Should you go?

I attended last years’ event in the Grand Hyatt and was somewhat disappointed. If communities are really looking to grow, you’d think they would at least have some real reasons why their communities should attract people to them. But all they had were some glitzy brochures and other schwag extolling their shuls, schools, mikvahas, and federations. Not exactly things that would motivate people to pick up and move from the greatest concentration of Jews in the world outside Israel to some dusty forsaken place they have almost never heard of.

If you are serious about moving out of town, save up some money and take a trip there. The best thing is if you could go there for a Shabbos. If you go during the summer, you can even leave on Friday morning and return on Sunday morning (or even Motzoei Shabbos if you are being on the West Coast). That should give you enough time to see the schools and sights of the town on Friday (and even check out some homes) while experiencing the full flavor of an out of town shabbos – complete with community Kiddush!

If you are looking to narrow your choices, you may want to attend the fair. But remember, most of the presenting shuls are OU synagogues, which means they are usually Modern Orthodox. If there is another shul that is more right wing, they will not be represented. So take everything you see there with a grain of salt. You can ask questions, get some contact phone numbers, and follow up with the right people. Then you can narrow your choices down and make plans to visit the community with the most appeal.

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