OneShul Atlanta is a home-based community where Jews of all ages and backgrounds can come together to experience meaningful connections to God, Judaism, Jewish culture and to each other. OneShul Atlanta offers weekly events like Carlebach-style Kabbalat Shabbat services and vegetarian, kosher dinners, holiday parties, Jewish yoga and text study. It’s like Chabad kiruv meets PunkTorah.
We moved to Toco for a few reasons. First, the rent was cheaper here than in East Atlanta, Grant Park or Little Five Points, the three hipster-ish areas of Atlanta. Here we have a 1,200 square foot apartment for less than $1,000. In our older neighborhood, you could get a 750 square foot apartment and pay just as much. Big difference between “practically a house” and “practically a cardboard box”.
Despite what my more urban friends tell me about their neighborhoods and how crime is not “that bad”, when I compare being shot by gang members in the hood to to being accosted by yeshiva fundraisers, I’ll take the yeshiva moms.
Last, but probably most important, it’s cool to be in the eruv. It’s nice to know that if people want to walk to our place for Shabbat, they can, without having to make a full weekend of it. I appreciate the kosher grocery store, the kosher restaurants, and being stared at because I am wearing a yarmulke and have tattoos, instead of being stared at just for the yarmulke.
The Jewish ghetto is not without it’s low points. I talk more about those in the video above. But overall, it’s a great experience. We hope to buy a house in a year or so, but sadly will probably not be able to afford it — housing prices are enormous because the eruv creates inelastic demand (I learned that term in a community college economics class — glad I can finally use it). More demand and very few houses means that everyone rents, or is a bajillionaire.
I’m ranting now. Anyway, enjoy the video.
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