Dobbs Ferry- schools and jewish community (Buffalo, Yonkers: neighborhood, school district, to live in)

[onefeather]

We are considering Dobbs Ferry. We have a small and growing family. We have two concerns. First, are the elementary, middle, and high schools good. Second, we want to make sure there is a large enough Jewish population so we will feel comfortable there. We are considering the area near Maple and Storm street. Any info and insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

[7 Wishes]

Dobbs Ferry has a large Conservative temple (ironically called Greenburgh Hebrew Center, my in laws are long-time members there), though more of the membership is from Ardsley, Hastings and Irvington than Dobbs Ferry (my in-laws live in Ardsley for example).

I'm not sure where you're from, but most of Westchester (indeed most of the NY area) is pretty heavily Jewish compared to other parts of America and there are few places where you'd be anywhere near the only Jewish family. In Westchester the only such places would either be the more urban ones where a significant proportion of the population (and most of the public school population) are racial minorities (i.e. Mt. Vernon, Yonkers, Peekskill) or a couple of towns that have a history of being really unfriendly to Jews (nowadays Bronxville may be the only such place in the county, some argue that Pelham still is, but the fact that they have a small but growing affluent African-American population makes me think otherwise).

While there are towns (such as the ones I mentioned, or Scarsdale, Chappaqua, Armonk, etc.) that have a higher Jewish presence than others, it's really not like most other metro areas where a large majority of the Jewish population is in a specific neighborhood or suburb of that metro area (i.e. Shaker Heights near Cleveland, Williamsville near Buffalo, the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, West Hartford, CT, etc.).

While Dobbs Ferry is "less Jewish" than the towns that surround it, I'd hardly call it an "uncomfortable" place. As for schools, I think Westchesterites are the biggest "nitpickers" about schools in the entire US. There are many who will tell you that Dobbs Ferry "is not as good" as the surrounding towns, but those towns cost a lot more to live in and truly, I think almost every school district in Westchester County would be virtually the "top" school district in most other counties. The only ones I truly consider "questionable" are Yonkers, Peekskill and Mt. Vernon and relative to other "urban" districts in the US, they do pretty well. Even in those (I actually live in Mt. Vernon near the Bronxville border) they are often OK for elementary school depending on what part of each city you live in, it's beyond 6th grade that they really lose their luster.

I will note that a small part of Dobbs Ferry (I believe the easternmost 1/3 of the village) is actually Ardsley schools.


Good luck!

[onefeather]

I read that one neighboring district- Irvington- had a rash of anti-semetic incidents- just want to make sure my kid wouldn't be the only jew in his class in dobbs ferry public schools... Thanks

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by onefeather

I read that one neighboring district- Irvington- had a rash of anti-semetic incidents- just want to make sure my kid wouldn't be the only jew in his class in dobbs ferry public schools... Thanks

Irvington is one of the most heavily Jewish suburbs in Westchester, so anti-Semitic incidents does not mean he'd be the only Jew in class.

[onefeather]

Thanks for your insight- how does Hastings on Hudson compare in this respect?

[7 Wishes]

A little less Jewish than Irvington, a little more than Dobbs Ferry.