Why does Baltimore have such a large Orthodox Jewish population?
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Anonymous
| In the DC area, I'm pretty sure the proportion of Jews who are Orthodox is 5% or less. But in Baltimore it's something like 25%. Why attracted such a large Orthodox Jewish population to Baltimore? Was it always more observant and traditional than most US Jewish communities? |
Anonymous
| The area is walkable when they are not allowed to drive and has many temples/synagogues. Also, they are more comfortable living with people of similar beliefs |
Anonymous
|
Is Baltimore more walkable than Chicago or Boston?
Lots of cities are "walkable" yet Baltimore has the second largest Orthodox Jewish population in America, after New York. |
Anonymous
| It's less expensive than New York. |
Anonymous
| Cost of living? If you have a big family and are paying for private school, Baltimore provides a lot of bang for your buck. |
Anonymous
| 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. |
Anonymous
| I'd add to 12:24 and say there are numerous yeshivas in Baltimore. Now, the large Orthodox population probably led to the yeshivas being established there, but it makes if very convenient if you are going to be sending your 14 year-old away to study Torah full-time anyway. |
Anonymous
| 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) |
Anonymous
Chicago has a subustantial O population, but has not drawn NYC migrants as it is rather far from NYC, and O people often like to be close to relatives. Boston has a non trivial O population, but is more expensive to live in than Baltimore, and I do not think it has a Yeshiva that can compare to Ner Israel. |
Anonymous
| Tradition! Tradition! (sorry, couldn't help myself) |
Anonymous
| Historically cities in this country were important to trade but are no longer. For example, Cincinnati and Baltimore are two cities that were once very important trade cities on waterways that also have very large Jewish populations and are centers of Jewish learning. |
Anonymous
| One wonders why they stay there. |
Anonymous
Good Chinese restaurants. |
Anonymous
| Chinese food is more of a secular/cultural Jewish phenomenon, not an Orthodox one. |
Anonymous
Get some new material,bro. |