New Haven community is diverse
Reprinted by permission from the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, 7 May 1999
NEW HAVEN - With its strong academic institutions and its proximity to both New York and Boston, the New Haven area has always been attractive to Jewish families. That still holds true today, as the area's estimated population of 27,000 gives it, along with Hartford, one of the largest concentrations of Jewish population in the state.
Those 27,000 Jews are becoming more spread out geographically, though. An estimated 25 percent of them now live in the Shoreline communities, ranging from Branford to Old Saybrook.
"The population in general is growing in those Shoreline towns," said Jennifer Rosenberg, director of planning and community development for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. "Part of the increase in the Jewish community is being Americans and following trends overall."
That doesn't mean, though, that the Jews in the Shoreline towns automatically look to New Haven as a center for Jewish activities.
"Our congregation takes up a huge geographic area," said Debbie Mueller, president of Congregation Beth Shalom in Deep River. "We have members from Branford to Waterford to New Britain."
Mueller, who lives in Higganum, said it takes her an hour to drive to the Jewish Community Center in Woodbridge.
"Because of our diverse geography, that makes a strong connection (with the Federation) difficult," she said.
In recognition of that fact, the New Haven Federation, as part of its Leadership Roundtable Community-Building Project, has decided that incorporating the Shoreline area into all of its programs is a priority.
Meanwhile, the majority of the area's Jewish population still lives in New Haven, Woodbridge, Hamden and Orange.
New Haven neighborhoods attract Jews
New Haven has lost several of its synagogues over the years, and the Jewish Community Center moved out to Woodbridge, but several neighborhoods, including Westville, Beaver Hill and Edgewood, have bucked the trend toward suburban flight. That is especially evident at Beth El-Keser Israel, a Conservative synagogue in the Westville section of New Haven.
Jon-Jay Tilsen, Beth El-Keser Israel's rabbi, says that not only has his congregation grown by 20-25 percent during the last four years, but the average age of the congregation has dropped from 57 to 53, and the number of children of religious school age has increased during that span from 70 to 240.
"Most of our new, younger families are people who are new to the area, or people who have not previously affiliated," Tilsen said. "Most of them are not natives of Connecticut."
Tilsen said 60-65 percent of the 260 members of his congregation live in New Haven.
"We've reached a critical mass for our congregation of having enough observant Conservative families," he said.
Rosenberg has noticed the same trends.
"(Jewish) people are continuing to leave New Haven, but the rate doesn't seem to be very large," Rosenberg said. "Westville seems to be attracting more Jewish families. I think the Jewish population in New Haven is more traditional than in outlying areas."
With its current planning process well under way, the New Haven Federation is trying to address the needs of both the growing Shoreline population and the population in its core area.
"The reality is we are a far more diverse community than we were 50 years ago, and becoming ever more so," said Michael Schaffer of New Haven, a participant in the planning process.
Photo by Robert Lisak accompanied article
Reprinted by permission from the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, 14 May 1999, p. 42-43
For information on the Connecticut Jewish Ledger call (860) 231-2424 or email ctjledger@aol.com.
Return to News & Events PageEmail to Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen: jjtilsen@aol.com