Is there an Orthodox community in Stamford?
There certainly is! In fact, there has been an Orthodox community in Stamford since the late 1800s. Senator Joseph Lieberman was born in Stamford, and celebrated his bar mitzvah here. Hanoch Teller grew up here, and attended the Jewish day school in Stamford. Today about 200 Shomer Shabbat families live in the community.
How many Orthodox shuls are there in Stamford?
Congregation Agudath Sholom is the oldest and largest Orthodox synagogue in Stamford. It boasts more than 500 member families. The synagogue is affiliated with the Orthodox Union, and has a full-time rabbi, educational director, and youth director. There are three minyanim every Shabbat morning—the regular service is at 9AM and there are two hashkama minyanim at 7AM and 8AM. The Young Israel of Stamford has about 110 member families, and offers a full array of programs and activities as well. Finally, the Stamford Chabad Center holds Shabbat services at its facilities, along with a range of programming.
What about Jewish day schools? Are there any schools located in Stamford?
The Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy, which is more than 60 years old, has about 325 students from kindergarten through 8th grade and has been recognized for its academic excellence on numerous occasions. It is a Torah u’Mesora school under Orthodox auspices. The school is famous for a unique program in which eighth graders spend a month in Israel before graduating. It recently merged with the Jewish High School of Connecticut, which means for the first time in its history, there is now an Orthodox high school in Stamford. Some Orthodox families send their children to a pluralistic day school, Carmel Academy, which is located in nearby Greenwich, CT. MTA, Central, Manhattan School for Girls, Ramaz, SAR, Maayanot, and Westchester Hebrew High School are all within commutable distance from Stamford, and many families do choose to send their children to one of these schools for high school.
Is there a Jewish nursery school program in Stamford?
Chabad of Stamford runs Gan Yeladim, a nursery school, Pre-K and summer camp to which many Orthodox families send their children. Both the Jewish Community Center Sara Walker Nursery School and the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy also run well regarded pre-K programs.
How about Jewish summer camps?
Mishkan Israel in Stamford and Camp Gan in neighboring Greenwich are popular Jewish day camps. Many of the older children in the Orthodox community also attend various sleepaway camps.
Is there a mikveh?
Yes. A brand new state-of-the art mikveh has recently been completed. It’s located on the premises of Congregation Agudath Sholom.
What about an eruv?
The Stamford eruv encompasses a fairly large area, and would include virtually everyone who would want to live within walking distance to the shuls. It is checked every week before Shabbat.
How about kosher food?
There is a kosher bakery in Stamford. Soosh serves fresh-made sushi and pizza, and is located at the JCC, making it especially convenient for lunch and dinner for those folks whose children attend JCC programs. Six Thirteen is a meat kosher restaurant in Stamford. A vegetarian Indian restaurant in Stamford called Navaratna is under hashgacha as well. There are a few other establishments (ice cream stores, etc.) that are under hashgacha from the Va'ad of Fairfield County. Stop & Shop and Fairway have in-store kosher bakeries, and along with Grade A and Trader Joe's offer a large selection of kosher foods, including kosher meat and cheese. Many Orthodox families who keep kosher buy their meat from stores in Scarsdale, Riverdale, Monsey, Lawrence, or Kew Gardens Hills, all of which are a relatively short drive from Stamford.
How far is Stamford from Manhattan?
The express train from Stamford to Grand Central takes 43 minutes. By car, you can get to Washington Heights in about 40 minutes from Stamford; other parts of Manhattan are all less than an hour from Stamford.
What about other parts of the New York metro area?
It takes less than an hour to get to Monsey, Teaneck, Kew Gardens Hills, New Haven, Riverdale, or New Rochelle from Stamford. Flatbush is about an hour away from Stamford. So is Lawrence. In short, even though Stamford is in a different state and sounds far away, it takes a lot less time to get to parts of the New York Metro area from Stamford than most people think.
What’s the real estate market like?
Many houses and condos for sale in the Stamford area are now priced much less than they were two years ago, making this a particularly attractive time to purchase a home if you don’t have an existing home to sell. There are several different neighborhoods within walking distance of the shuls, each with a somewhat different group of homes that populate the area. There are also condos and rentals available within a short walk from the shuls, both in hi-rise apartment buildings and in detached units. The Orthodox community is fortunate to have several real estate brokers who are members of the shuls, and who are familiar with the particular needs of Orthodox families. Click on the tab Moving to Stamford in the left hand column of the page to obtain the names and contact information for the real estate brokers who serve the Orthodox community in Stamford.
Are there a lot of children in the Orthodox community?
You’ll find kids of all ages in Stamford, and they tend to take part in the youth activities at the shuls and at the JCC. Some parents organize individual play groups for toddlers. Many of the kids gather in the park on Shabbat, along with their parents. Some of the teenagers participate in the teen minyan and in other activities for older kids. Both Orthodox shuls have active youth programming.
Why should I move to Stamford, as opposed to other more established Orthodox communities?
Stamford is well known to be a community that is particularly warm and hospitable. It is a very pretty community physically. Those who move to Stamford can immediately get involved in various aspects of the Orthodox community, if they choose, or can take a more laid back approach. Many people feel that the community tends to be less judgmental about religious differences and hashkafa issues, and is very accepting of those who may not exactly fit the mold of the typical Orthodox family. You can easily find a place for yourself in Stamford, regardless of your background. The community has all the basic amenities that an Orthodox family is looking for, along with a great group of families who live here and who are committed to making sure that the Stamford community continues to grow and flourish. It has an out-of-town feel, yet is still very close to New York City ... so you can get the best of both worlds.
There certainly is! In fact, there has been an Orthodox community in Stamford since the late 1800s. Senator Joseph Lieberman was born in Stamford, and celebrated his bar mitzvah here. Hanoch Teller grew up here, and attended the Jewish day school in Stamford. Today about 200 Shomer Shabbat families live in the community.
How many Orthodox shuls are there in Stamford?
Congregation Agudath Sholom is the oldest and largest Orthodox synagogue in Stamford. It boasts more than 500 member families. The synagogue is affiliated with the Orthodox Union, and has a full-time rabbi, educational director, and youth director. There are three minyanim every Shabbat morning—the regular service is at 9AM and there are two hashkama minyanim at 7AM and 8AM. The Young Israel of Stamford has about 110 member families, and offers a full array of programs and activities as well. Finally, the Stamford Chabad Center holds Shabbat services at its facilities, along with a range of programming.
What about Jewish day schools? Are there any schools located in Stamford?
The Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy, which is more than 60 years old, has about 325 students from kindergarten through 8th grade and has been recognized for its academic excellence on numerous occasions. It is a Torah u’Mesora school under Orthodox auspices. The school is famous for a unique program in which eighth graders spend a month in Israel before graduating. It recently merged with the Jewish High School of Connecticut, which means for the first time in its history, there is now an Orthodox high school in Stamford. Some Orthodox families send their children to a pluralistic day school, Carmel Academy, which is located in nearby Greenwich, CT. MTA, Central, Manhattan School for Girls, Ramaz, SAR, Maayanot, and Westchester Hebrew High School are all within commutable distance from Stamford, and many families do choose to send their children to one of these schools for high school.
Is there a Jewish nursery school program in Stamford?
Chabad of Stamford runs Gan Yeladim, a nursery school, Pre-K and summer camp to which many Orthodox families send their children. Both the Jewish Community Center Sara Walker Nursery School and the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy also run well regarded pre-K programs.
How about Jewish summer camps?
Mishkan Israel in Stamford and Camp Gan in neighboring Greenwich are popular Jewish day camps. Many of the older children in the Orthodox community also attend various sleepaway camps.
Is there a mikveh?
Yes. A brand new state-of-the art mikveh has recently been completed. It’s located on the premises of Congregation Agudath Sholom.
What about an eruv?
The Stamford eruv encompasses a fairly large area, and would include virtually everyone who would want to live within walking distance to the shuls. It is checked every week before Shabbat.
How about kosher food?
There is a kosher bakery in Stamford. Soosh serves fresh-made sushi and pizza, and is located at the JCC, making it especially convenient for lunch and dinner for those folks whose children attend JCC programs. Six Thirteen is a meat kosher restaurant in Stamford. A vegetarian Indian restaurant in Stamford called Navaratna is under hashgacha as well. There are a few other establishments (ice cream stores, etc.) that are under hashgacha from the Va'ad of Fairfield County. Stop & Shop and Fairway have in-store kosher bakeries, and along with Grade A and Trader Joe's offer a large selection of kosher foods, including kosher meat and cheese. Many Orthodox families who keep kosher buy their meat from stores in Scarsdale, Riverdale, Monsey, Lawrence, or Kew Gardens Hills, all of which are a relatively short drive from Stamford.
How far is Stamford from Manhattan?
The express train from Stamford to Grand Central takes 43 minutes. By car, you can get to Washington Heights in about 40 minutes from Stamford; other parts of Manhattan are all less than an hour from Stamford.
What about other parts of the New York metro area?
It takes less than an hour to get to Monsey, Teaneck, Kew Gardens Hills, New Haven, Riverdale, or New Rochelle from Stamford. Flatbush is about an hour away from Stamford. So is Lawrence. In short, even though Stamford is in a different state and sounds far away, it takes a lot less time to get to parts of the New York Metro area from Stamford than most people think.
What’s the real estate market like?
Many houses and condos for sale in the Stamford area are now priced much less than they were two years ago, making this a particularly attractive time to purchase a home if you don’t have an existing home to sell. There are several different neighborhoods within walking distance of the shuls, each with a somewhat different group of homes that populate the area. There are also condos and rentals available within a short walk from the shuls, both in hi-rise apartment buildings and in detached units. The Orthodox community is fortunate to have several real estate brokers who are members of the shuls, and who are familiar with the particular needs of Orthodox families. Click on the tab Moving to Stamford in the left hand column of the page to obtain the names and contact information for the real estate brokers who serve the Orthodox community in Stamford.
Are there a lot of children in the Orthodox community?
You’ll find kids of all ages in Stamford, and they tend to take part in the youth activities at the shuls and at the JCC. Some parents organize individual play groups for toddlers. Many of the kids gather in the park on Shabbat, along with their parents. Some of the teenagers participate in the teen minyan and in other activities for older kids. Both Orthodox shuls have active youth programming.
Why should I move to Stamford, as opposed to other more established Orthodox communities?
Stamford is well known to be a community that is particularly warm and hospitable. It is a very pretty community physically. Those who move to Stamford can immediately get involved in various aspects of the Orthodox community, if they choose, or can take a more laid back approach. Many people feel that the community tends to be less judgmental about religious differences and hashkafa issues, and is very accepting of those who may not exactly fit the mold of the typical Orthodox family. You can easily find a place for yourself in Stamford, regardless of your background. The community has all the basic amenities that an Orthodox family is looking for, along with a great group of families who live here and who are committed to making sure that the Stamford community continues to grow and flourish. It has an out-of-town feel, yet is still very close to New York City ... so you can get the best of both worlds.