NY/NJ for OOTner | Imamother

amother

Lightyellow

Sun, Mar 03 2024, 3:53 pm

amother OP wrote:

I am not MO. I explained that I am not super yeshivish/Lakewood mentality. But not tzioni like MO. I am open minded BY? I think education is good but don't plan to send to secular universities- Touro is more our speed.

I strictly cover my hair, knees, elbows. I wear tights all year round. My daughter covers arms/legs as well and has since like age 5/6 (she wears knee socks and then on Shabbos tights).

5 towns is WAY to "in town" for me. West Hempstead is too MO. I am familiar with those communities.

Passaic is exactly that type one of my favorite places. Nicest friendly neighborhood with lots within the RW Torahdig crowd
lots of kosher food choices, yeshivas, shuls, it’s a thriving community.

Edison has that type too just not as many kosher or frum community stores if you’re ok with less and more OoT than that’s something to look into.

amother

Salmon

Sun, Mar 03 2024, 9:36 pm

Just want to add that although Passaic has a lot of what you’re looking for, it does feel very urban. Probably not as much grass and trees as you would like. Also the houses are small and old for the most part (and not cheap either).
The surrounding monsey areas would probably also work well for you and have the advantage of much more of a suburban feel. The major flaw is that housing prices are through the roof.

chmamma

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 12:38 pm

Depending on how often your husband needs to go into the office, Cherry Hill might be an option for you. I don't know how feasible it would be for a daily commute, but for a few times a week/hybrid WFH schedule, it sounds like it would tick a lot of your boxes.

Cherry Hill is a small-ish, diverse community with excellent Jewish infrastructure. We're definitely OOT, with green space, and always years behind everywhere else in terms of fads etc (I wear my wig once a week - Shabbos day - super tichel-friendly; lots of women babycarry everywhere, including shul). From how you describe yourself, it sounds like you would fit in well with the Young Israel here (https://www.yicherryhill.com/) - #FunFrumFriendly.

In terms of school options, there is one Orthodox day school in Cherry Hill proper (we send our toddler there and are very happy) that is co-ed until middle school: Politz Day School of Cherry Hill (https://politz.org/). The student/parent body is very diverse and includes families from the local Chofetz Chaim yeshiva to more liberal MO. However, there are a lot of families that do send their children to schools in Philly - which is just over the bridge and very commutable. There are quite a few options there as well. I like to say that we do have school choice.
For high schools, we have Foxman Torah Institute (FTI), which is a Chofetz Chaim high school and beis medrash program in Cherry Hill. There are also options in Philly that run the gamut - The Mesivta, Philly yeshiva, Kohelet.

Please feel free to reach out directly if you'd like to hear more!

amother

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 12:51 pm

chmamma wrote:

How long of a commute to Manhatten would it be? I think it might be a hybrid position.
How far is Philly?
What is crime like?
How expensive are homes?

chmamma

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 1:04 pm

amother OP wrote:

How long of a commute to Manhatten would it be? I think it might be a hybrid position.
How far is Philly?
What is crime like?
How expensive are homes?

It's a close to 2 hour commute with public transportation. There used to be a direct bus that was probably quicker, but now you need to drive either 20 or 30 minutes to a train or bus. People do it, but it is definitely a schlep. My husband has to go in around once a month - so we can put up with that.

Center City Philly is like 15 minutes away - but the Jewish communities (Northeast Philly, Bala Cynwyd, Lower Merion, Elkins Park) are around 30 - 40 minutes away.

Crime is pretty low - at least from what I've seen. Another note - EMS is super fast here.

Homes in the west side eruv (where most of the frum community is) are going in the 400s and 500s now. Zipcode is 08002.

amother

Lightyellow

Tue, Mar 05 2024, 1:30 pm

Queens, Staten island, 5 towns all a great commute to manhattan

Passaic and all the north Bergen areas are also easy commutes to manhattan

Of the type of place you’re describing I think Passaic sounds great queens specifically KGH would work too but much more pricey… a lot of KGH families outgrew their apartments and move to Passaic very similar hashkafas

amother

Watermelon

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:42 pm

Elizabeth is very laid back and nonjudgmental and you have all types there. There are women who cover as much you do and women who don't cover their hair at all. Again - no one is judging you, not what you cover or don't cover, not what you or your kids wear, not what kind of stroller you push, etc.. You don't have to send your son to the local high school - (I didn't and I live here.)