Greenfield continues to grow Jewish community
In just 13 years, the Chabad community in Greenfield has swelled from 10 families to about 70.
Greenfield and Squirrel Hill were once part of the same neighborhood — until they split into two in the late 1800s. At the time, many residents of Greenfield were people of Irish, Polish, Slovak, Italian, Hungarian and Carpatho-Rusyn descent, who worked in the steel mills in Hazelwood, Homestead and Duquesne, according to the Greenfield Community Association.
The last 13 years have brought some changes to Greenfield, as its proximity to Squirrel Hill — and its lower real estate prices — made it an attractive option for Jewish families wanting to be near several synagogues, Jewish day schools and kosher food offerings.
And Greenfield has grown to include its own Jewish community infrastructure as well.
“It’s right around the corner from Squirrel Hill and from Oakland, but it’s quieter, and it’s a nice neighborhood,” said Rabbi Yitzi Goldwasser, the director of Chabad of Greenfield, who moved there five years ago. “Now that the Jewish community is being much more accommodated, it’s much more convenient and comfortable for the Jewish community to live here.”
B’nai Emunoh Chabad and Chabad of Greenfield provide the Jewish community in the neighborhood with synagogue services, educational opportunities and community outreach.
“Any Jewish family in Greenfield should have what they need to be Jewish and to celebrate being Jewish in the good times and in the challenging times,” Goldwasser said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
B’nai Emunoh Congregation was established by Orthodox Jews in Greenfield in 1927, meeting in various locations for several years. The synagogue at 4315 Murray Ave. was completed in 1948. In 2011, as its congregation shrank, it was bought by Chabad Lubavitch of Pittsburgh.
Since Chabad acquired the building, Rabbi Elchonon Friedman of B’nai Emunoh Chabad has noted a significant increase in Chabad families in the area. He estimated that the number of Chabad families in Greenfield has swelled from about 10 in 2011 to about 70 today.
“The amount of Jewish people, young people who are new and are coming in on a regular basis, is also moving at a very, very high pace,” Friedman said. “It’s a different neighborhood in many, many different ways.”
Friedman said that, as more religious families move into the area, there are noticeable changes in the neighborhood.
He also noted more kosher food options at neighborhood events and increased support from the wider Greenfield community.
“Greenfield is unique in the way that it’s very connected,” Goldwasser said. “I work hand in hand together with the GCA, the Greenfield Community Association, and they’re happy to support and promote what we do, as well as to have us by a lot of their things. We work together on a lot of different things, and they really speak for the broader Greenfield community.”
While there’s been an increase of Chabad families in Greenfield in recent years, the neighborhood has always had a Jewish presence, said Audrey Glickman, a longtime Jewish resident.
But even with a more prominent Orthodox community moving in, she said, there is still a lack of Jewish businesses and kosher restaurants in the neighborhood, which has two main shopping districts.
Businesses in Greenfield include “a couple restaurants and bars and a couple other stores,” Glickman said. “There’s also a pharmacy and a doctor’s office.”
Glickman noted an influx of cosmetic businesses, like nail spas and tanning salons. While she said that these businesses add to Greenfield’s economic improvement and future growth, she does not think they’re necessarily a draw for Jewish families.
Aside from the new businesses, Glickman said she has seen changes in the housing market, with increased prices and many people renting rather than buying.
Friedman said that while the increase in housing prices is a deterrent to some families, it demonstrates the community’s growth.
“We wanted a place where people could afford houses and move into the area and stay within the eruv, be close and be affordable,” Friedman said. “It’s still more affordable than Squirrel Hill, but the fact that it’s moving so quickly, I mean, is a testament to how this place is transforming.”
As the number of Orthodox families continues to rise and Greenfield’s Jewish community strengthens, Friedman said the area will expand even further. He compared the neighborhood to maturing trees.
“I think that Greenfield is, at this point, transforming from young seedlings to grown trees, at least from the time that I started,” Friedman said. “And I think the growing of these trees is going to take time for them to root and to take their place and everything to settle out.”
Friedman noted the new educational opportunities in Greenfield with the opening of the Yeshiva Boys School at the former St. Rosalia’s School on Greenfield Avenue and a new post-secondary program for young Jewish men beginning in the fall. He also shared his hopes for the completion of the men’s and women’s mikvahs in the coming months.
“How that all shapes up for the future?” Friedman asked. “That’s a good question. We’re really starting a new chapter in Greenfield, and I think that it’s a very exciting chapter. I think it’s going to change the Pittsburgh landscape in many ways.” PJC
Kathleen Gianni, a student at George Washington University, is interning for the Chronicle through the Pittsburgh Media Partnership. She can be reached at kgianni@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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