Kosher and Jewish Life in New York City

The New York metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel. From a peak of 2.5 million in the 1950s it dropped to 1.4 million in 2002. In 2011 the population of Jews in the New York metropolitan area grew to 1.54 million in. Much of this growth is in Brooklyn, which in 2012 was 23% Jewish and where most of the Russian immigrants live and nearly all of the ultra-orthodox. 1 million Ashkenazic Jews live in New York City about 12% of the city's population, about 100,000 Sephardic Jews live in the city too. New York City is also home to the world headquarters of the several Hasidic ultra-Orthodox sects of Judaism, including Chabad-Lubavitch.

The first Jewish presence in New York City dates to the arrival of 23 Jewish refugees in 1654, who fled from Recife, Brazil, major immigration of Jews to New York began in the 1880s. The Orthodox community is rapidly growing due to higher birth-rates among Orthodox (especially Hasidic) Jews, while the numbers of Conservative and Reform Jews are declining. 60% of the Jewish children in New York are Orthodox, 37% Hasidic.

There are hundreds of kosher restaurants and supermarkets throughout New York City, Brooklyn and Queens. You don't have to go too far to find kosher food in New York City: kosher pizza in NYC, kosher dairy cafes in NYC, kosher steak houses in NYC, kosher vegan restaurants in NYC, kosher deli/meat restaurants in NYC and kosher supermarkets in NYC. 

Many New Yorkers go away for the holiday of Passover. Some stay close to home and spend Passover close to NYC, such as upstate New York or the Jersey Shore. Florida has recaptured its popularity in recent years with programs in Miami and Orlando selling out very quickly. Be sure to check out our detailed Guide to Passover Programs in the USA. See our complete Guide to Passover Programs if you are feeling adventurous and want to explore all of the options for your annual Pesach family vacation.