Resources

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Wynnewood and its neighboring communities are blessed with every resource than an observant family needs: eruv, mikvah, Jewish day schools, yeshivot, outreach organizations, chevra kadisha, kosher shopping and dining, and much more. Here is a partial description of available resources:

Eruv:

Our community is blessed with an eruv that encompasses both our previous neighborhood in Philadelphia and our new location in Lower Merion. We’ve recently completed an expansion of our eruv that triples its size, bringing it into many new areas in Lower Merion Township as well as a portion of Narberth borough.

For more information, follow this link

Shopping:

Within our immediate community are R&R Produce & Fish, Bestcake Bakery, Shalom Pizza, and New York Bagels. All of these establishments are under the supervision of the Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia and they cater to the special needs of our community by offering quality products and personal service. Also within the community is the Kaiserman Branch of the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia, two beautiful public parks, and branches of both the Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township public libraries.

Less than 10 minutes from our shul are supermarkets such as Giant and Acme with supervised kosher food departments offering fresh meats, fish, bakery, and prepared foods, as well as a wide variety of kosher packaged products. Seforim and Judaica are available at Bala Judaica and Rosenberg's Judaica, both located in nearby Bala Cynwyd. For information regarding these and other resources, see our Shopping page.

Education:

Located within minutes of our shul are such institutions as Torah Academy (the local Orthodox elementary and middle school for girls and boys), Kosloff Torah Academy High School for Girls, Kohelet Yeshiva High School, the world-renowned Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Community Kollel, Aish HaTorah of Philadelphia plus other schools in the Philadelphia area. 

Please see our Education Page for more information.

Mikvaos:

The Women's Mikvah is located at Torah Academy, Wynnewood & Argyle Roads in Wynnewood, (610) 642-8679. The Men’s Mikvah is located at Congregation Raim Ahuvim, 5854 Drexel Road in Philadelphia, (215) 878-8477. The entrance is in the rear of the building. The keilim (dish) mikvah is located at the Torah Academy. It is accessible during the day. You will need the door combination to gain access. Under NO circumstances may it be used during Women's Mikvah hours. Contact Rabbi Naftali Eisemann at (215) 473-4153, or try (610) 642-7870.

Housing:

The community offers a wide variety of housing within the eruv, with even a larger selection now available following our eruv expansion. Lower priced row homes are available in Overbrook Park (Philadelphia). Larger single-family and twin (semi-detached) homes are available in the portions of Lower Merion Township’s Wynnewood, Merion, and Ardmore communities that are within the eruv, as well as in the Greenhill Farms neighborhood in Philadelphia. Homes are available in many different styles and in many price ranges and are more affordable than comparable homes in the other Main Line Jewish communities. (Homes in the Philadelphia area are also far more affordable than most other Orthodox communities in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic as well.) For names of and contact information on real estate agents who work in our neighborhood contact Rabbi Gross at rygross@verizon.com. Rentals are also available, especially in Overbrook Park. For detailed information about rentals, please contact Alan Gottfried at 610-649-0970

Chevra Kadisha:

The Chevra Kadisha, usually referred to as the "Chevra" or the Jewish Burial Society, is the “sacred society” that prepares Jewish bodies for burial. There is a womens' Chevra who assist the needs of women and a mens' Chevra who assist the needs of men. Working with the local Jewish undertakers, we provide the steps proscribed by Jewish law for a traditional Jewish funeral and burial. Should one need our services, they can get in touch with us through undertakers or at the following telephone numbers:

Men: (215) 342-5204
Women: (215) 742-6231

Jewish Community Center:

The Kaiserman JCC at City Avenue and Haverford Avenue offers a full program of organized youth sports and cultural programs for all ages. There are shomer Shabbat sports leagues for children.  There are also athletic facilities including a workout room, gyms, indoor track, and indoor pool, jacuzzi, and sauna. There are men's and women's swimming hours. Call 610-896-7770.

Other Lower Merion Township/Wynnewood Amenities:

Also within the community are two beautiful public parks, Penn Wynne Park and Wynnewood Valley Park, with extensive playground equipment. The Overbrook Park Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Penn Wynne branch of the Lower Merion Library System are both within walking distance from CBH. The Lower Merion Library System has been nationally recognized, scoring consistently in the top 95th percentile for its population category.

Kashrus:

Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia (formerly the Orthodox Vaad of Philadelphia)

Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia (the “Keystone-K”) is a non-profit kashrus organization with the participation of many of the leading Orthodox rabbis in Philadelphia. Community Kashrus supervises numerous retail and wholesale establishments in the Philadelphia area. For supervised retail establishments in our area as well as additional kashrus information, see the Shopping Page.

Other Miscellaneous Community Resources:

Funeral Homes & Cemeteries

Goldstein's Rosenberg's Raphael Sacks Inc.
215-927-5800, 800-622-6410
http://goldsteinsfuneral.com

Joseph Levine & Sons Inc.
800-992-3339 or 610-325-2000
http://www.levinefuneral.com

Har Jehuda Cemetery
610-789-2104

Mohelim

Rabbi Naftali Eisemann                                                                                                                                      215-473-4153