Columbus Ohio

Platinum Member Joined: Dec 27 2007 Posts: 7239

Hi.

We are considering moving to Columbus, Ohio. If possible, I would like some information on the schools there, the community, etc. I understand there is a chabad house there, but I am not sure what else. Thank you.

Platinum Member Joined: Sep 10 2006 Posts: 6563

When I moved away almost 4 yrs ago, there's a kosher market, there was 1 not pas, non CY bagel shop and a fleishig place next to the market. Strangely, the regular meat at the market was not glatt. you had to find things marked with special stickers or buy the prepackaged brand name stuff (ie. empire, etc.)

there's a coed orthodox day school, Columbus Torah Academy, and 3 orthodox congregations: Ahavas Shalom, Main St. (this has a hebrew name, but no idea, everyone calls in Main St. synagogue), and Beth Jacob. Ahavas Shalom is more mainstream centrist orthodox, Main st. is more modern, and beth jacob is also modern. Beth Jacob also had a lot of older people (vs. young families) when I lived there.

There is a chabad house by OSU and in New Albany, but no idea what's exactly the situation now.

There's a mikvah and an eruv in Bexley (where the synagogues are). Bexley is the Jewish suburb.

There are a couple other places to daven, the Chabad Torah Center and the Community Kollel. Also both in Bexley, but they are not really congregations.

I became frum in Columbus so it holds a special place in my heart Smile

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Platinum Member Joined: Dec 27 2007 Posts: 7239

What's the school like?
Do they have a dress code? Do girls wear pants? Do the teachers?

Posted: Sun, Feb 03 2008, 1:05 pm Post subject:

it is quite small from what I hear ... for the frum standards of living ...
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Platinum Member Joined: Sep 10 2006 Posts: 6563

I didn't have direct contact with the school. I don't think girl students wore pants. Teachers? I would think the Jewish lady teachers didn't either, but this is an MO school so I would not expect that all teachers covered their hair. I'm not sure if they had any non jews for limudei chol or not.

I would look up the shluchim in columbus, (I mention them bc it's easy to search online for phone numbers, emails, etc.) and they can answer your questions. Many shluchim and more frum families send their children there until about bnei mitzvot age, and then send somewhere more frum (ie. single gender schools, etc.) out of town after.

CY milk was hard to come by when I was there. Basically it would get shipped to Cleveland and then own to columbus frozen.

Cleveland (2.5 hrs away ) and Cincinnati (2 hrs away) probably have more to offer re: frumkeit, but one can make it in Cbus. There are 3 shluchim families who have been there over 12 years, as well as kollel families, and a few other frum families. If it's for parnossah, it's definately doable to try to settle in Columbus for a bit, but may not be the best idea in a permanent sense. The upside is the general #1 for the midwest: much lower cost of living than on the Coasts.

Moderator Joined: Dec 26 2005 Age: 33 Posts: 11430

Here's the website for the Columbus Kollel:
www.thekollel.org

I was in Columbus recently and was not very enamoured with the city itself. It's seems kind of a gross, depressing place. Also, not a very large Jewish community.

I had a friend that visited the Columbus Jewish community because she was interested in moving there, but didn't like it. She ended up moving to Cincinnati.