Jewish Families in Lehigh Valley? (Allentown, Bethlehem: how much, house, neighborhood)

[toobusytoday]

As a member of a minority religion, I sort of do understand. My kids have grown up being the only ones of their religion in a school. However, I can only recall one instance when my daughter was in about ninth grade where a friend of hers gave her a hard time about our religion because the girl was truly concerned about my daughters soul. She later apologized. I can understand if a person is bullied or made to feel bad about their religion, but I think most kids don't really take that into account when they are making friends. I can also understand having that as a priority in choosing a school district, but personally, I wouldn't make that a #1 priority. JMHO.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

As a member of a minority religion, I sort of do understand. My kids have grown up being the only ones of their religion in a school. However, I can only recall one instance when my daughter was in about ninth grade where a friend of hers gave her a hard time about our religion because the girl was truly concerned about my daughters soul. She later apologized. I can understand if a person is bullied or made to feel bad about their religion, but I think most kids don't really take that into account when they are making friends. I can also understand having that as a priority in choosing a school district, but personally, I wouldn't make that a #1 priority. JMHO.

I wasn't trying to suggest that only school districts with sizable Jewish populations (which Parkland really only is in relative terms) will do as far as feelings of safety/security go, but I was a bit shocked to hear that East Penn, which contains the second-most Jewish zip code in the region (granted only about 3%) has big issues with anti-Semitism. Granted, that's just one anecdotal report.

Still, Parkland is considered a high-quality district in the first place, right?

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by zbeans

We just left the school district after dealing with antisemitism for years. We had the only Jewish kid in our grade, maybe the entire elementary school. Apparently it is well known this is not a healthy area for Jewish people, unfortunately we didn't find that out until after we moved here. After some incidents, I sought out the JCC, they told me the Macungie area was not the "right place to live" and the ADL has also had reported incidents of issues here.

The transplant area - NY/NJ in the newer developments provide a bit of a buffer in terms of comfortable living... (I've had friends that are shocked at what we've experienced). We live in a more locally populated subdivision and it has been a pretty toxic environment for a non-Christian family.

You need to know there are a lot of born again/evangelicals locals and many of them are in the schools. We are not religious but cultural and constantly had to deal with our child being "helped". The "Good News" club is big in East Penn schools (google it) ...

These are very good bits of information!

I'm not trying to be off-topic, but I'm sure many people are aware of the recent outrage in Louisiana's Nagreet High School where the lone Buddhist student was harassed and humiliated in that PUBLIC school. Apparently the high school displayed a large picture of Jesus Christ over the front doorway of the school, broadcast Christian evangelical messages in the school, and the student himself was insulted for his religious beliefs by his teacher who called his religion "stupid."

An environment like that is indeed toxic for a member of a religious minority.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

I wasn't trying to suggest that only school districts with sizable Jewish populations (which Parkland really only is in relative terms) will do as far as feelings of safety/security go, but I was a bit shocked to hear that East Penn, which contains the second-most Jewish zip code in the region (granted only about 3%) has big issues with anti-Semitism. Granted, that's just one anecdotal report.

Still, Parkland is considered a high-quality district in the first place, right?

Many people choose Parkland because it's a great school district. I just wouldn't choose it with the expectation of many friendly Jewish families.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

These are very good bits of information!

I'm not trying to be off-topic, but I'm sure many people are aware of the recent outrage in Louisiana's Nagreet High School where the lone Buddhist student was harassed and humiliated in that PUBLIC school. Apparently the high school displayed a large picture of Jesus Christ over the front doorway of the school, broadcast Christian evangelical messages in the school, and the student himself was insulted for his religious beliefs by his teacher who called his religion "stupid."

An environment like that is indeed toxic for a member of a religious minority.

Those school administrators also either don't know, or don't care, about the establishment clause, not that crap like that doesn't happen all the time (including, sadly, all too many parts of our very own PA ).

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Many people choose Parkland because it's a great school district. I just wouldn't choose it with the expectation of many friendly Jewish families.

So are the Jewish families there "unfriendly" then? Because as far as LV public school districts go, Parkland must be as Jewish a school district as it gets, unless the Jewish families there overwhelmingly self-select into private schools? (though again, the anecdotal evidence I've heard through my Lehigh friends suggests otherwise).

[Gettingouttahere]

My kid is at Moravian and is going to two bat mitzvahs this spring. Class is 70 kids. She probably isn't invited to bar mitzvahs (boys being boys, and 12, blah blah). Anyway, not sure that means anything, but thought I'd throw it out there. Certainly not an issue at her school, which is quite inclusive, considering it's a religious-based school that requires chapel attendance once a week. (We are not religious - DH is Jewish, I'm anti-everything.)

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Those school administrators also either don't know, or don't care, about the establishment clause, not that crap like that doesn't happen all the time (including, sadly, all too many parts of our very own PA ).

So are the Jewish families there "unfriendly" then? Because as far as LV public school districts go, Parkland must be as Jewish a school district as it gets, unless the Jewish families there overwhelmingly self-select into private schools? (though again, the anecdotal evidence I've heard through my Lehigh friends suggests otherwise).

I guess what I'm trying to say that being Jewish does not especially mean welcoming and friendly any more than being a born again Christian means bigoted and clannish. It means more to me that you have a sense of humor and like books than if you are of a certain religion.

I would hate for someone to move to a school district with the thought that they would be more welcome there because statistically there are more Jewish people where another smaller district might perhaps be a better fit because the smaller schools are just more inclusive.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I guess what I'm trying to say that being Jewish does not especially mean welcoming and friendly any more than being a born again Christian means bigoted and clannish. It means more to me that you have a sense of humor and like books than if you are of a certain religion.

I would hate for someone to move to a school district with the thought that they would be more welcome there because statistically there are more Jewish people where another smaller district might perhaps be a better fit because the smaller schools are just more inclusive.

I understand what you're trying to say, and it would be different if the thread reviver were asking to live in a school district where her children wouldn't be ostracized. It seems, however, that having at least a modicum of a Jewish presence is important to her. She specifically said having her kids being the only Jews in their class is something that concerns her, in specific response to the East Penn anecdote, and given that East Penn contains the second-most Jewish zip code in the region, for me, that would be an eye-opener pointing me in the direction of either Parkland, a Jewish day school, or a private school with a healthy Jewish population.

This isn't like New York, or Philly, or even Pittsburgh, where there are multiple school districts/feeder patterns with critical mass Jewish populations. My "magic proportion" for Jewish critical mass is ~10%, and Parkland probably falls a bit short of that. Still, it comes much closer than any other option, public schools wise.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

I understand what you're trying to say, and it would be different if the thread reviver were asking to live in a school district where her children wouldn't be ostracized. It seems, however, that having at least a modicum of a Jewish presence is important to her. She specifically said having her kids being the only Jews in their class is something that concerns her, in specific response to the East Penn anecdote, and given that East Penn contains the second-most Jewish zip code in the region, for me, that would be an eye-opener pointing me in the direction of either Parkland, a Jewish day school, or a private school with a healthy Jewish population.

This isn't like New York, or Philly, or even Pittsburgh, where there are multiple school districts/feeder patterns with critical mass Jewish populations. My "magic proportion" for Jewish critical mass is ~10%, and Parkland probably falls a bit short of that. Still, it comes much closer than any other option, public schools wise.

Because I am an outsider (though the data I'm citing is quite clear, IMO), I'll just finish by reposting the link to the body of materials derived from the 2007 Lehigh Valley population study:

The 2007 Lehigh Valley Jewish Community Study | Berman Jewish DataBank

***

The zip code table I previously referenced can be found in volume I of the Main Report:
http://www.jewishdatabank.org/Studie...fm?FileID=2601

Volume II of the Main Report (which shows that 76% of LV Jewish children attend public schools, 12% Jewish day schools, and 12% non-Jewish private schools) can be accessed here:
http://www.jewishdatabank.org/Studie...fm?FileID=2600

[LehighValley18104]

Check out [url=http://www.shalomLehighValley.org]Shalom Lehigh Valley[/url]. Or call the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley [URL="http://www.JewishLehighValley.org"]www.JewishLehighValley.org[/URL] for information about different areas of the Lehigh Valley, the various synagogues, and organizations like the Jewish Community Center.

There is a vibrant Jewish community in the Lehigh Valley and living in certain areas might make it easier to access than if you are living in others. And there are excellent public school options as well.