Why does Baltimore have such a large Orthodox Jewish population?

[Anonymous]

Random aside: Thurgood Marshall grew up in Baltimore and made pocket money doing tasks for Jewish neighbors that they were not allowed to do on the Sabbath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It had a substantial O population going back quite a while as did some other old industrial cities in the NE and midwest. Unlike the cities in the midwest (sav Cleveland) it is fairly close to NYC, so it has attracted people looking for an easier lifestyle than NYC (but with a prominent Yeshiva, Ner Israel, and with lots of kosher food, etc)

Cleveland has a huge orthodox population per capita. I've never seen so many shtreimels on Saturday morning outside of Jerusalem as I used to see on South Taylor in Cleveland Heights. All the close in East side suburbs are pretty Jewish - Beechwood is just over 90% (second highest % in the world outside of Israel).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One wonders why they stay there.

This is an absurd question. Why does anyone stay in their home? Moving is a huge proposition. Do you expect a group of people and all their relatives to sell their homes and move en masse? Especially the orthodox, who have not only their homes, but their synagogues, and their "eruv" -- their religious boundaries -- real physical boundaries constructed within which they can turn lights on and off on the sabbath and so forth.

This question is also offensive because it reminds me of the constant "Why didn't the Jews just leave Germany?" They didn't leave because it was THEIR HOME.

Pedantic nitpick here, but an eruv does not allow you to flip light switches on Shabbos. The only thing an eruv does is permit you to carry non-muktzeh items in a public domain. For example, your house keys, or your stroller. You would still not be allowed to carry money, cell phone, etc.

This is correct. You cannot do what PP says even in an Eruv. That's where the Shabbos goy came in . Most people put everything on timers now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Random aside: Thurgood Marshall grew up in Baltimore and made pocket money doing tasks for Jewish neighbors that they were not allowed to do on the Sabbath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's sort of a historical accident. Baltimore was a port of entry for many Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century. Since then, there has been a large Jewish population, both Orthodox and non-Orthodox. Once institutions were founded to cater to this population, they stayed put. Since the Orthodox are more dependent on the infrastructure of Jewish life, they tend to be less transient. The non-Orthodox part of our family that originated in Baltimore has largely spread out across the U.S. at this point as they pursued jobs, etc. The Orthodox part of the family is still in Baltimore and it would be hard for them to leave.

This.
My ex-husband's family came from Germany and Russia/Poland through the port of Baktimore between 1880 and 1912. They ran out of money to go anywhere else, stayed, and thrived through the 1960s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One wonders why they stay there.

As previously pointed out, it's not easy to move when there's an infrastructure built around your culture. There's the Jewish schools and yeshivas, kosher restaurants, synagogues, etc. and it's also not entirely easy to pick up and move away from a place your family has lived for generations.

My grandparents lived in an Orthodox neighborhood in Baltimore. It's still majority Orthodox, though there are a number of AA families now, starting in the 1980s. (Traditionally, Baltimore AAs and Jews have gotten along really well.) When their Orthodox neighbors moved out, to be closer to one of theirs daughters--this was a 9-child family with modern "arranged marriages"--another Orthodox family moved in.

ok. It does seem like a post-apocalyptic city, though.

Parts of downtown may, but not Pikesville, which is where a lot of the Jewish population have gravitated to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Random aside: Thurgood Marshall grew up in Baltimore and made pocket money doing tasks for Jewish neighbors that they were not allowed to do on the Sabbath.

My mom grew up Orthodox in Baltimore. Her family had a "Shabbos goy," who went from house to house in the neighborhood just like this. He converted to Judaism when he grew up, and is now a leader in my parents' congregation, where I was raised. (We're all Reform--my mom was done with being Orthodox when she left her parents' house.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Random aside: Thurgood Marshall grew up in Baltimore and made pocket money doing tasks for Jewish neighbors that they were not allowed to do on the Sabbath.

Who makes that pocket money now?

[Anonymous]

I assume it's also cost of living. A large community with all the amenities (eruv, grocery stores, shuls, mikveh, yeshivah, etc) and fairly low housing costs is a great magnet. I would guess that's why people would move there from NYC.

[Anonymous]

Am I the only shiksa who thinks the word goy is offensive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One wonders why they stay there.

As previously pointed out, it's not easy to move when there's an infrastructure built around your culture. There's the Jewish schools and yeshivas, kosher restaurants, synagogues, etc. and it's also not entirely easy to pick up and move away from a place your family has lived for generations.

My grandparents lived in an Orthodox neighborhood in Baltimore. It's still majority Orthodox, though there are a number of AA families now, starting in the 1980s. (Traditionally, Baltimore AAs and Jews have gotten along really well.) When their Orthodox neighbors moved out, to be closer to one of theirs daughters--this was a 9-child family with modern "arranged marriages"--another Orthodox family moved in.

ok. It does seem like a post-apocalyptic city, though.

Parts of downtown may, but not Pikesville, which is where a lot of the Jewish population have gravitated to.

Yeah, making assumptions about Baltimore based on cnn and the wire is like assuming everyone in DC is as well dressed
As Serena underwood.....in other words, not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume it's also cost of living. A large community with all the amenities (eruv, grocery stores, shuls, mikveh, yeshivah, etc) and fairly low housing costs is a great magnet. I would guess that's why people would move there from NYC.

Very true. Lots of families can't afford to buy in Brooklyn now, so they are finding other communities - here's an article about Lakewood and Jackson in central New Jersey - http://www.app.com/story/news/local/communitychange/2016/03/18/orthodox-home-sales-jackson-toms-river/81091688/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only shiksa who thinks the word goy is offensive?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I the only shiksa who thinks the word goy is offensive?

I converted to Orthodox Judaism (so none of my family is Jewish) and I have noticed that people who know I'm a convert are careful not to use that word in front of me. I think it has become seen as increasingly pejorative. "Non-Jews" is the more accepted term.

FYI, "shiksa" is even more offensive and people don't really say it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One wonders why they stay there.

Good Chinese restaurants.

Get some new material,bro.

I thought it was funny. (And I am Jewish.)

There is only one kosher Chinese restaurant- they won't eat an any other one.