Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New York > Westchester County
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-24-2012, 07:04 PM
 
5 posts, read 34,425 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

Hi,

My wife & I have two children (4 & 2) and live in Yorktown Heights. Our house is a nice starter house but we have outgrown it. We want to have another child.

We are both very reformed (we don’t belong to a temple & only go for high holidays) & almost verge on being non-Jewish in our current lack of practicing (this is an attempt at humor).

I had a bad experience in lower Westchester during high school. I often got into fights because I was one of only a few Jews in school. I had many racial taunts from people, friends, and sometimes in front of their parents. I was specifically It was so bad that I was on my way to hackley or rye country day & my family moved to Scarsdale (vs. paying for private school).

So fast forward 20 years & my oldest is starting kindergarten this fall. I have heard there are loads of Jews in Yorktown but I have not seen them. When I first moved into my neighborhood I was invited to other neighborhood parties & events. When I had my own party (I have mezuzahs on my doors) & invited my neighbors, I was never invited to anything again. It was really so strange & shocking. My next door neighbor had a party about 3 months later & didn’t bother to invite me (but did manage all the other people).

The point is while I am not very religious, I am very sensitive to anti-Semitism. Probably I am oversensitive but with most of my neighbors white, the only difference with all of them is my lack of Xmas lights on my lawn.

So, I have heard from someone I know in Katonah, that the schools are Jewish, but I suspect it’s not as Jewish as Armonk. I just don’t want my sons in a class of 30 people with only 2 Jews. My wife seems to think that Katonah is not Jewish. How are you supposed to know? Is there some way I can find out a percentage? Any advice would be great.


Thanks,
Rich
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-24-2012, 08:08 PM
 
Location: Chappaqua, NY
41 posts, read 125,207 times
Reputation: 17
Default Katonah

Hey, Rich

I am not Jewish and can only give you circumstantial evidence to point that you would have an ok time in Katonah.

I have a friend from there who is in a mixed marriage, ie, she is not Jewish, but her husband is. They have been abroad for a bit, but are happily moving back to Katonah soon. She is raising her kids Jewish and seems to love it in Katonah.

Is there a temple in Katonah? Could you ask the rabbi to speak openly about his experience?

I am not sure what your work situation is, but we sure love Chappaqua! I think that we have a very large percentage of Jewish residents; all seem to be reformed, or, at the most semi-conservative, and our temple is supposed to be great...

Best of luck to you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-24-2012, 10:43 PM
 
Location: Yorktown Heights NY
1,316 posts, read 5,171,307 times
Reputation: 444
That is the strangest thing I've heard on this forum. I live in Yorktown Heights and most of my neighbors are Jewish. We're certainly a minority in town overall, but a fairly sizeable one and I've never experienced any anti-semitism or the slightest bit of strangeness about being jewish. We belong to Temple Beth Am in Yorktown Heights, which is reform and has a large and active congregation and is one of the two largest synagogues in YH. My son's classes have always been about 20% Jewish, which to me is perfect since it is enough to give him plenty of Jewish classmates but also prepares him for life in America. And of course many of the teachers are Jewish as is the principal. Many of his classmates go to Hebrew school with him on weekends. One of the things I love about Yorktown Heights is the ethnic diversity and the fact that there is such a mix of backgrounds. His school is full of kids from all over, and there are lots like my son from mixed backgrounds (Clancy Bernstein, Issac Murphy, etc.). I suggest checking out Temple Beth Am--it is very welcoming and very mellow.

As for Katonah, we have Jewish friends who live there and are happy. I would imagine the makeup is similar to YH in terms of Jews, but I'm guessing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2012, 02:44 PM
 
5 posts, read 34,425 times
Reputation: 11
I guess it all comes down to who lives near you & who you see on a daily basis.

I know Katonah doesnt have a temple so that was part of why I was asking. I think that South Salem & Mt Kisco are the two big temples in the area (reformed).

Thanks,
Rich
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2012, 03:59 PM
 
Location: Connectucut shore but on a hill
2,617 posts, read 6,984,378 times
Reputation: 3343
First, when speaking of Katonah you really need to be thinking in terms of Bedford cause everything is spread out. And, in Bedford you'll find Temple Shaaray Tefila and Kasho - pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum, I guess.

Secondly, Katonah is reportedly becoming increasingly Jewish. I've heard locals call it "the new Chappaqua" and "Scarsdale North." Seriously. But no worries. There are lots of Jewish folks up there, it doesn't raise an eyebrow. But if your antisemitism-o-meter is turned all the way up you'll surely find it. Same as anti-Italian, anti-Hispanic, anti-whatever.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2012, 09:20 PM
 
5 posts, read 34,425 times
Reputation: 11
Hi,

I am not sure if this makes a difference, but I am looking to purchase a home in the Lewisboro/Goldens bridge portion of Katonah. I thought Katonah was Katonah but I have since been corrected.

I dont want to find any anti-semetism. I just dont want my kids to be the only jewish ones in the class.

Thanks,
Rich
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2012, 09:52 PM
 
Location: Westchester County, New York
5 posts, read 25,337 times
Reputation: 10
We live in the northern part of Yorktown, which has a smaller Jewish population than Yorktown Heights. There are very few jewish children in our school, so we had to seek them out. We have belonged to a small, very friendly synagogue for many years -- Hebrew Congregation of Somers. Despite the name, there are families from all over Northern Westchester, including Yorktown and Katonah. My children were able to connect with other children at hebrew school, and we have many friends to celebrate holidays with. Even if you have had uncomfortable experiences with synagogues in the past, it really is the best way to give your children a connection to their heritage, renew your own connection, and give yourself an opportunity to meet other jewish families. Just something to think about.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-25-2012, 09:53 PM
 
9,341 posts, read 29,557,715 times
Reputation: 4572
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichTJ99 View Post
Hi,

I am not sure if this makes a difference, but I am looking to purchase a home in the Lewisboro/Goldens bridge portion of Katonah. I thought Katonah was Katonah but I have since been corrected.
Lewisboro is a town in Westchester County.

Goldens Bridge is a hamlet in the Town of Lewisboro in Westchester County.

Katonah is a hamlet in the Town of Bedford in Westchester County.

The hamlet of Katonah is in the service area of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

NYS Geographic Glossary may be of some help to you in understanding the geography of New York.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2012, 01:51 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,249,164 times
Reputation: 7137
You should not have a problem in Katonah, but the area you are describing seems to be around Lake Katonah. Is it off Todd Road, north of Route 35? That would be closer to Goldens Bridge, Croton Falls, and to the west of Waccabuc, which is the Town of Lewisboro. Overall, Katonah is not as Jewish as Scarsdale or Armonk, but people tend to be less competitive and more tolerant of others' belief systems. I grew up with families who were of Jewish heritage, but had since gone to the Unitarian Church in Bedford, so I guess they were really reformed. I don't recall any Anti-Semitic incidents, though we did go to different schools (private), but I doubt you would have a problem in Katonah-Lewisboro, since your children would not be the only Jewish children in the school.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare
(As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)

City-Data Terms of Service
City-Data FAQs
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-26-2012, 07:42 AM
 
Location: westchester, ny
86 posts, read 387,151 times
Reputation: 51
My children went to the elementary school you would be zoned for if you end up in Goldens Bridge, and I can tell you that my daughter went to about 20 bar/bat mitzvahs when she was 13...often 2 a night. Her two best friends in elementary school were Jewish (we are Catholic). Jewish population is strong and well integrated with the non Jewish population. There is really no "us and them" mentality up here, which is what I love about it. The only reason people will ostracize you is if you give them a good reason to, but it will not be because of your religion or income level.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > New York > Westchester County
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top