Philly/suburbs | Imamother

amother

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 8:40 am

Tehilla wrote:

mandk, my DH went to Torah Academy too. at the time, there were three people in his class--counting him!

You're talking about high school, right? I think you are talking about 2 classes above me.

Tehilla

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 8:47 am

yes, he went for a little while to elementary school. then they (his parents) for some reason pulled him to public school (he hated it), and B"H he was allowed to finish high school in Torah Academy. he went on to YU, then to a yeshiva after where he learned for a couple years...then I came in the picture LOL.

mandksima

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 8:49 am

Tehilla wrote:

mandk, my DH went to Torah Academy too. at the time, there were three people in his class--counting him!

What year did he graduate high school?

amother

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 8:50 am

mandksima wrote:

Tehilla wrote:

mandk, my DH went to Torah Academy too. at the time, there were three people in his class--counting him!

What year did he graduate high school?

Sounds to m lik th class of '92 or maybe '93. But that's just a guess.

amother

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 8:59 am

mandksima wrote:

I was '92. So I know his brothers Tehilla???

I definitely know you. I sent you a pm.

nylon

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 5:29 pm

OK, 2 more questions:

1) Is Bala/Merion only Orthodox, or mixed Jewish? If it varies by sections, which are more mixed? I like a bit of a spectrum so I don't have to worry about being too frum/not frum enough.

2) is it materialistic? Someone just told me it is, but I'm wondering if Philly standards of materialistic are the same as NY ones.

NotInNJMommy

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 5:54 pm

nylon wrote:

2) is it materialistic? Someone just told me it is, but I'm wondering if Philly standards of materialistic are the same as NY ones.

From the bit of time that I've spent there, and the people I know there, I've found that there's less pressure in Philly than NY re: materialism.

(For better or worse, I'm from the midwest and it's still different....hard to explain. Not worse or better, but different on the coast.)

cassandra

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 6:46 pm

NotInNJMommy wrote:

nylon wrote:

2) is it materialistic? Someone just told me it is, but I'm wondering if Philly standards of materialistic are the same as NY ones.

From the bit of time that I've spent there, and the people I know there, I've found that there's less pressure in Philly than NY re: materialism.

Agreed. I've never lived there either, but know many people who have and spent time there, and it's not the same as NY, but more than a real out of town place.

chavamom

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 9:38 pm

I'm sort of surprised someone described it as materialistic. There are a lot of professionals in the area, so maybe that is why. Or compared to Philly Northeast which is very pashut. But on the scale of the Jewish world, I would not have described it as a materialistic community. Certainly not like NYC, LI, LA.

chavamom

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 9:40 pm

Nylon - I keep meaning to add that in the Lower Merion Synagogue, they have multiple minyanim all with a different "ta'am". They have NCSY, B'nei Akiva and B'nos/Pirchei all in the same shul! There is also a shtark Young Israel in the same neighborhood.

nylon

Thu, Dec 04 2008, 11:39 pm

the person wasn't referring to the Jewish community specifically, more the area. I suppose by Philly standards it might be, the area seems affluent. But, even so, it's my experience that NY in general is much more pressured that way. It can't be any worse than Long Island, for sure.

BrachaC

Fri, Dec 05 2008, 10:30 am

I just moved to Baltimore after living in Bensalem, PA for 5 years. Bensalem is a Northern suburb to Phillay while LM/Bala are Western. You are right that in terms of affluency/materialism LM is much more laid back then NY or LI, while for Philly it is the most wealthy part of town...Housing is not cheap within the LM/Bala area, but they are all older homes, so it really is a house by house issue (no developments etc..) Good luck! Moving is real experience!

sstubin

Fri, Dec 05 2008, 10:48 am

Over the past ten years, we've spent many Shabbosim and Yomim Tovim in the Rhawnhurst community, which is Northeast Philly. Many yeshivish people and baalei teshuva live there. We have found it to be very warm and friendly. Also, compared to the NY/NJ area, it is extremely affordable; you can buy a semi-attached house with 3BR/2 1/2 baths for around 200k. We always daven at Ahavas Torah; the Rav of the community is Rabbi Terebello.

LisaS

Sat, Dec 06 2008, 1:20 pm

You asked whether everyone is orthodox. In Lower Merion Synagogue everyone is shomer shabbat, with that a wide range of observance. There is a conservative shul across the street and generally you feel that everyone is part of the larger community, meets at the JCC womens swim, or at the library story hour, or at the 4th of July parade.

I do think that the community gradually has had a NY influence with all that entails but that doesn't mean everyone has.