2024 OU Savitsky Home Relocation Fair virtual lobby. (Courtesy of The Orthodox Union)
When Renanit Baker and her husband were looking for a new city to settle down in, they wanted a place with plentiful resources and a large Jewish community where “you still really matter.”
The couple had lived previously in Brooklyn, where resources for the Jewish community were vast. However, Baker felt she lacked a personal connection with many of her neighbors. Still in New York, the couple got married and decided to move to Albany where there was a small, tight-knit Jewish community.
“We were really enjoying … the feeling of being an important part of the community. You can’t … fall through the cracks when you’re part of a small community,” said Baker. “So, we were … looking for the sweet spot of big enough that you have all the resources and you have all the schooling options, [but] small enough that you still really matter. So that was Philadelphia.”
Currently living in Northeast Philadelphia, Baker will participate in the Orthodox Union Savitsky Home Relocation Fair as a representative of the area for the second time.
“I am an active member of the Jewish community in the Northeast, and I definitely really enjoy the community. We’re really happy with it, and we love the people here, and all the great stuff that they have here,” she said. “I think it was only natural … when the relocation fair comes around, that I pick it up and … set up our booth and make it all happen for the Northeast.”
The fair was launched in 2008 by former OU President Steve Savitsky, geared towards singles and families to showcase affordable communities that have amenities for the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. When the pandemic hit, the fair was held virtually and has continued to be held online ever since. This year, the fair will be held on Feb 22.
“In many ways, we act as a matchmaker, connecting people looking to move with communities eager to expand,” OU Senior Director of the Savitsky Communal Growth and SPIRIT Retiree Initiatives Rebbetzin Judi Steinig said in a press release. “When our communities thrive, we all share in that success. We want to facilitate connections. Our support extends beyond the fair; it is always available to those considering relocation and the communities eager to grow.”
Participants log on to the nine-hour long event, choosing from different avatars to roam around the virtual expo hall, auditorium and discussion panels with community representatives.
“We are really a very centrally located community that is very old and established,” Baker said. “We really want to let people know — whether it’s because of what’s going on in New York or just because the general shift of people is to move out of big cities right now [or it’s] people who want to stay on the East Coast stay close to their families, but still have that warm out of town feeling — [they] might really enjoy Philadelphia. So we want to get our name out there and really let people know what a gem we have over here.”
Daniel Miller has been living in Bensalem, just outside of Center City, for seven years now with his wife and four children. Miller, also the director of outreach and programming at Bensalem Jewish Outreach Center, will be representing Bensalem this year at the Home Relocation Fair.
“We have that incredible balance between the out of town and the in town,” he said. “We love the community here. We love the shul. We love the community programming.”
He added, “Every place has their own advantages, but some places, you could have 10,000 Jews and not know your neighbor’s name. And here it’s not like that.”
While the fair is held only every other year, the resources stay online for individuals and families to learn more about different communities.
For Baker, she was looking to move during the off year but was able to see all the information about Northeast Philadelphia on the OU’s out-of-town communities directory online.
In 2024, the last Relocation Fair, more than 2,000 people from 24 different countries registered to participate, including Argentina, China, Ethiopia, Finland, the Netherlands and the UAE.
“If you have family in the New Jersey, New York area, we’re close enough that just a hop, skip and a jump away,” Miller added. “It’s only an hour drive to New Jersey, an hour and a half to New York and two hours to Baltimore.”