Top Ten Jewish Neighborhoods
Jewish Living magazine, June 2008
By Lisa Alcalay Klug
With more Jews per square inch than some parts of Israel, there’s no denying that Manhattan’s Upper West Side is about as Jewish a neighborhood as you’ll find anywhere. But in compiling Jewish Living’s list of the top 10 ‘hoods, it’s not merely size or even longevity that counts. Along with quantifiable criteria like the number and variety of synagogues, proximity to kosher restaurants, and options in day schools‚ all of which are included in our descriptions‚ we unearthed the qualifiable, as well.
We have identified neighborhoods across the continent that are growing, rebuilding, reinventing themselves, unifying their disparate parts, and exploring our traditions in unconventional ways. Our hope was to be more than a little surprising and to find dynamic Jews wherever they roam. Within these locales, members of the tribe of any and all stripes are putting down roots and putting up pillars of community.
The key word that defines all 10 neighborhoods is‚ “vibrant.” There is energy surging forth in every one. Together they form a mosaic of diverse pieces‚ mixing old and young; singles and families; suburban and metropolitan settings; affordable to pricey housing; Reform to Conservative to Orthodox to Renewal and more. They are the new melting pots, bubbling with all the forms of self-expression that represent the Jewish people today.
Our listing‚ presented alphabetically, not in any order of preference or precedence‚ is multipurpose. It’s fascinating to see where we are thriving. And should you be thinking of moving somewhere that you’ll feel comfortable and find like-minded brethren, we hope to give you some new places to consider. (Are we leaving anything out? Speak up in our blog.)
9. University City, St. Louis
Equipped with the full spectrum of cultural amenities, relatively affordable housing, and services for all (from mainstream movements to interfaith families to Jews of color to LGBT), St. Louis is, in a word, haimish. Among the city's 26 congregations and six Jewish day schools, Reform and Orthodox are the most populous. One of the most visibly and highly concentrated Jewish areas (with 500 families in a few square miles) is University City, largely Orthodox but also home to many unaffiliated Jews and others.
Washington University is also there, an elite school popular with Jews from around the country for its kosher kitchen and strong Hillel and Chabad programs with plenty of activities. Aish HaTorah operates a local synagogue with a learner's service and classes; Chabad's Jewish Learning Institute and the nearby kollel feature adult-ed options.
The local, eclectic Bais Abraham Orthodox shul draws Jews of all backgrounds, including the newly religious, Reform, and Wash U. students. It also offers a monthly women's minyan. The western end of town offers a great variety of Reform and Conservative synagogues. On Sundays, kibitz at kosher-style Pumpernickel's Deli or score the signature corned beef at Simon Kohn's. The greater metropolis is home to great festivals of Jewish films, books, Israeli art, and more, as well as one of the country's early models of the expanded JCC campus. You'll also find abundant Jewish theater and welfare organizations and those warm, welcoming Midwestern values.
* At-a-Glance Essentials: Epicenter: The area around the Washington University campus.
* Downside: St. Louis has limited options for kosher dining.
* Contact: Jewish Federation of St. Louis (www.jewishinstlouis.org)