Summer traditionally is a time for many folks to relocate to a new community. This summer, the crop of observant couples who have moved to Stamford is particularly large, as CAMOS (Committee to Advance Modern Orthodoxy in Stamford) has identified 14 new couples who have settled here in the last couple of months.
“I can’t remember a year where more people moved here during the summer,” said Michael Feldstein, who chairs the community growth initiative called CAMOS. “We have been in touch with all of these couples, helping to facilitate their move here and making them feel welcome. The truth is that several of these families would have moved to Stamford regardless of whether or not CAMOS existed. However, for many of these couples, the CAMOS website (www.CheckOutStamford.com) was their first point of entry. So we do feel we are making a difference in the growth of the observant community -- and the corresponding benefits to the larger infrastructure of the Stamford Jewish community that comes with more observant young couples living here.” Most of the new couples are young, and are moving from New York City. “That’s the demographic we are after,” said Feldstein. “Several of the couples are moving to Stamford because there is a job or school connection -- for example, one spouse might be a graduate student at Yale or one spouse might have accepted a job in Stamford or Greenwich. So it’s logical that these folks have decided to move here. However, other new residents carefully checked out several suburban New York communities in Westchester, New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut – and chose Stamford.” Feldstein was most gratified about the reasons behind the decision of two of the couples to relocate here. “There’s a couple who moved here earlier this year who felt so warmly welcomed that they recommended to their close friend that they consider relocating to Stamford. Their friend is now moving to Stamford this summer! Similarly, someone who moved to Stamford last year with his family told his sister, whose husband’s job had relocated to New York City, to also consider moving to Stamford. They are moving here this summer, too! I am most gratified that new residents have themselves become ambassadors to the CAMOS cause. You just cannot buy that kind of publicity.” Feldstein is very bullish on the future growth of the observant community. “We have a new kosher deli opening, a brand new mikvah, and a critical mass of young observant couples who are now in town making a difference. I am looking forward to continued growth for the observant community in the next few years, along with corresponding improvements in the other organizations that serve the larger Jewish community of Stamford.” |
AuthorMichael Feldstein Archives
January 2020
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