixed. There's litvish and there's chassidish. You may be interested in: (for girls, I assume) Bais Tovah, Kesser Bais Yaakov, Tiferes Chaya.

Drs. are also numerous, but the two biggest are Dr. Shanik and Chemed.

Carpool and bussing depends on the age of your child and the school you're sending to. If you're asking about a car, yes, two cars are a necessity for a family with children.

Shopping - there's no 13th Avenue. There are shopping plazas scattered everywhere.

You should visit and talk to people who live there in order to make such a big decision.

amother

Fri, May 17 2013, 11:40 am

OP here.

Thanks for the replies. I definitely want a chassidishe school if there are no mixed, but a more "pareve" chassidishe. I have elementary age boys and girls. Are the neighborhoods also chassidishe or litvishe like the schools or can I find one that is more mixed?

I have a few friends in Lakewood but they are not Chassidishe. They tell me "just come, you'll love it!" but I want to know more before I go.

Do the Chassidishe women in Lakewood really drive? Is there no shopping in walking distance of the community or busses to take?

amother

Fri, May 17 2013, 11:46 am

I am not chassidish. I have seen lots of chassidish women driving here - I doubt many if them would drive if they didn't live here. Many chassidish women don't drive but then you have to make sure you are within walking distance to some stores/dr's. -It's possibe - just narrows down where you choose to live. If you want to be near your friends find out from them if there are chassidim near them - a shul where your husband would be comfortable ....

21young

Fri, May 17 2013, 11:53 am

amother wrote:

From your reluctance to drive, it seems your version of 'pareve' chassidish is different then someone else's. This is a personal thing and that's why I think you have to get to know the neighborhood better, be here for Shabbos a few times, come on Sunday so you can see for yourself.

A lot of the neighborhoods I listed are more mixed, they aren't classified like schools.

Many many chassidishe women in Lakewood do drive, although there are some exceptions. There are no busses or public transportation and car services are very expensive. You can choose a neighborhood that is in walking distance of a grocery or shopping center, but that's it, everything is very spread out. Not driving means constantly asking for rides or having your husband drive. It's a personal decision, but it's very difficult to live in Lakewood and not drive.

amother

Fri, May 17 2013, 1:42 pm

I don't know why you are considering a move to Lakewood if you know NOTHING about it (as you said in your original post)
please do your homework and talk to ALOT of people who live here and come for more than one visit to more than one neighborhood.
you may be envisioning Lakewood to be something it's not.
the school situation is huger than you can possibly imagine. if you have a number of school aged kids, boys and girls, you are setting yourself up for an extremely painful experience that will in all likelihood be repeated when it comes time to apply for high school.
unless, of course, you are well-connected in some way that will assure your children placement in the schools of your choice.
take it from someone who has BTDT and is STILL doing that. even when you think it's over and your kids are settled... it's never over because the population is growing too fast and the schools can't keep up. the "system" is demeaning and degrading and if you don't have to put yourself (and your innocent children) through it - DON"T!!!

naturalmom5

Fri, May 17 2013, 2:08 pm

OP...I just want to reiterate that previous amother is sugar-coating it
It's a lot lot worse then she is saying
If you are in your 60s and all your children are married . And you don't mind northeast weather . Please come . You'll love it
If your husband has a business or job where he'll make 200k plus a year. Please come we need your money
Otherwise , be very very careful what you do

amother

Fri, May 17 2013, 2:19 pm

It sounds like you're not really understanding the severity of the school situation. So, To give you more examples of the school issue, when I applied to my son's yeshiva we were told straight out that 'if we have money to donate a classroom then we can be accepted no problem. Otherwise, we're a nice family, with a very sweet son, but.....' Rolling Eyes

Another school said, we're perfect for the school, but we have no 'pull', so sorry....
Or for my daughter- 'sorry we only take siblings'. Well, she is my oldest, how can I have a sibling in the school!?
You may not even get a reason why a school won't take you in.
Or you might try to apply to mulitple schools which will upset some schools- obviously you don't want our school enough if you applied to other schools. But if you don't apply to other schools- well, who asked you to just rely on one school?
it's round and round with no end in sight. Imagine everyone else going to school on the first day, and no one accepted your kids into school yet.....Or the school that will be a great fit for your child won't accept your kid, so you're forced to take another school that doesn't suit your child at all.... etc etc
Just want to mention, Tiferes Chaya has become a lot more strict since Mrs. Iskowitz became the Yiddish principal.
anon, for obvious reasons...... but all the things I said are true, unfortunately!

MyKidsRQte

Fri, May 17 2013, 2:32 pm

BNos Binah and Bas Yisroel(I think thats the name of the vizhnitzer girl's school) are the most chassidish
Bais Rochel and Tiferes Chaya are heimish. The rest Im not sure about

There are a lot of areas that might work for you. Does your DH wear a shtreimel? There are alot in Brookhill, near Satmar (forest and 4th), Leifer (Monmouth and 4th), LOuisburg Square(off West kennedy) whispering pines(off squankum).

Schools are not almost impossible to get into. THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INTO. As someone advised go to the schools and get an acceptance in writing.

As for driving, there are some that do drive, and alot that dont.

amother

Fri, May 17 2013, 2:35 pm

OP

Wow, I didn't realize how bad the school situation is. I want to get out of Brooklyn, live somewhere with real houses and space. We do have a decent income, B"H, which we can continue as long as we are close to NY, but we don't make nearly enough to ever own a house here. All my friends from Lakewood are always telling me how great it is there so we figured we'd go for it.

Why don't they open new schools if the ones there are so full? What happens to the kids who don't get in? Is it just the Litvishe schools that are so full, or is it the Chassidishe ones, too? I have one Chassidishe friend who moved there and had no problem getting her boys into school. She is from an old Stoliner family, though, so maybe that helped.