What to expect in Monsey (from BP)

amother

Amethyst

Tue, Dec 18 2018, 10:23 pm

amother wrote:

We live in Spring Valley. But in all areas you'll find all types more or less. Besides for the areas where many people of one chassidus live like Viznits or Satmer area.

I've lived in the Maple Leaf area, Cedar Lane/School Terrace area, Old Nyack /Brewer area and now I'm in the outskirts. My experience was the same in all areas. We got along with everyone but always stuck out as being "different" or the odd ones out. Because we didn't fit into the super Chasidish or super yeshivish mold. Chasidish people considered is Litvish and yeshivish people considered us Chasidish.
Now where I live it's mostly people from Williamsburg. I still haven't found that nice "mix" that everyone talks about.

amother

Slateblue

Tue, Dec 18 2018, 11:37 pm

amother wrote:

I don't find this at all. I grew up here but always lived more on the way outskirts...maybe u werent in the right neighborhoods for you.

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 12:34 am

amother wrote:

If you are not very Chasidish or very yeshivish , you may feel out of place.

I completely completely disagree with this. So far from the truth. Ive lived in monsey all my life and never felt that.
that's like living in missisippi and saying "people in america all talk with a southern drawl". If you lived in missisippi then yes, youll hear the drawl. If you live in a neighborhood of monsey that is primarily chassidish/yeshivish then that would be accurate. If you live in a neighborhood in monsey that is anything but that....not so accurate.

(In fact growing up it was rare for me to see chassidim. We just walked and drove in different neighborhoods. Now I see chassidish people whenever I do my shopping in evergreen and rt 59 area, or when we go to the finkelstein library- but otherwise not really, because they really dont live in my neighborhood. Although they are really quite welcome, my area is quite friendly and welcoming)

monsey is huge. There are ALL types of people. There is no monsey "type". Chassidish, yeshivish, litvish, just plain frum ish, used to be chassidish, kinda modernish, plain modernish, very modernish, whateverish.

Some neighborhoods are a certain type of one of the above mentioned...some neighborhoods are more of a cholent.

little neshamala

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 12:43 am

amother wrote:

It's very black and white. A Bais Yaakov girl married to a guy with a shtreimel feels out of place in the center of Monsey. It's either you are super Chasidish, talk Yiddish , cover sheitel, don't drive or your DH learns in kollel full time , and you are yeshivish. I didn't feel that black and white divide when I lived in BP. But times have changed everywhere and maybe BP is the same extreme black and white the way Monsey is, today. I live in Monsey close to 20 years.

Do you live in the same monsey that I do??
Ive lives in monsey my whole life too. Never saw this. Just walk into any large middle ground school like YSV and see all the mothers coming...totally not either chassidish or full yeshivish. Not when I was growing up and certainly not now. Seems to me you likely were brought up in very yeshivish/chasidish daled amos.

Can I ask what elementary school you went to?

amother

Royalblue

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 1:21 am

amother wrote:

I do understand what she is saying... I can relate to that feeling.
Of course Monsey is a big mix. But there is a big divide between ultra chassidish and the more-chilled out-open minded-cool-chassidish. Just look at the schools. Only ultra chassidish or BDY. (Bais Rochel/BSM doesnt accept in between, unless you have status or money)

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 7:32 am

amother wrote:

What youre saying is an issue within being chassidish. I know quite a few "chilled chassidish" but I can hear them not being accepted to the real chassidish schools. I dont know much more about that because im not chassidish myself.

But this has nothing to do with the fact that monsey has all types. It does and it always has. What youre saying is a nuance within the chassidish community, and fitting in with schools etc

amother

Lemon

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 8:58 am

amother wrote:

BDY is in between. Way too chassidish for me. We send to BYCC

nchr

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 9:07 am

amother wrote:

Everything is more expensive in Monsey, except for housing. Traffic is horrendous, years ago it took me 4 minutes to get to the grocery, now it takes me at least 15 minutes. Main Monsey is very overcrowded. The only place u'll have quiet is in the surrounding neighborhoods, (where you're kids wont get school transportation.) And its murder getting accepted into schools.

If you child is in Kindergarten (Pre-1a and Kita Aleph) and up, schools are legally required to provide you with transportation. That is because part of the School Tax bill paid to the Central School District includes budgeting numbers to provide transportation for private school kids to get to their private schools in this area. Your child's school is receiving money from the School District to bus your child so if they will not provide you with transportation, then the school district will need to. One downside is that if enough people utilize this it will increase taxes because it is not cost effective to send a bus to pick up 5 kids instead of 15, but you are entitled to transportation, no matter where you live.

amother

Smokey

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 9:10 am

amother wrote:

I live in main Monsey. our block consists of litvish' chasidish' yekish and yeshivish. thats the beauty of Monsey.

I don't agree with this statement. In addition, there is not really the "BP type Chassidish crowd" in Monsey - no Bobov type either. The vast majority of Chassidish women cover their shaitels and there is a lot of judgment towards those that do not. Satmar is ok because Satmar will always have all types, but the Monsey feeling in general is either very Chassidish or very Yeshivish. There is not a variety of schools and most of the schools are hashkafically the same.

Monsey is also pretty dirty and lacks consistency. Homes are developed by random owners, each very different from the other, but not aestetically designed like in Brooklyn or non Jewish areas. There is a lot of garbage and it is not safe to walk everywhere because of the lack of lighting and poor drivers. Monroe, by contrast, is really built properly even though they have a much higher housing density - it just had better planning whereas Monsey has been developed and built with good planning (I.e. drainage and grading cannot handle the amount of homes, so many streets flood).

There are plenty of good things about Monsey too - rents are cheaper and are going down (a little). Housing market is stable, there are some blocks that are still tree lined, many friendly old-monsey type of people, great super markets, not the best restaurants, beautiful deer, still are areas outside of monsey which are more affordable and certainly overall more affordable than brooklyn.

nchr

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 9:15 am

amother wrote:

Nchr, that is not true. No one provides transportation too far out. The department of transportation provides if the school is within your district. Satmer and Viznits have transportation for an extra fee, because they have the buses available for it.

If you have a particular problem you can PM me and I'll tell you what to do to get you transportation. If your child is not yet in Kindergarten (Pre 1a or Kita Aleph) and/or not yet accepted, then it is a different story. If you live in one district but your child goes to another, the district you pay taxes to covers the cost of busing your child into another district.

kiddo

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 9:24 am

I do happen to agree with amethyst, the divide between the chassidish and yeshivish is great, and if you are a mainstream chassidish person you will have a hard time adapting...
monsey chassidish is very diff that Brooklyn chassidish... total different mindset.and I’m not talking chilled... everything is very defined... not talking when walking the supermarket, but with schools and shuls etc..
Country mouse and city mouse...
Also if you are coming from Brooklyn and planning to send to chassidish school make sure your okay with the no driving rule around, which may be a bigger contributing factor than you think...
best of luck!

amother

Smokey

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 9:25 am

amother wrote:

Amother smokey, there are just as many or even more women in uncovered wigs in monsey than women in covered wigs. Viznits and satmer all live in one area which makes it seem like most women wesr uncovered wigs. But monsey is huge and people live all over.

Satmar is probably the most diverse. Bobov and Belz in Monsey are full of covered shaitels whereas in BP that is less common. Pupa school is not just covered shaitels but full of shpitzels. Ateres Bnos is mostly all covered shaitels. Look at the options of Chassidish schools - the majority of people are covered (btw I go covered too) whereas in BP that is not the case. Also, the schools are hashkafically pretty much all on the same level. There is an extremely minor, if any difference at all, between sending your daughter to Vien, Pupa, Belz, Bobov, Sanz, Ateres Bunos, Satmar, etc. Whereas in BP schools have much greater differences. There is no Vien BP style school in Monsey. No Bais Bracha style school. No Tomer Devorah. No Bais Sura. No Viznitz BP style either.