Physical indications of a frum household

boat

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 4:35 pm

amother [ Khaki ] wrote:

So far, I have no washing cup in the bathroom and two huge screens. Not doing very well. But I have a mezuzah! Very Happy

Not saying vice versa and no judgementhere at all...feel free to own a tv and not keep washing cups in the bathroom.

Just saying that the absence of a tv in the living room is a sign of frum jewish home.

naomi2

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 4:40 pm

More bedrooms less bathrooms.
A non painted square on the wall opposite the front door.
A porch with an extra fence on top of the existing one.
Large dining room set.

amother

Coffee

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 4:43 pm

amother [ Khaki ] wrote:

So then they're just messy people. I hope it's not a frum thing. We don't have bikes in front of our house.

Im confused, if your kids are playing or riding their bikes and they run in for a drink or stop to talk or chase a bird they don’t drop their bikes for a few minutes? It would only be messy if they keep it there overnight or when not in use.
I meant that there are more of each item as family is usually ( not always) larger in frum communities.

amother

Coffee

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 4:48 pm

Men’s fedoras (or other headgear) and jackets on coat hooks or racks. I have one in my hallway before entrance to my apt. Or on dining room chairs.
And now before pesach cases of produce, seltzer and eggs in porches or on landing

amother

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 4:49 pm

naomi2 wrote:

More bedrooms less bathrooms.
A non painted square on the wall opposite the front door.
A porch with an extra fence on top of the existing one.
Large dining room set.

What do you mean by a non painted square?

amother

Hotpink

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 4:50 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What do you mean by a non painted square?

I think she means a square-shaped section left unpainted.

Frenchfry

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 6:30 pm

Gedolim pictures

sub

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 6:33 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What do you mean by a non painted square?

People leave a small square area unpainted ( as in not the same colour on rest of wall) lzecher churban

zaq

Fri, Mar 27 2020, 6:42 pm

Reality wrote:

Comparing to non-orthodox Jews isn't a comparision! All Jews are the people of the book! And we all have a lot of books!

OP specifically said signs of a FRUM home, not a Jewish home.

I think answers would be a little different if she had asked what are identifying signs of a Jewish home. Mine would be. Although again...there’s a difference between an affiliated though not observant home and an unaffiliated one.

For example, I have several nonobservant coworkers. One is not frum by any means but he has a tchotchke with a Magen David on his desk, and a small Jewish calendar on the wall.,But another guy, I worked with for several years and had no idea he was a MOT. There was nothing to suggest it at his workspace or in his topics of conversation.

moonstone

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 2:08 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Could be certain brands of appliances (Braun food processor sticks out to me),

Non-Jews don't use Braun food processors???

amother

Ivory

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 2:40 pm

A china cabinet full of silver.

Heavy dark wood dining room table.

Elaborate linens.

FranticFrummie

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 3:05 pm

Did anyone in Israel get the Ikea catalog?

At first I didn't notice anything special about it. The second time I flipped through I started noticing very subtle things. A side table with two silver candlesticks in the dining room. All the books in the bookcases were seforim.

Something really interesting, was that the non-kosher stuffed animals were turned away from the camera. They were either turned mostly to the side, or you only saw the back of them.

Somebody very Chassidish must have helped work on the layout of the catalog. It was nice to feel like they had us in mind. It makes me wonder what the catalogs look like in other cultures.

amother

Lavender

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 3:14 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

I think she means a square-shaped section left unpainted.

Standard in Israel, even for those who aren't frum.

amother

Lavender

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 3:25 pm

Lots of sifrei kodesh and bookshelves.
No TV.
I want to say pictures of tzadikim, but tons of "secular" (more like traditional) people have that too.
I guess two beds in the bedroom.
No internet, filtered internet, or work-only internet.
Tzitzit and head coverings somewhere around the house.

Gee, this is hard.

Many people here - frum people included - don't have two sinks. Non-religious people often have kiddush cups, candlesticks, etc.

I don't think every frum person has tons of silver Judaica, and plenty of non-frum people DO have silver Judaica. Maybe an etrog box is something only frum people have. And sukkah walls...but not necessarily. Talit and tefillin - same.

Also, number of children and mess....I think a lot of people have mess regardless, and a lot of frum people keep their homes sparkling. And, frum people around here don't necessarily have more children than those who aren't frum. Secular families can have 4, 5, 6 kids...

amother

Lavender

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 3:27 pm

Frenchfry wrote:

Gedolim pictures

You need to tour my city one day. Very Happy

jerusalem90

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 3:27 pm

A lot of the stuff people are saying is just Jewish vs Gentile, not Frum vs non-frum.

For example in Reform and Conservative homes you'd find Judaica and kippot. I think the type of books on the bookshelf is what would clue me in.

amother

Lavender

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 3:37 pm

jerusalem90 wrote:

In a Reform home you'd find a different type of kippot, and a different color tallit.... Very Happy

grace413

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 4:04 pm

moonstone wrote:

Non-Jews don't use Braun food processors???

And most frum Jews do? (not me)

Shuly

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 7:35 pm

I learned it's best to wash with a cup after using the bathroom. If the sink is inside the bathroom, you can dry your hands outside of the bathroom and it also works.

FF, I also noticed all the frum homes in the IKEA catalog!

nylon

Sat, Mar 28 2020, 8:26 pm

First--these aren't definitive (mostly) and of course there are different types of frum; a chassidish family with many children will look different from an MO family with 3. also ime what they do have can be more meaningful than what they don't (some things are custom touches that not everyone has room or money to add)

- more prominent dining room with larger table and more chairs. Sometimes, in older houses with more defined rooms, living and dining rooms are flipped to give extra space.
- china closet/breakfront with display of judaica (more indicative in younger households--older people are more likely to have formal dining rooms and extra china, period). frum households also tend to have a larger Judaica collection than a less observant (not secular) household.
- kitchens: as they get larger the layout choices get more noticeable. In a small kitchen you have to look more carefully. But a large non-kosher kitchen, while it may have two ovens etc, will not be laid out to make kashrut easier. You won't see two stoves on opposite sides, two large sinks on different counters (a regular double yes, or an additional small sink).
- items in kitchen that are labeled or sorted according to milchig/fleishig/pareve
- shabbat plata and/or urn
- mezuzot on all applicable doorways (many non-Orthodox Jews have one on the front door but are less likely to have them on all doorways)
- seforim, especially in large amounts and on prominent display (a non-frum but practicing family may have some, but not like the large numbers that frum homes often have)
- While not all Orthodox homes are TV free, it's less likely to be a focal point when there is one
- ketubah framed on wall (may also be on display in non-Orthodox homes, though)
- two beds (though some people push theirs together and put a cover on!)
- more bedrooms, rooms that can fit multiple kids
- more Jewish art or pictures
- place to wash
- sukkah porch or pergola that can be converted

on appliances: The Braun food processor and Bosch mixer are more popular amongst frum Jews. So it's a clue but not as strong of one.