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My family and my cousin's family would like to move from Brooklyn to somewhere probably north of Rockland County. My cousin's family would prefer to be somewhere near a thriving Jewish community. They don't need an ultra-Orthodox population, but will send their kids to good yeshivahs and need a walking-distance shul. My family needs a public school system that rocks out in test scores and curricula for our kids, and for our homeowning experience, somewhere where the taxes aren't killer. What's available for us in the Hudson Valley, Central NY, and everything that isn't Long Island, Kiryas Joel, Western NY or Northern NY? I'm unfamiliar with everything outside of Rockland; please let me know counties and neighborhoods! Thanks for any advice!!!
Dewitt, NY or that far east side of Syracuse, right on the border of the city limits. Orvilton neighborhood, along East Genesee Street. Jamesville-Dewitt school district. If you do a search of real estate in zip code 13214 on www.prudentialproperties.com, it will not only provide you with total taxes (broken down into who gets what) but also the school district, to make sure that you find a house in "JD."
There's an enormous Judaic presence, here in CNY (Onondaga County), and you'll find no problems with fitting in, so to speak. I'd suggest my own Manlius area to you but it isn't within walking distance of a temple. Just as an example of the welcoming feel though, there are stars of David hung intermittently with snowflakes around Christmas/Hannukah time, in our village. A menorah lighting ceremony that follows Jewish custom... HUGE menorah, in the center of the village, around 10 feet tall. Our schools also all close on Jewish holidays. I had no idea, growing up, that the rest of the country didn't do the same. lol - "it's Yom Kippur- yay, we have the day off!"
Dewitt, NY or that far east side of Syracuse, right on the border of the city limits. Orvilton neighborhood, along East Genesee Street. Jamesville-Dewitt school district. If you do a search of real estate in zip code 13214 on www.prudentialproperties.com, it will not only provide you with total taxes (broken down into who gets what) but also the school district, to make sure that you find a house in "JD."
There's an enormous Judaic presence, here in CNY (Onondaga County), and you'll find no problems with fitting in, so to speak. I'd suggest my own Manlius area to you but it isn't within walking distance of a temple. Just as an example of the welcoming feel though, there are stars of David hung intermittently with snowflakes around Christmas/Hannukah time, in our village. A menorah lighting ceremony that follows Jewish custom... HUGE menorah, in the center of the village, around 10 feet tall. Our schools also all close on Jewish holidays. I had no idea, growing up, that the rest of the country didn't do the same. lol - "it's Yom Kippur- yay, we have the day off!"
I was going to say that Jamesville-DeWitt is a slam dunk in this regard. Like proulxfamily said, the Orvilton area off of East Genesee street would be perfect. There are shops in that area and it is more walkable now than it had been in the past. Fayetteville-Manlius area would work too.
In terms of other areas in Upstate NY, New Hartford in the Utica area might be a good fit as much of the Jewish community is in South Utica and new Hartford, which is adjacent to South Utica.
In the Rochester area, Brighton and parts of Henrietta would be a slam dunk. In the Buffalo area, Williamsville or Amherst would fit. In the Albany-Schenectady -Troy area, I believe that Bethlehem, Guilderland and Niskayuna would be a good fit. In the Binghamton area, Vestal would work.
There are synagogues in the smaller cities and towns in Upstate NY too. Here's information that might help you out: USCJ Empire Region - Synagogues
I'll try to add more information to this thread, as it apparently is still being viewed. Just off the top of my head, I know that Watertown and Oswego have a temple/synagogue. I believe that some Jews live on Binghamton's West Side, Syracuse's East Side and in North Buffalo as well.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-21-2015 at 05:48 AM..
Another thing that someone can look into is actually when sporting events for certain schools occur in relation to Jewish holidays. For instance, Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius both played on the Thursday night before Yom Kippur, which was on a Friday and Saturday(October 3rd and 4th) in 2014. There are others that do this as well.
Why upstate NY? Scranton, PA and vicinity has what you're looking for and is a lot closer to NYC than Syracuse. Just don't settle in the city itself where the wage tax is 3.4%
Why upstate NY? Scranton, PA and vicinity has what you're looking for and is a lot closer to NYC than Syracuse. Just don't settle in the city itself where the wage tax is 3.4%
Does the Scranton area have a community with a visible/thriving Jewish presence?
Cool thread! It sounds like the Hill in Scranton is similar to Syracuse's East Side(from around University Hill to the DeWitt/city line south of East Genesee Street) or other city neighborhoods(SE Rochester, North Buffalo, SW Albany, etc.)with a Jewish concentration or at least historically speaking. Syracuse University is known for having a high percentage of students of a Jewish background(about 20-25%) and a few blocks from campus is the 9th oldest synagogue/temple in the country and a Chabad House. There are a couple of congregations just within the town of DeWitt. Actually, Dolph Schayes, a former NBA player with the Syracuse Nationals and arguably the best Jewish Basketball player ever, lives in DeWitt. His son, Danny, was an 18 year NBA pro.
I also believe that comedian Jeff Altman, a native that grew up on the East Side and graduated from Nottingham High, is also Jewish.
The JCC is also in DeWitt, which is also where the Syracuse Hebrew Day School is located and Charney's, a long time Men's clothing store in the area, is owned by a Jewish family with locations in DeWitt and Clay.
If I'm not mistaken, Jewish families, if they don't put their children in public schools or the Hebrew Day School(K-6), may go with private Pre K-12 school Manlius-Pebble Hill or even nearby Catholic options(Holy Cross(Pre K-6) or Christian Brothers Academy (7-12).
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-21-2015 at 06:42 PM..
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