Boston | Imamother

Yocheved84

Tue, Dec 17 2013, 2:49 pm

ectomorph wrote:

Yocheved84 wrote:

Sorry I can't speak more to the school situation--I'm not in that part of life. But anything else--cultural life, eating, shopping, getting acclimated, where to buy warm coats, etc.--ask away.

sister still on phone. Where do you buy warm coats? She needs for 2 adults and 1 kid

LL Bean Outlet Store. And if the kids need any backpacks, get the stuff that LL Bean messed up in monogramming. It's very easy to remove with a tweezer, and very cheap!! Smile

Also, it might sound odd, but for some reason the Salvation Army in Central Square and in Davis Square have GREAT coat collections!!
(I usually go to thrift stores for a cute shirt or something vintage, but the stores in those two locations happened to have had great coats the past couple years.)
But I still say LL Bean, since they'll take returns, even w/ items from the Outlet.

amother

Tue, Dec 17 2013, 3:00 pm

amother wrote:

Thank you all for your help!!!
some more questions.... So is renting a smaller house a complete impossibility? We now live in a home so while its not impossible to imagine going into an apartment we would def need a three bedroom or a home. We are in our high 20s if that helps. Is there a way to live in Brookline but walk to a shteibel on shabbos or is it just too far?
In TA approximately how many kids are in each class? Is the educational level high medium or low? I have a very bright child and I don't want there to be a lag.

Not completely impossible to rent a townhouse or even a house. But they're more expensive and rare - most of the landscape is filled with two or three story houses divided into apartments. You can probably even see that on Google Earth. The market is super tight for everything. I heard that last year some of the new crop moved in before finding houses and one family lived in a basement for at least a few months. Flexibility is almost imperative - if you can move up in price, or to different neighborhoods, etc. that might make it easier. But all the people I knew who lived in houses had some miracle story about finding it.

Like I wrote above, some of the yeshivish institutions are on the border or technically in Brookline. The Rebbe is, for example. I know that Young Israel was too far to walk from where we lived in Brighton, but you must be able to walk there from the Rebbe. A house in Brookline would probably rent for like $6000 a month. If you can afford that, then it would be easier for you to find housing obviously.

I don't know what you are used to but my children definitely got a better education in Torah Academy than they had before or since. Boston generally has a more intellectual atmosphere than, for example, NY. I noticed someone above mocking it, but I actually enjoyed it. Maybe it was me she was mocking Smile

. There is a solid contingent of people who are in Boston because of the academic or tech/research scene, and even the people who do kiruv and kollel are selected with that in mind. If TA wasn't solid educationally, it would not survive.

imasinger

Tue, Dec 17 2013, 4:29 pm

amother wrote:

There are 3 bedroom apartments in Brookline, and townhouses in Brighton. I know a few people who are probably moving soon, so if you want, you can PM me with a price range and I'll see what I can find out for you. If you want Brookline, try the Dean Park area for shortest distance to the Brighton shuls. In TA, the LK is quite good, the Chol, less so; it varies by grade and teacher. Usually, bright students do well and enjoy class.

nylon

Tue, Dec 17 2013, 4:42 pm

ectomorph wrote:

amother wrote:

As far Maimo is concerned, they may be affiliated as a MO school, but it is all mixed classes and the students are all dating each other, texting on Shabbos, etc. Sure, back in the day is was a much frummer school and a lot of Boston families sent their kids there. I have heard Maimo alumni in their 30s/40s say that no way would they even consider sending their kids there now. It's not the same school as it was 2 decades ago... Just don't want it too sugar-coated for OP.

Thank you. I didn't continue the above conversation because I didn't want to get into LH about MaiMo. But I know some of the people who send their kids there, and it doesn't sound at all like what Liba was describing.

It sounds more like what you are describing.

If you don't want to get into LH, why are you thanking someone for posting it anonymously?

amother

Wed, Dec 18 2013, 3:26 am

Liba wrote:

ectomorph wrote:

You can PM me, I have a sister in Brighton.

If you daven in a "shteibel" you will definitely be more comfortable in Brighton. There are more young families with kids in Brighton.

The schools are true community schools. Doctorima is mostly right but her information about the schools is incorrect. Everyone who considers themselves frum or even just halachically observant sends their kids to TA. Class sizes are small and everyone in the community is basically involved in it. Boys and girls are not together in the youngest grades, although the girls are in the boys building for first grade, or vice versa, I don't remember which.

I think that the MO community that sends to Maimonides would be more than a bit shocked to read the bolded.

I am from Boston, my MIL works at TA, my dh's younger siblings went to TA and yet my jaw dropped reading what you wrote.

Liba - I completely agree with you. I can't believe what some of these people are posting. I know plenty of very frum people that went to maimo. They are not yeshivish but many are RWMO, some are more left wing MO and some are in the middle. All of the people I know who went there are frum (some I would call very frum) and would be very offended by what has been written in this post. Just because its not your hashgafah or yeshivish, does not make it not frum or not "halachikally observant).

Especially for high school - those who just want a jewish environment will send to New Jewish High School, which is to the left of Maimo, and New Jew is truly a community school.

Most of my friends from YU send to maimo - its a very YU crowd. And for the record, YU does not = not frum. Rolling Eyes

Now on to boston. I lived in boston for 4 years (recently) - so I speak from personal experience. Its such a great place. My husband and I miss it so much. I think we always thought we would move back. There are three places to live as many pointed out, Brighton (more yeshivish), Brookline (a bit of a mix), and Newton (more MO but some of a mix). There is also sharon which has both MO and yeshivish. Since there are really only 4 communities they are all mixed to a certain extent. Brighton is the most RW for the most part, most of the BY families will be coming from brighton. Its a very nice community, with a real OOT feeling. Brookline is more mixed. There are yeshivish families as well as very modern ones, and lots of "YU Shtark" families. It is VERY VERY VERY expensive. It is a prime boston neighborhood. It has sort of an urban-suburban feel, think forest hills but a little more urban. Houses are upwards of $1 million, but there are also lots of nice apartment/condo buildings - which are pricey as well, but its a great neighborhood. There is kosher shopping in brooklyn - thats where the restaurants and butcherie (kosher store) are. There aren't many restaurants, but you have pizza, chinese, shwarma, deli (the best deli in the world!!!). There is another chinese place in newton, milk street cafe in down town boston - open only for lunch as its really more of a catering place. There are also bakerys (Cheryl Anns - best challah in the world!!!) and kupels and the Israel book shop (judaica store).

Newton is one of boston's nicest suburbs - its a very very jewish suburb. It is mainly MO, but there are plenty of very religious MO families that live here. It is somewhat expensive for boston standards, since it is a nice suburb, but not by NY standards. You can buy a house (at least you could) for in the mid 400s, and then there are very nice big homes for much more. Much more bang for your buck then brookline.

Then there is also sharon, which is a bit further out, so that means you are farther from some of the brooklyn resources. Its a really really pretty area and you get pretty good bang for your buck. Its a very nice warm community. I have some RWMO friends who live there and some more yeshivish ones too. There are two main shuls - young israel (modern) and etz chaim (more RW). Sharon has its own schools too. Some of the kids go to providence as well for high school, while many of the boys (at least my friend brothers) went away for high school.

Overall, I found boston to be a GORGEOUS city. I loved living there. I was so said to leave. The community has a really "community" "OOT" feel. Which is either good, or bad, depending on what kind of a person you are.

Good luck! Its a lovely, warm community.

amother

Wed, Dec 18 2013, 3:49 am

amother wrote:

1. You may be able to find a smaller house for rent, but keep in mind brookline is like living in NYC. Its EXPENSIVE. I am not 100% sure what rents are, but friends of mine who bough homes spent between 1 and 2 (or more) million on them. Most of my friends in their late twenties are still living in apartments. Only one girl I know bought a house in her 20s and she was from a VERY VERY wealthy family (billonaire). I am sure there are others, but she is the only one I know. There are plenty of VERY nice condo/apartment buildings. Check out padmapper and zillow to start doing your research on rents in the area.

2. Yes, there are shteibles in brookline.

amother

Wed, Dec 18 2013, 8:23 am

First of all, I am posting anonymously because someone might be able to figure out who I am, and I don't want my username known.

So, I will just come out an say it: whoever said that Maimo isn't a frum school seriously almost made me cry. Our oldest is entering kindergarten next year, and I just filled out the application form. It was a bit of a struggle to choose Maimo, because, believe it or not, I got a lot of flack from frum people I know, who couldn't believe I wasn't sending her to the pluralistic, community school to the "left" of Maimo (JCDS). By the way, I know Orthodox families who send their kids there for various reasons.

Moreover, we currently live outside of the Brookline/Brighton/Newton neighborhoods. We have a great shul, but not a lot of kids, and we are currently looking for housing in the more "frum" neighborhoods, particularly Brighton, because it's the most affordable, even though we are not as right wing as the norm in that neighborhood. But when I read on Imamother that my neighbors might not consider me frum because I am sending my kid to Maimo???? Seriously?!?!?! Should I just not move to your neighborhood or come to your shul? I should DEFINITELY never invite any of you over for Shabbos lunch, because you clearly couldn't eat in my house, right? I'm sorry, but I'll just come out an say that your statement was ridiculous and truly offensive.

Now, I'm sorry, OP, if you're still reading, I can also chime in and say that Boston is a lovely place to live, and all the many friends I have in the Brookline/Brighton community are lovely, and I can't wait to move "over the river" - that's lingo for going between Cambridge/Somerville on the north side of the river and Boston/Brookline on the other side (Brighton is a neighborhood of the City of Boston, BTW, if that wasn't clear). But as you can see, the typical tensions between MO and more right wing Orthodox are alive and well in our community. IMO, this is exacerbated by the particularly intellectual bent in the frum community (which I think is a good thing), and maybe a slightly dynamic among more left wing MO, which I wouldn't describe as less frum, but I'm not quite sure, I've lived here for almost 10 years, and I'm still trying to put my finger on it.

imasinger

Wed, Dec 18 2013, 8:54 am

As someone who knows the various schools here very well, as a parent, teacher, and member of the community, I see both sides of this debate. I wasn't going to say anything on this issue in order not to say any l"h, but I feel compelled to respond at this point.

Maimo is a frum school. Most families who send their kids there define themselves as frum. My two stepdaughters graduated from there. We have boarded a student who recently graduated from there. I taught music there for many years. I have also had kids at NEHA, TA, BY, and Mesivta, and am teaching in some of those schools, too.

Maimo also has changed significantly in the last 15 years. I will not list details here, but there are clear, indisputable facts that demonstrate the change, not generalizations that may or may not be true, like what percentage of the kids are texting on Shabbos.

BUT. Nobody, here, or anywhere I have seen in Boston would ever EVER judge someone or assume that they were not frum if they send their kid to Maimo. Or JCDS, MetroWest, Schechter, or Gann. Or public school. Everyone I know (and I teach or have had kids at plenty of RW schools) knows how hard it is to find the right fit for a child.

While people might worry about the influence -- whether too far to the right OR the left -- that a given school might have on THEIR OWN CHILD/REN, that is a far cry from judging others.

Nuff said.

bubbebia

Wed, Dec 18 2013, 3:47 pm

While it has been many decades since I lived there and there are now so many more choices for every aspect of Jewish life there, I am still very attached to Boston. In fact, DH and I were looking to live there when we found the ad that sent DH to where we have been living ever since. I still have many friends who live there as does my niece. She lives in one of those multi-family homes on the outskirts of the frum neighborhood in Brighton (coincidentally 1 street over from where I used to live as a student). The community in general is very warm and welcoming. While one can walk it if you are young and single (I did it often), when you have children it becomes much more difficult. You definitely need to go for a visit and investigate more fully. But, you seriously can't go wrong living there if you do your research and find the part of the community that works best for you.