This is a question for members of the Jewish community (of which I am a member) or others with insight on it:

If you look at Jewish communities in American cities/metro areas today, which of these two variables is more important in determinng the vibrancy of the community, its ability to offer both the religious and (for lack of a better term) ethnic aspects of Jewish life:

• the age of the Jewish community

• the size of the Jewish community

Let me explain. Cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston have deeply rooted Jewish communities. Jews came in large numbers to such cities in the late 19th/early 20th century mainly from eastern Europe. Virtually all these immigrants were orthodox and the vast majority settled in heavily Jewish neighborhoods (paralleling other immigrant grops of the time like the Italians and the Poles). Jewish culture and religion flourished and Jewish institutions strongly served the needs of the people. In general, these cities have seen many Jews move to the south and west in the post-WWII years, dispering into cities across the nation. Yet these cities still retain a Jewish structure and traditon that newer Jewish communities may lack. Each has its own story of immigrant neighborhoods and how the community moved from one part of town to the other. Even today, many heavily Jewish neighborhoods can be identified.

Eliminating perhaps two unique cities....Miami with its long history of Jewish resort and retirement as well as LA with its huge Jewish community that grew in the 20th century but is still pervassive (virtually all Jews, it seems, have relatives in LA....and some connection with Miami)...how does Jewish life differ in cities where the growth has come in more recent time, an era when Jews are more assimilated, less ethnic, often less strictly relgious, in less of a need for Jewish community services. I'm talking about places like Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, among others. Each of these cities has a noteworthy Jewish community and the sizes of these communities may not be far removed from the traditional cities of the northeast/midwest (i.e. Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, etc.); in fact, they may exceed these cities in Jewish population.But does their recent age, and the fact that the growth took place in this more assimilated era with its great degree of intermarriage make the newer communtiies appear "less Jewish" than older ones, even older ones with a smaller Jewish community, but one with strong community ties?

NOTE: this discussion could apply to other ethnic communtiies as well but the American Jewish community, among the European immigrant groups may differ to the degree that being Jewish has both religious and ethnic overtones.

Great topic, edsg. A recent article in the St. Louis Jewish Light (I think) discussed exactly this subject, comparing the St. Louis and Atlanta Jewish communities. I don't remember the stats, but it said something like 80% of St. Louis's Jewish population is from St. Louis, while less than 40% of Atlanta's population is originally from Atlanta. The article discussed how Atlanta's massive Jewish influx is much less connected than in traditional Jewish centers of the older northern cities. I have been looking for the link to the article, but I can't find it.

I am Jewish, and I have always been fascinated by the old Jewish neighborhoods of the US, past and present.

I also have a book entitled, "A Jewish Tourist's Guide to the US", copyright 1954! It's amazing how centralized Jewish communities were back then, compared to the dispersed suburban communities of today. In the book, you can really get a sense of which cities were centers of Jewish culture.

I definitely see a difference between Sunbelt Jews and Jews from the historic Jewish centers of the Northeast/Midwest. There is much less solidarity amongst Jews in newer communities vs. older ones. It's kind of like baseball-- the real fans are in cities that have had baseball for a long time. The younger teams have no fans at all.

I'm Jewish, btw. Metropolitan St. Louis Jewish population: ~61,000, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States, just like the Cardinals. :)

One of the differences in the LA Jewish community, is that the ethnic diversity of city is reflected in its Jewish population as well. There are about 50,000 Persian(Oriental Jews) here now, most of them Farsi speaking, as well as a large Sephardic community as well. I have been to the Sephadic temple for services and every so often the prayers and songs would revert to Spanish/Ladino. When King Juan Carlos of Spain visited LA he made a special visit to the Sephardic temple to meet with experts in Medieval spanish song.
There are Persian and Iraqi synagogues on the West side.

The Askenazic community is also relatively diverse including Chassidim of all sects as well as the Jews who came out here so they wouldn't have to be Jewish any more. The high rate of intermarriage has resulted in a lot of converts as well. In my conservative synagogue in Santa Monica it is not at all unusual to see Asian and Black worshipers.

The large community has resulted in an abundance of Kosher restaurants and stores which go in and out of business very quickly. We can't match New York yet, but I think we have pulled even with Miami in this regard. There are also numerous Yeshivot and the University of Judism.

The Skirball museum opened a relatively new campus and sits atop Mulholland Drive in a beautiful building designed by Moishe Sadfi.

In short there are a lot of options for Jewish Angelenos from extremely Reform to Haredi. And they are now putting up an Eruv on Venice beach.

There is a jewish community here in KC. I want to be honest here without sounding racist. I'm a black guy who grew up in the inner city. For a long time I couldn't differentiate between people except three ways, black, white, mexican. I honestly did not know there were any jews in KC at all. I just thought they were white people. Anyway I remember my father moving my family out to the suburbs and I became friends with a guy I went to school with, who happened to be jewish. This was quite honestly the first jewish person I knew.

Anyway enough of my closed-minded history. A large jewish community exists in Leawood, Kansas, one of KC's richest suburbs.

I know that there is a very large jewish community in Indianapolis. I used to live in the Jewish area and learned quite a bit. I am from Anderson, a northeastern suburb that is home to the International Church of God. Therefore, Anderson is very homogenous when it come to relgion. Anderson has 60,000 people and the surrounding county totals 130,000. There are only 2 catholic churches in the entire county, so you get an idea of how homogenous it is. I had no idea as to what "jewish" was until I went to college. Anyway, when I used to live in the Jewish area I would always watch the family acorss the street during the holidays! It was fasicinatiing. I am not a religious person, so I was intrigued by all of the ritual! The area where I lived has a large number of orthodox and it was interesting to learn that they don't drive from sun down to sun up.

The Hartford metro has a very centralized Jewish population in West Hartford, a suburb.

Lots of Jewish bakeries, groceries, synagouges (spelling?), and businesses, they have contributed much to the town's success. I would say that it is at least 1/3rd Jewish, and even the school days are off during the religious holidays. It's an older established community, but a lot originally came to New York first.

Hartford used to have a Jewish community, but because of white flight, they are just west of the city now.

I definitely see a difference between Sunbelt Jews and Jews from the historic Jewish centers of the Northeast/Midwest. There is much less solidarity amongst Jews in newer communities vs. older ones. It's kind of like baseball-- the real fans are in cities that have had baseball for a long time. The younger teams have no fans at all.

I'm Jewish, btw. Metropolitan St. Louis Jewish population: ~61,000, one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States, just like the Cardinals. :)

and a very numerous group from Clayton to other areas in west county, right jive?

One of the differences in the LA Jewish community, is that the ethnic diversity of city is reflected in its Jewish population as well. There are about 50,000 Persian(Oriental Jews) here now, most of them Farsi speaking, as well as a large Sephardic community as well. I have been to the Sephadic temple for services and every so often the prayers and songs would revert to Spanish/Ladino. When King Juan Carlos of Spain visited LA he made a special visit to the Sephardic temple to meet with experts in Medieval spanish song.
There are Persian and Iraqi synagogues on the West side.

The Askenazic community is also relatively diverse including Chassidim of all sects as well as the Jews who came out here so they wouldn't have to be Jewish any more. The high rate of intermarriage has resulted in a lot of converts as well. In my conservative synagogue in Santa Monica it is not at all unusual to see Asian and Black worshipers.

The large community has resulted in an abundance of Kosher restaurants and stores which go in and out of business very quickly. We can't match New York yet, but I think we have pulled even with Miami in this regard. There are also numerous Yeshivot and the University of Judism.

The Skirball museum opened a relatively new campus and sits atop Mulholland Drive in a beautiful building designed by Moishe Sadfi.

In short there are a lot of options for Jewish Angelenos from extremely Reform to Haredi. And they are now putting up an Eruv on Venice beach.

svs, i believe LA also has an ordinately large Israeli Jewish community as well....I don't know if you or someone else here can confirm.

either way, LA and Miami don't seem to fit the rule.

*********

One of the most interesting Jewish communities on this subject is San Francisco. More so than any Jewish community, Jews were movers and shakers in the city from inception during gold rush days and have always played a prominant role in SF's civic and cultural live. The Jewish community has traditionally been spread throughout the city, unlike SF's east and mid-west fellow Jewish communities. The center, such as it was, was in the Western Addition (Fillmore) area. Today, the Bay Area is one of the nation's larger Jewish communities which is the result of Jews moving to the area.

*********

For my city of Chicago, Jewish life thrieves based on history and numbers. The history is deep and signifcant; at the turn of the 20th century, Chicago was only exceeded by NYC and Warsaw in world Jewish population.Today, Chicago life remains strong in many parts of Chicagoland, particularly on the North Side and more signifcantly in the North Shore and northwest suburbs. Bt the numbers are strongly influenced by the common history of the Chicago Jewish community and the game of Jewish geography is played frequently. I suppose that this is true in other cities as well, but one could put together a list of locations he or she has lived throughout their lives and it would end up being clear the person was Jewish.

My neighborhood is home to a very close-knit, very visible Orthodox Jewish community whose roots go back to WWII refugees from Eastern Europe. In the last ten years it has grown considerably due to a number of factors, including growth in Orthodox Judaism concurrent with the growth of "fundamental" sects of other religions, the presence of an Orthodox day school and several synagogues, a concerted recruitment effort among neighborhood leaders to draw Orthodox families from all over the United States, and, finally, relatively affordable, family-friendly housing.

My neighborhood's Jewish community is thriving and growing leaps and bounds. I think it has to do with not only the age and size of the community, but other factors particular to their branch of Judaism. For instance, the Orthodox calander has many, many holidays on which driving is not permitted. The ability to walk to synagogue and to friends' houses is crucial for an Orthodox community. My neighborhood offers this while most suburban neighborhoods do not.

Several high profile non-Orthodox Jews grew up in my neighborhood, including the commissioner of baseball Bud Selig, US Senator Herb Kohl, and Gene Wilder. Were it not for the Orthodox community, I'm sure that all remenants of Jewish life and culture would be gone, as non-Orthodox Jews in Milwaukee have suburbanized and left the old neighborhoods behind. The Orthodox have stayed behind for the reasons cited above.

Edsg, to answer your question...

University City is the epicenter of Jewish culture. It has always had a very large Jewish population, and by far the highest concentration of Orthodox Jews in the metro area. The entire central corridor (CWE, U. City, Clayton, Ladue, Olivette, Frontenac, Creve Coeur, Chesterfield), is heavily Jewish. there are two Eruv districts- one in U. City and one in Chesterfield.

I could write more but I'm at work...

The Jewish community in Baltimore-Washington (of which I am a part) is very large. According to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, it includes 267,000 individuals. 84,000 of those live in Montgomery County, Maryland making them almost 9% of the county's total population. The Jewish population is centered in Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Potomac, Pikesville, Towson and Owings Mills. I'd estimate that my high school in Bethesda was probably 20-30% Jewish. Of course all county public schools got off for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In fact, all 4 professional sports teams in Washington (but not Baltimore) are owned by Jews. The Jewish presence in the Northern Virginia and Eastern suburbs is noticably less than in the Western and Maryland Suburbs. Also, my entire extended family lives in either Bal-Wash, NYC, LA, Chi-town or Miami. Oh yeah, there's the oddball couple who moved to Dallas.
I would say Pikesville is the oldest Jewish community in the Baltimore-Washington Metroplex and also the most visably Jewish.
The university I attend in Atlanta is 35% Jewish (highest in the country after Yeshiva and Brandeis). I know Atlanta's Jewish presence is supposed to increase by 5,000 individuals per year. EDIT: Jimmy Carter is a Distinguished Professor at my university. I attended a lecture of his earlier in the semester. In hindsight, I wish I would have walked out on his senile, anti-semetic ass.

My neighborhood is home to a very close-knit, very visible Orthodox Jewish community whose roots go back to WWII refugees from Eastern Europe. In the last ten years it has grown considerably due to a number of factors, including growth in Orthodox Judaism concurrent with the growth of "fundamental" sects of other religions, the presence of an Orthodox day school and several synagogues, a concerted recruitment effort among neighborhood leaders to draw Orthodox families from all over the United States, and, finally, relatively affordable, family-friendly housing.

My neighborhood's Jewish community is thriving and growing leaps and bounds. I think it has to do with not only the age and size of the community, but other factors particular to their branch of Judaism. For instance, the Orthodox calander has many, many holidays on which driving is not permitted. The ability to walk to synagogue and to friends' houses is crucial for an Orthodox community. My neighborhood offers this while most suburban neighborhoods do not.

Several high profile non-Orthodox Jews grew up in my neighborhood, including the commissioner of baseball Bud Selig, US Senator Herb Kohl, and Gene Wilder. Were it not for the Orthodox community, I'm sure that all remenants of Jewish life and culture would be gone, as non-Orthodox Jews in Milwaukee have suburbanized and left the old neighborhoods behind. The Orthodox have stayed behind for the reasons cited above.

Lots of parallels with your neighbors to the south!

There are nearly 300,000 people of Jewish background in Chicagoland. The fourth largest community in the US. I grew up in Albany Park which was once heavily Jewish, then Greek, and now a United Nations community with many Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigrants. I have plenty of relatives in the Linconlwood, Skokie area which was almost entirely Jewish in the early 80's (from what I remember as a kid). Today, the Jewish community in Chicago has recieved a much need B12 shot with thousands of Soviet Jews revitalizing the aging population. However, I do see some strong cultural distinctions between the "Old Jews", and the newer Soviet Jews.

My mom grew up in Albany Park (Leland & Kedzie) and then in Skokie during the '50s and '60s.

My dad grew up in parallel neighborhoods of St. Louis.

Today, the Jewish community in Chicago has recieved a much need B12 shot with thousands of Soviet Jews revitalizing the aging population. However, I do see some strong cultural distinctions between the "Old Jews", and the newer Soviet Jews.

Astute observation, George. Quite often, Soviet Jews relocate to communitie that are or were heavily Jewish and have service institutions that assist the immigrants. Areas like W. Rogers Pk, Skokie, Wheeling, and Northbrook come mind. Yet once in these communities, the Russians often do still "life apart" from the older Jewish community. In a way, it makes sense; all those years of Soviet rule took these folks down a different path followed by those who immigranted here prior to communist rule.

George, maybe you can explain a phenominum here in Chicagoland (perhaps it exists in other cities as well): virtually all Jewish delis end up under Greek ownership. Perhaps it has to do with Greek ownership of so many restaurants in the area of many varieites....Chicago's Greek community has developed a way to run restaurants well and efficently far beyond the fabulous Greek restaurants in Greektown on Halsted.

The Jewish community in Baltimore-Washington (of which I am a part) is very large. According to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, it includes 267,000 individuals. 84,000 of those live in Montgomery County, Maryland making them almost 9% of the county's total population. The Jewish population is centered in Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Potomac, Pikesville, Towson and Owings Mills. I'd estimate that my high school in Bethesda was probably 20-30% Jewish. Of course all county public schools got off for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In fact, all 4 professional sports teams in Washington (but not Baltimore) are owned by Jews. The Jewish presence in the Northern Virginia and Eastern suburbs is noticably less than in the Western and Maryland Suburbs. Also, my entire extended family lives in either Bal-Wash, NYC, LA, Chi-town or Miami. Oh yeah, there's the oddball couple who moved to Dallas.
I would say Pikesville is the oldest Jewish community in the Baltimore-Washington Metroplex and also the most visably Jewish.
The university I attend in Atlanta is 35% Jewish (highest in the country after Yeshiva and Brandeis). I know Atlanta's Jewish presence is supposed to increase by 5,000 individuals per year. EDIT: Jimmy Carter is a Distinguished Professor at my university. I attended a lecture of his earlier in the semester. In hindsight, I wish I would have walked out on his senile, anti-semetic ass.

For a long time, Jews didn't feel welcome in Northern VA, but I know that has changed a bit. It does depend where you are, but more Jews is one of the demographic changes the region has undergone.

I grew up in the Chicago neighborhood Rogers Park, and then in Highland Park. I honestly thought everyone in the world was Jewish until I went to college.

For a long time, Jews didn't feel welcome in Northern VA, but I know that has changed a bit. It does depend where you are, but more Jews is one of the demographic changes the region has undergone.
That's true. I think that historically, Northern Virginia felt noticably much more Southern/Republican/homogeneous than Maryland (Montgomery, PG, Howard, Baltimore and Baltimore County). However, Northern Virginia has become nearly as liberal and diverse as the BalWash corridor of Maryland. I think Jews now see NoVa as a much more hospitable place, and have ended their avoidance of the area.

I believe metro Boston (including Providence) has just under 300,000 Jews. Probably the two most famous Jewish cities in the state are Newton and Brookline, both of which in my opinion happen to be the best street car burbs in the entire country.

My dad is an administrator at Brandeis. For a Jewish school, they certainly employ a lot of Irish Catholics!

I grew up in the Chicago neighborhood Rogers Park, and then in Highland Park. I honestly thought everyone in the world was Jewish until I went to college.

At differing times, HPHS students did learn there were gentiles in the world....first Italians and then Mexicans....but that they lived in Highwood!:)

I grew up in the Chicago neighborhood Rogers Park, and then in Highland Park. I honestly thought everyone in the world was Jewish until I went to college.

my wife grew up in Peterson Park. She felt sorry for the few kids who didn't celebrate Hannukah. She once saw a black person on Devon and California and was surprised. She said to her mother, "I didn't know black people could be Jewish"

Urban, did you also have the experience of knowing there were South Side Jews but you had nothing to do with them because they were another breed of people?

In its day, the far North Side of Chicgo from Albany Park on up to Rogers Park was a heavily Jewish world.

George, maybe you can explain a phenominum here in Chicagoland (perhaps it exists in other cities as well): virtually all Jewish delis end up under Greek ownership. Perhaps it has to do with Greek ownership of so many restaurants in the area of many varieites....Chicago's Greek community has developed a way to run restaurants well and efficently far beyond the fabulous Greek restaurants in Greektown on Halsted.

I'm not sure I can explain it, but I think Greeks who migrate to America end up in the food services most likely because many have an agrarian background. Many restaurants and fruit markets/grocery stores are run by Greeks.

Oh btw, have you ever eaten at Jacks restaurant? It's near the Edens expressway, and it's pretty well known in Skokie. There two owners, Greek and a Jew. Place is pact 24 hours a day.

Another thing I've noticed, on the Northside of Chicago, Greeks tend to settle where Jews settle (there goes the neighborhood). In the southern and western parts of Chicago, Greeks blend in with Italian communities.


My mom grew up in Albany Park (Leland & Kedzie) and then in Skokie during the '50s and '60s.

My dad grew up in parallel neighborhoods of St. Louis.

I think we talked about this once before. I actually lived on Leland and Kedzie between 1974 and 1977. Now I live a couple blocks south on Wilson Ave, and a block west of Kedzie.

The Cleveland area's 85,000 Jews are mostly located in the eastern suburbs. Beachwood (http://www.ci.beachwood.oh.us/) is ground zero for the Jewish community; it's where the most prominent Reform congregations are located, along with the Jewish Community Center, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Siegel College of Judaic Studies, and many Jewish day schools and institutions. Driving up and down Beachwood's streets, you will be hard pressed to find anyone with Christmas lights. Jews don't move to Beachwood: they make aliyah to the city. One person I know described Beachwood as an "upper-middle-class shetl."

Other suburbs with large, but not necessarily majority Jewish populations include University Heights (large Modern Orthodox community), Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights (the heart of Cleveland's Jewish community from WWII to the 1970s), South Euclid (many Russian immigrants, and the home of "Kosher Korners", a street intersection where many Orthodox Jewish-oriented businesses are located), Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights (even more Russian immigrants than SE), Pepper Pike, Orange and Solon. Cleveland Heights has a sizable Haredi and Hasidim community, with several small shuls in the Cedar-Taylor area. A smaller number of Jews are scattered farther east, in the ultra-wealthy Chagrin River valley suburbs, Willoughby and Mentor in Lake County, and the exurbs of southwestern Geauga County. Rule of thumb: except for the emerging Jewish community in Solon, the concentration of Jews will decrease as one travels further from the Beachwood city limits.

Kosher Korners, South Euclid
http://img283.imageshack.us/img283/7677/southeuclidkoshercornerhh2.jpg

Cedar Center, South Euclid
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/8261/southeuclid024ci5.jpg

Restaurant in Cedar Center, South Euclid
http://img283.imageshack.us/img283/1095/southeuclid025tk2.jpg

Unger's Kosher supermarket and other Orthodox-oriented stores, Cedar-Taylor neighborhood, Cleveland Heights
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/7163/cedartaylor02zi9.jpg

Cedar-Taylor neighborhood, Cleveland Heights
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/364/clevelandheightscedartapk3.jpg

Shabbat, Cedar-Taylor neighborhood, Cleveland Heights
http://img305.imageshack.us/img305/962/clevelandheightsct02wz5.jpg

svs, i believe LA also has an ordinately large Israeli Jewish community as well....I don't know if you or someone else here can confirm.



Lots of Israelis here as well, lots of Russians and South Africans too. So many that I tend to submerge them in the greater Askenazic and Sephardic communities just like I do the Canadians, Chicagoans, New Yorkers, Bostoners, and Clevelanders.

The LA Jewish Community is actually pretty old. Jews have been out here almost since statehood. Numbers increased rapidly following the start of the twentieth century, and the establishment of the movie and entertainment industry which is still heavily Jewish.

The original Jewish neighborhoods on the East side are pretty much Chicano now but you can still see some evidence of Jewish presence in the area. The old Breed street synagogue is being converted into a community center/museum for example, but it was still a functioning synogogue into the seventies.

Discrimination is not much of an issue here, so Jews live all over the place and it is difficult to find a middle or upper class neighborhood without its share of Jews. There are still heavy concentrations in the Hancock Park-Fairfax area. A lot of Jews also still live in the San Fernando valley, but a lot are moving out to the Conejo valley, the beach, the west side, and even Orange county.

Jewish shopping and restaurants are best found around Pico-Robertson and Fairfax, but are all over the place too. There is a first class kosher steakhouse in Beverly Hills, and quite a few Kosher Persian Places. Herzog Winery has a place in Oxnard believe it or not. There is also a huge eruv covering Beverly Hills, Century City, and the Miracle Mile.

You might want to come out to LA and sample the Jewish comunity here personally. I have to warn you though that most folks who come out here from
the Midwest never leave.

My neighborhood is home to a very close-knit, very visible Orthodox Jewish community whose roots go back to WWII refugees from Eastern Europe. In the last ten years it has grown considerably due to a number of factors, including growth in Orthodox Judaism concurrent with the growth of "fundamental" sects of other religions, the presence of an Orthodox day school and several synagogues, a concerted recruitment effort among neighborhood leaders to draw Orthodox families from all over the United States, and, finally, relatively affordable, family-friendly housing.

My neighborhood's Jewish community is thriving and growing leaps and bounds. I think it has to do with not only the age and size of the community, but other factors particular to their branch of Judaism. For instance, the Orthodox calander has many, many holidays on which driving is not permitted. The ability to walk to synagogue and to friends' houses is crucial for an Orthodox community. My neighborhood offers this while most suburban neighborhoods do not.

Several high profile non-Orthodox Jews grew up in my neighborhood, including the commissioner of baseball Bud Selig, US Senator Herb Kohl, and Gene Wilder. Were it not for the Orthodox community, I'm sure that all remenants of Jewish life and culture would be gone, as non-Orthodox Jews in Milwaukee have suburbanized and left the old neighborhoods behind. The Orthodox have stayed behind for the reasons cited above.

which neigborhood is this in milwaukee?

Not suprisingly (due to its diversity), there is a large jewish population in the San Francisco Bay Area. :yes:

there's two synagogues within 3 blocks of each other on Highland Avenue in Birmingham, AL:

reformed

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/40558786.jpg

orthodox

http://www.pbase.com/lsyd/image/43866408.jpg

-

Not suprisingly (due to its diversity), there is a large jewish population in the San Francisco Bay Area. :yes:

this was already discussed earlier in the thread,

One of the most interesting Jewish communities on this subject is San Francisco. More so than any Jewish community, Jews were movers and shakers in the city from inception during gold rush days and have always played a prominant role in SF's civic and cultural live. The Jewish community has traditionally been spread throughout the city, unlike SF's east and mid-west fellow Jewish communities. The center, such as it was, was in the Western Addition (Fillmore) area. Today, the Bay Area is one of the nation's larger Jewish communities which is the result of Jews moving to the area.

Bellaire, Texas just outside Houston's inner loop is home to a large progressive Jewish population. Also neighboring Meyerland has the same demographics. Both are direct post WWII subdivisions located about 6-7 miles southwest of downtown.

this was already discussed earlier in the thread,

One of the most interesting Jewish communities on this subject is San Francisco. More so than any Jewish community, Jews were movers and shakers in the city from inception during gold rush days and have always played a prominant role in SF's civic and cultural live. The Jewish community has traditionally been spread throughout the city, unlike SF's east and mid-west fellow Jewish communities. The center, such as it was, was in the Western Addition (Fillmore) area. Today, the Bay Area is one of the nation's larger Jewish communities which is the result of Jews moving to the area.

^^ I didn't see that... interesting, thanks!

The Jewish community here in Rochester, NY numbers more than 25,000 and is generally centered on the inner ring suburb of Brighton and its main corridor of Monroe Avenue. Brighton also happens to be the center of metro Rochester's Islamic community.

Oh btw, have you ever eaten at Jacks restaurant? It's near the Edens expressway, and it's pretty well known in Skokie. There two owners, Greek and a Jew. Place is pact 24 hours a day.

George, I'll turn that one into a question for you: is it possible to have gone through one's 20's and been out with friends late on a Friday or Saturday night and not have ended up at Jack's at one point or another?

Antoher questions for you, George (way, way, off topic...sorry)....ever been to Greek Village Taverna on Golf in Schaumburg? Absolutely outstanding and authentic place that would even fit on Halsted very well. Absolutely love this place (along with my two other favorites, Athena and Rodity)

George, I'll turn that one into a question for you: is it possible to have gone through one's 20's and been out with friends late on a Friday or Saturday night and not have ended up at Jack's at one point or another?

Yeah, me too lol! Jacks and Whislters on Devon Ave, helped many a hang over for me back about 15 years ago.


Antoher questions for you, George (way, way, off topic...sorry)....ever been to Greek Village Taverna on Golf in Schaumburg? Absolutely outstanding and authentic place that would even fit on Halsted very well. Absolutely love this place (along with my two other favorites, Athena and Rodity)

No, I can't say that I have been there. Maybe I'll take my wife there for dinner tomorrow night on your recommendation. I'll blame you if they over cook her lamb chops lol!.

Lots of Israelis here as well, lots of Russians and South Africans too. So many that I tend to submerge them in the greater Askenazic and Sephardic communities just like I do the Canadians, Chicagoans, New Yorkers, Bostoners, and Clevelanders.

The LA Jewish Community is actually pretty old. Jews have been out here almost since statehood. Numbers increased rapidly following the start of the twentieth century, and the establishment of the movie and entertainment industry which is still heavily Jewish.

The original Jewish neighborhoods on the East side are pretty much Chicano now but you can still see some evidence of Jewish presence in the area. The old Breed street synagogue is being converted into a community center/museum for example, but it was still a functioning synogogue into the seventies.

Discrimination is not much of an issue here, so Jews live all over the place and it is difficult to find a middle or upper class neighborhood without its share of Jews. There are still heavy concentrations in the Hancock Park-Fairfax area. A lot of Jews also still live in the San Fernando valley, but a lot are moving out to the Conejo valley, the beach, the west side, and even Orange county.

Jewish shopping and restaurants are best found around Pico-Robertson and Fairfax, but are all over the place too. There is a first class kosher steakhouse in Beverly Hills, and quite a few Kosher Persian Places. Herzog Winery has a place in Oxnard believe it or not. There is also a huge eruv covering Beverly Hills, Century City, and the Miracle Mile.

You might want to come out to LA and sample the Jewish comunity here personally. I have to warn you though that most folks who come out here from
the Midwest never leave.

FYI: Los Angeles has the 2nd largest Jewish population after NYC.

which neigborhood is this in milwaukee?

Sherman Park ...

North of North Ave., west of Sherman, South of Capitol, east of 60th.

Sherman Park ...

North of North Ave., west of Sherman, South of Capitol, east of 60th.

it isnt predominately jewish though right?
alot of african americans live there correct?

It would be impossible to list all the Jewish communities in the NYC metro, haha, there's too damn many of them. The most notable ones in the city I can think of off the top of my head are the Upper West Side, Lower East Side, Borough Park, Crown Heights, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Howard Beach and Fresh Meadows. Staten Island is the only borough whose white community is seriously lacking when it comes to Jews--they call it Staten Italy for a reason. Yes, the Bronx has whites, and yes, it has Jews, don't ask again.

I read over 900,000 Jews live within NYC limits, and there are another 1.1 million throughout the metro--making it the second largest Jewish population in the world. For the city, that means Jews make of 12% of the population and probably around a third of the city's white population.

HAPPY HANNUKA TO EVERYONE!!
חג חנוכה שמח לכולם

Tonight (15.12) first candle!

:bowtie:

Buffalo's Jewish community from wikipedia

Buffalo is also home to a sizable Jewish community. German Jewish immigrants originally settled on Buffalo's West Side in the mid-1800s. Less well-off Russian and Polish Jews immigrating to the Niagara Frontier in the early 1900s initially settled on the lower East Side, near William and Jefferson Streets. The community migrated to the Masten Park neighborhood on the East Side, and then to North Buffalo between the 1940s and the 1960s. Although many still live in the city, particularly in North Buffalo and the Delaware District, the majority of Buffalo's approximately 15,000 Jews now live in the northeastern suburbs of Amherst and Williamsville. Buffalo's Jewish Community centers are located in the Delaware District and Amherst.

Lots of Israelis here as well, lots of Russians and South Africans too. So many that I tend to submerge them in the greater Askenazic and Sephardic communities just like I do the Canadians, Chicagoans, New Yorkers, Bostoners, and Clevelanders.

The LA Jewish Community is actually pretty old. Jews have been out here almost since statehood. Numbers increased rapidly following the start of the twentieth century, and the establishment of the movie and entertainment industry which is still heavily Jewish.

The original Jewish neighborhoods on the East side are pretty much Chicano now but you can still see some evidence of Jewish presence in the area. The old Breed street synagogue is being converted into a community center/museum for example, but it was still a functioning synogogue into the seventies.

Discrimination is not much of an issue here, so Jews live all over the place and it is difficult to find a middle or upper class neighborhood without its share of Jews. There are still heavy concentrations in the Hancock Park-Fairfax area. A lot of Jews also still live in the San Fernando valley, but a lot are moving out to the Conejo valley, the beach, the west side, and even Orange county.

Jewish shopping and restaurants are best found around Pico-Robertson and Fairfax, but are all over the place too. There is a first class kosher steakhouse in Beverly Hills, and quite a few Kosher Persian Places. Herzog Winery has a place in Oxnard believe it or not. There is also a huge eruv covering Beverly Hills, Century City, and the Miracle Mile.

You might want to come out to LA and sample the Jewish comunity here personally. I have to warn you though that most folks who come out here from
the Midwest never leave.

I've actually had plenty of LA experience down through the years. As I said, everyone has family there. You sure are right about the Fairfax roots of the old Jewish community. And last time I was there, I saw enough Hebrew signs (I believe they were Israeli Jews, not Hasadiac) from about Sunset Blvd. to Farmers Market.

It would be impossible to list all the Jewish communities in the NYC metro, haha, there's too damn many of them. The most notable ones in the city I can think of off the top of my head are the Upper West Side, Lower East Side, Borough Park, Crown Heights, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Howard Beach and Fresh Meadows. Staten Island is the only borough whose white community is seriously lacking when it comes to Jews--they call it Staten Italy for a reason. Yes, the Bronx has whites, and yes, it has Jews, don't ask again.

I read over 900,000 Jews live within NYC limits, and there are another 1.1 million throughout the metro--making it the second largest Jewish population in the world. For the city, that means Jews make of 12% of the population and probably around a third of the city's white population.
One of my grandfathers (Jewish) actually grew up on Staten Island. The other one grew up in Brooklyn though.
Also, IIRC, Crown Heights has a ton of Hacidic Jews. I went to NYC with my hebrew school confirmation class many years ago and remember going to a Labuvitcher (sp?) center in Crown Heights where the streets were packed with Hacidics.

As per the Jews in LA, I remember seeing on the news a few weeks ago that they wanted to put a rope around Venice Beach to allow Orthodox Jews to carry things outside on Shabbat. What ever happened with that? I remember CNN interviewing the main opposition to it and the guy made some illogical argument that if you put up a [tiny] rope next to the power lines in Venice Beach than you'd have to begin allowing religious icons in public spaces for every religion. I guess thats like how they started allowing opium after the legalization of alchohol subsequent to prohibition :bash: :bash: :bash: .

As per the Jews in LA, I remember seeing on the news a few weeks ago that they wanted to put a rope around Venice Beach to allow Orthodox Jews to carry things outside on Shabbat. What ever happened with that? I remember CNN interviewing the main opposition to it and the guy made some illogical argument that if you put up a [tiny] rope next to the power lines in Venice Beach than you'd have to begin allowing religious icons in public spaces for every religion. I guess thats like how they started allowing opium after the legalization of alchohol subsequent to prohibition :bash: :bash: :bash: .

The Eruv surrounding Venice has been approved as I mentioned in one of my previous posts. The major objection was that birds would die on the wire comprising the eruv. Venice is already a place where icons of all religions tend to show up. YOu ought to see the festival of the giant chariots that the Hari Krishnas put on here.

Ed, you should get a great book 'The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb'. It's a facinating read.
According to the most recent polls the Chicago area hosts nearly 275,000 Jews. Personaly,after much extensive research, I believe those numbers way off and theres far more than that (closer to 400,000).
To answer the original question of this topic ,in my opinion, Chicagos vibrancy has transformed today from what used to be a more age driven viberancy to a size driven vibrency. Unlike NY where the jewish communities of 100 years ago are still strong jewish communities , the Jewish communitys of Chicago left us with historic jewls like Maxwell Street and Inependance Blvd. which in there hay day were as viberant if not more viberant than N. Michigan Ave. and are now practicaly gost towns with some reminants such as grand synagogues turn church.
I'm a 4th generation Orthodox Jewish Chicagoian. My great grand parents lived near Maxwell St. and my grand parents lived near Independance Blvd. , my parents lived in Albany Park, and I now live in West Rogers Park(all considered the defining neighborhood of that generation.)
As diverse a city as Chicago is , its just as diverse within its jewish community with reform,traditional,conservative, conservodox,orthodox, altra orthodox,modern orthodox,,lubavitch chasiddish, chassidish, mizrachi,yemen,,israeli,moroccan,asian,(sphardic), european(ashkenazick) and every other type of jew you can think of. (including oriental and black jews). theres dozens of jewish schools ,yeshivas ,and kolels. a few dozen kosher resraurants and over 100 kosher establishments. over 120 active synagogues (45 of them within a 15 min walking distance of my home with many up and down, what Ed likes to refer to as, 'synagogue row' - california ave.)and many many jewish publications. about 10 jewish community centers, several museums, and much much more Chicago is still widely considered one of the largest jewish communities in America

Ed, you should get a great book 'The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb'. It's a facinating read.
According to the most recent polls the Chicago area hosts nearly 275,000 Jews. Personaly,after much extensive research, I believe those numbers way off and theres far more than that (closer to 400,000).
To answer the original question of this topic ,in my opinion, Chicagos vibrancy has transformed today from what used to be a more age driven viberancy to a size driven vibrency. Unlike NY where the jewish communities of 100 years ago are still strong jewish communities , the Jewish communitys of Chicago left us with historic jewls like Maxwell Street and Inependance Blvd. which in there hay day were as viberant if not more viberant than N. Michigan Ave. and are now practicaly gost towns with some reminants such as grand synagogues turn church.
I'm a 4th generation Orthodox Jewish Chicagoian. My great grand parents lived near Maxwell St. and my grand parents lived near Independance Blvd. , my parents lived in Albany Park, and I now live in West Rogers Park(all considered the defining neighborhood of that generation.)
As diverse a city as Chicago is , its just as diverse within its jewish community with reform,traditional,conservative, conservodox,orthodox, altra orthodox,modern orthodox,,lubavitch chasiddish, chassidish, mizrachi,yemen,,israeli,moroccan,asian,(sphardic), european(ashkenazick) and every other type of jew you can think of. (including oriental and black jews). theres dozens of jewish schools ,yeshivas ,and kolels. a few dozen kosher resraurants and over 100 kosher establishments. over 120 active synagogues (45 of them within a 15 min walking distance of my home with many up and down, what Ed likes to refer to as, 'synagogue row' - california ave.)and many many jewish publications. about 10 jewish community centers, several museums, and much much more Chicago is still widely considered one of the largest jewish communities in America


Thanks. I have.

wicked, i have no doubt you are right about the numbers. there is just too much of Jewish presence, still on the far North Side, the North Side lakefront, the general downtown area, and more notably on the North Shore, other north and northwest suburbs...too many areas in north Cook County and into Lake to believe those low numbers that cannot be varified (many Jews are more ethnic than relgious and escape couting on any level as a result).

Point is, Chicago's Jews, like its Poles, Irish, Italians, and Germans, remains one of those bedrock Chicago ethnic European communities....rich in history and in number, tied in with the power structure (for Jews, certainly politics, law, enterprise, the medical field have had a significant presence.....if there is a stereotype of what a Loop lawyer is, it's Jewish).

Your description of more recent immigration also hits the mark: this city is one of the main centers of both the Russian and Israeli Jewish comunities.

Wicked, can you imagine a Chicago not influenced by the likes of Arthur Rubloff, the Pritzkers, Irv Kupcinet, Richard Melman, Jules Rosenwald, and countless others who were at the forefront of making the city what it is today? (I'll conviently leave Leopold and Loeb off my list!!!!)

^My grandmother dated Saul Bellow in her younger days.

^My grandmother dated Saul Bellow in her younger days.

I thought he grew up in Montreal, not St. Louis?
I wish my grandmother dated someone famous...

Saul Bellow was from Montreal but lived in Chicago for a long time. My mom and her entire family are Chicago natives.

Buffalo's Jewish community from wikipedia

The number is actually closer to 25,000, according to the North American Jewish Database. It's said that the Jewish population of Buffalo doubles to 50,000 during the fall and spring semesters at UB and Buff State. Also, in Buffalo Jews celebrate Shabbat by going out for a Friday night fish fry. :D

There's a tiny synagogue in Elma - the only one in the Southtowns. Otherwise, most of the area's synagogues are in Amherst or Buffalo.

Buffalo's most prominent Jewish family: the Bendersons, of Benderson Development.

Thanks. I have.

wicked, i have no doubt you are right about the numbers. there is just too much of Jewish presence, still on the far North Side, the North Side lakefront, the general downtown area, and more notably on the North Shore, other north and northwest suburbs...too many areas in north Cook County and into Lake to believe those low numbers that cannot be varified (many Jews are more ethnic than relgious and escape couting on any level as a result).

Point is, Chicago's Jews, like its Poles, Irish, Italians, and Germans, remains one of those bedrock Chicago ethnic European communities....rich in history and in number, tied in with the power structure (for Jews, certainly politics, law, enterprise, the medical field have had a significant presence.....if there is a stereotype of what a Loop lawyer is, it's Jewish).

Your description of more recent immigration also hits the mark: this city is one of the main centers of both the Russian and Israeli Jewish comunities.

Wicked, can you imagine a Chicago not influenced by the likes of Arthur Rubloff, the Pritzkers, Irv Kupcinet, Richard Melman, Jules Rosenwald, and countless others who were at the forefront of making the city what it is today? (I'll conviently leave Leopold and Loeb off my list!!!!)

dont forget sullivan,and adler. currently i know an ultra orthodox jew from peterson park (the former home of your wife) who is part owner in the sears tower! from the very begg. of chicagos history to today jews played a significant role. from goldblatts and mystels,to all the maxwell street styl hotdogs. rosenwald as you explained -the president and chairman of sears roebuck and co. and founder fo the museum of science and industry, speigel catoalog business, henry horner ,sinai hospital,michael reese hospital,benny goodman,max adler founder of the adler planeterium,barney ross-world boxing champ,abe saperstien -founder of the harlem globetrotters,congressman sidny yates,florshiem shoe company,goldberg -architect of marina city,best kosher sausage co.,.............and the list just goes on and on

^My grandmother dated Saul Bellow in her younger days.

I know. She's the one who said to him,

"Listen, Bubbala, I want you you should know that this writing in Chicago mishugase...it's cute, sveetheart, but it will never get you anywhere.Being a writer here, you're no writer. Fishstay? A writter of any means, a mench, he should be writing in New York with the big mockers. Nu, so why are you sitting here like some worthless windy city schlemazel with your hand on your shmekie when you could be in Manhattan by tomorrow morning. You should wear a sweater. Bundle up. It may be drafty on the train and I vouldn't vant you you should drop dead before the train pulls into Cleveland. And chicken soup. you must have chicken soup. I will make you a bissel before you go. Chicago, Shmicago;it's time to leave. Don't talk to strangers and be sure you are wearing clean underwear in case you unexpectedly have to to go to the hospital."

(Sorry, Jive :) I couldn't resist).

^ gevalt

^ gevalt

what. no oy. i'm insulted!

we're all meshuganas!

we're all meshuganas!

well, clearly your grandmother was on the top of the list. To have spoken such nonsense!!!:bash: :bash: :) :)

\best kosher sausage co.,.............and the list just goes on and on

ok, i must admit that i was terribly impressed with your list (you seemed to have gotten everybody on but mandy patankin, jeremy pivin, bob sirrott, walter jacobson, gene siskel, bernie stone (ouch), ann landers, and my cousin lenny who became a doctor....and nobody was allowed to forget it).

but to put down best and not mention vienna (the ultimate home for mustard, bright green relish, peppers, onions, tomatoes, celery salt, NO KETCHUP....the ultimate garden in a bun), i can only say to you wicked:

"you.....you....you.....New Yorker!" (how could a Chicagoan committed such a crime?)

:) :) :) :) :)

I believe that Chicago stands in prominence among the nation's Jewish communities due to its combination of age and size....and what has been put together as the two interacted. In other words, the Jewish presence has been strong in both number and influence and has been together long enough to create its own special feel.

Both Wicked and I have talked about the lore of the Jewish community in Chicago and how it plays out...in institutions, in food, certainly in Jewish geography inspring neighhorhoods, its effect on the city at large (from Maxwell Street to the Chicago style hot dog...and beyond).

I'm curious to know: does the same degree of lore, of sense of history, of there being a real story out exist in your city's Jewish community, as well? How would you describe the bonds that keep the community together compared to Chicago's?

Regardless of size, Jewish communities (especially old ones) tend to be very closely-knit. Jews tend to cluster in certain neighborhoods/suburbs much like any other ethnic or cultural group.

Here in St. Louis, the suburb of University City is the cultural epicenter of the Jewish community and has been since the late 1940s. In the early '90s, a large portion of U. City was designated an Eruv district, with a number of Jewish social and cultural organizations, restaurants/delis and at least 13 synogogues within its boundaries.

Check out this link to see a list of US counties with the highest percentage of Jews (scroll down to the bottom):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews

Regardless of size, Jewish communities (especially old ones) tend to be very closely-knit. Jews tend to cluster in certain neighborhoods/suburbs much like any other ethnic or cultural group.

Here in St. Louis, the suburb of University City is the cultural epicenter of the Jewish community and has been since the late 1940s. In the early '90s, a large portion of U. City was designated an Eruv district, with a number of Jewish social and cultural organizations, restaurants/delis and at least 13 synogogues within its boundaries.

Check out this link to see a list of US counties with the highest percentage of Jews (scroll down to the bottom):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews

Jive, the CWE is the extent of any noticable Jewish community in the city....right?

BTW, Jive, i absolutely love the stylized Washington Square arch and the ponies racing at Belmont or Aquaduct in your new logo. :)

Jive, the CWE is the extent of any noticable Jewish community in the city....right?
Pretty much. Historically, throughout much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the most vibrant Jewish community in the city was on the Near North Side around Biddle Street. The area was very much like what Maxwell Street used to be in its day, with pushcart vendors and a chaotic commercial atmosphere. But the Jews kept moving west and eventually clustered around the West End before moving to U. City and points beyond. The CWE still has a very noticeable Jewish presence, and one of the most liberal reform congregations in the USA.

I dont really know that much about the Jewish community in Dayton, but the affect of antisemitism here gives Dayton a certain urban geography that wouldnt be there if not for the Jews.

In the 19th century the Jewish community was apparenlty mixed in with the German community, as their synagogues where more or less in the German neighborhoods (the first one dated from the 1850s, and was downtown).

Apparenlty yiddish Jews from the east came to Dayton with that "second immigration" that brough the Poles and Hungarians and Greeks and Italians here, these Jews formed a synagogue in the working class "South Park
" area, near the NCR factories.

All these early synagogues where in south and east of the river and downtown.

As the Jewish community prospered along with booming Dayton they began to relocate north of the river, into an area populated by Daytons haute bourgois. But around the same time, this local elite apparenlty made a collective decision to move south of town to the hills of Oakwood. Oakwood and its surrounding subdivisions where restricted to white gentiles only, so upwardly mobile Jews where prohibited from moving in with the other upper middle class and upper class wealthy folks in town (yet the developers of Oakwood did donate a cemetary...Jews could not live their, but they could be dead there)

In response the Jews formed a "second Oakwood" along the Salem Avenue corridor during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Jeff59c/misc%20III/JDayton2.jpg

This is the neighborhood where the synagogues relocated too, and also it had a very high concentration of Jewish people in some areas by 1950. It was never homogeneoulsy Jewish, though.

This area is collectivley known as Upper Dayton View, but is made up of a number of sub-neighborhoods. Two of them, University Row and the Dayton View Triangle, where given a nice neighborhood history (http://www.daytonhistory.org/who_univrow.htm)

http://www.daytonhistory.org/images/who_we_are/university/univrow-01.jpg

"Among the businessmen and professionals who were attracted to the growing area were many members of the city’s Jewish community. They first began to move from their downtown and East Dayton locations into Lower Dayton View at the turn of the century, and the 1913 flood further encouraged their movement to higher land on the outskirts of the city. Banned from Oakwood through the use of discriminatory real estate practices, their only residential choice for new upscale homes was in Upper Dayton View. Temple Israel, which built the first synagogue in the neighborhood in 1925, was followed by Beth Jacob in 1939, Beth Abraham in 1943, and Shomrei Emunah Young Israel in 1965. Residing alongside the many Protestants and Catholics who also lived in the new suburb, Upper Dayton View began with a cultural diversity which continues to be one of its most distinguishing characteristics to the present day".

Architecturally this area has Dayton's best housing stock, with stockbroker Tudor, various colonial revival styles, and a few spanish revival and early modern houses included. The Jews here also had their own country club (as they couldnt join the Dayton Country Club down in Oakwood).

Here is a close up of this mid-century Jewish neighborhood, which included the cities first postwar shopping center and an early theatre group, the Dayton Theatre Guild (which is still in existance)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Jeff59c/misc%20III/JDatyon1.jpg

This area began to undergo black inmigration from West Dayton in the late 1950s and really in the 1960s, when there was an attempt to "manage integration". Starting in the late 1970s there was a small influx of gays into the area, too. But the waves of racial change washed over this neighborhood, dissolving the Jewish community there, and leaving it predominantly black today. There is one synagogue left, though, the early modern-design Beth Abraham, prominently located at the corner of Cornell and Salem.

Dayton Jews originally suburbanized north from this area (the first suburban synagogue was north, Beth Jacob) but nowadays I think are all around town (though the community center and another reform synagogue are south). This is why one of the old Dayton View synagogues, Temple Israel, located its new temple downtown, right on the river (design by Hardy Holzman Pfieffer), as a central location for the community.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Jeff59c/misc%20III/JDatyon3.jpg

Even old "restricted" Oakwood has a Jewish community, whith the former Unitarian church there now a home to a congregation called "Chabad" (the Unitarians moved further south into some newer suburban areas)

I don't really know how many Jews are in Dayton. One number I've seen says 5,000.

In terms of visibility there really isn't much, except this film fest made the news this year...Dayton Jewish International Film Fest (http://www.jewishdayton.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=179066)...this is a pretty much invisible community. The only reason I know as much about them is becuase I'm gay and knew older gay people who lived in that Upper Dayton View area when there was somewhat of an overlap between Jews and Gays there....and they told me the history.

My neighborhood is home to a very close-knit, very visible Orthodox Jewish community whose roots go back to WWII refugees from Eastern Europe. In the last ten years it has grown considerably due to a number of factors, including growth in Orthodox Judaism concurrent with the growth of "fundamental" sects of other religions, the presence of an Orthodox day school and several synagogues, a concerted recruitment effort among neighborhood leaders to draw Orthodox families from all over the United States, and, finally, relatively affordable, family-friendly housing.

My neighborhood's Jewish community is thriving and growing leaps and bounds. I think it has to do with not only the age and size of the community, but other factors particular to their branch of Judaism. For instance, the Orthodox calander has many, many holidays on which driving is not permitted. The ability to walk to synagogue and to friends' houses is crucial for an Orthodox community. My neighborhood offers this while most suburban neighborhoods do not.


When I drove though Sherman Park, I was shocked to see so many hasidic jews in heart of Milwaukee's black community. Reminded me a lot crown heights, brooklyn, which has a similar demographic layout.

Milwaukee's east side and north shore suburbs running all the way up to Mequon all have large jewish populations. The ritzy suburbs of Fox Point (affectiontely "lox point") and Bayside (Bagelside) are probably each more than 25% jewish. The western suburbs have a few jews, southern suburbs are almost all gentile.

Mequon, the suburb I grew up in, has nearly 2000 jews, about 10% of the population, including 2 reform temples and an orthodox one within a mile of each other on mequon road.

Here's a crude map showing the approximate boundaries of the jewish centers in Milwaukee. Totalled together, I would guess Milwaukee's Jewish population, in the city and suburbs is, about 30,000-40,000 or so.


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/trizkutt/wp_metro.gif