YESHIVISH

in metro new york

Many Yeshivish Jewish people escaped Europe, especially their homeland of Lithuania, during World War II after enduring persucution from the Nazis. Rabbi Ahoron Kotler was one who escaped, and he founded the Lakewood yeshiva (Orthodox Jewish school). Lakewood, New Jersey is about 40 miles south of NYC and has grown into the home of 60,000 Yeshivish Jewish people, about half of the 120,000 Yeshivish Jewish people in Metro New York. Much of the growth of Lakewood has been due to lower-cost living compared to NYC. Part of the growth in Lakewood is because the Rabbi Kotler’s original yeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha, has grown to instruct nearly 7,000 students.

As for many Orthodox Jewish communities, Yeshivish Jewish people face anti-Semitism, which is sometimes complicated as they have tight, insular, growing populations. For these reasons, the Jewish leaders in Lakewood are active in multi-ethnic civic groups to address tension and challenges.

Yeshivish Jewish people are typically Zionists—strongly pro-Israel.

Bosnian man

Fun Facts

  • The Purim holiday is typically a big two-day celebration in Yeshivish communities. On these days, Jewish people celebrate the liberation of the Jewish people in the days of Esther in the Bible.
  • The Celebration of Sukkot is a seven-day festival recognized in Yeshivish communities. It commemorates the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert upon leaving Egypt.

Religious Life

The Congregation Sons of Israel is a popular Yeshivish place of worship. There are over 150 Jewish synagogues and places of worship in Lakewood, New Jersey.

As mentioned above, Beth Medrash Govoha is located in Lakewood. It is the second largest yeshiva in the world.

Yeshivish Judaism has an interesting history. As the Hasidic movement spread in the 18th century throughout Eastern Europe, the opponents spread to criticize, and sometimes persecute, Hasids for their fascination with magic and lack of Talmudic study. Over time, the persecution stopped, but this movement grew into an ultraorthodox community focused on Talmudic study and adherence. This community became known as Yeshivish, which came from “Litvish” due to their origin in Lithuania, and because of their emphasis on starting yeshivas—Orthodox Jewish schools.

Prayer Gallery

Unreached people groups can also be viewed as "hidden" people groups (i.e., they are largely unnoticed and unaffected by the global Body of Christ). In the prayer gallery section below, as well as through the Google Earth prayerwalk tool, you can visualize these hidden people group communities. By doing so, we pray God gives you insight into how to pray through what you see. By scrolling through major points of interest in the prayer gallery section, pray for people you see, and pray that the peace and hope of Jesus will become known to people who frequent these places. Through the Google Earth prayerwalk tool linked at the bottom of the page, you can virtually prayerwalk through the community, praying "on site with insight." You could also take the route and points of interest from that tool and save them to your "Google Maps" to prayerwalk in person. Allow the following three steps to guide your prayers using these tools, and try  prayerwalking with another person or small group! God hears the voice of His people, and He responds to our prayers!

1. Praise and Thanksgiving

Praise God for who He is. Thank Him for His blessings and salvation that is extended to all peoples. Praise and thank Him for appointing the time and boundaries of this people group's presence in North America so that they might seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26). Pray Scriptures that come to mind about His glory being made known among all peoples and nations (e.g., Rev 7:9-10).

 

2. Pray for Laborers

Luke 10:2 says “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Pray for God's laborers to share Christ's love through hospitality to this people group. Pray for laborers among this community to establish loving relationships and proclaim the gospel. Pray for Christians to emerge from within this people group who will reach their friends and family members.

3. Pray for Understanding and Receptivity

Most members of unreached people group communities remain unreached because they have failed to hear the gospel in ways they can understand. Others have heard the gospel but have many barriers to overcome before receiving the gospel. Pray that this community will understand the gospel. Pray for God to draw them to Jesus and remove the barriers that keep them from salvation in Christ.


Beth Medrash Govoha
(Lakewood, NJ)

Beth Medrash Govoha was established in 1943 by Rabbi Aaron Kotler. It was the first kollel (institute for full-time study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature) established in the United States. It is believed to be the second-largest yeshivah in the world with roughly 7,000 students. 

 

Bagel Nosh
(Lakewood, N)

A kosher cafe serving pastries, coffee, and regular meals. It is located close to Beth Medrash Govoha. All BMG students are male, as are most clientele of this cafe.

 



Beth Medrash Govoha – 10th St.
(Lakewood, NJ)

Beth Medrash Govoha, most commonly reffered to as BMG, has several campus buildings sprawled throughout the neighborhood. This one on 10th Street is an example.

 

Haredim in North America Overview Page

Visit this page to learn general information about Haredi communities in North America and their religious beliefs. Also, discover resources to help share Jesus with them in their language.

Virtual Prayerwalk among the Yeshivish in Lakewood

Prayerwalk through some of the main Yeshivish restaurants, places of worship, and businesses in Lakewood, NJ using a tool we developed in Google Earth. You could also do a prayerwalk in person using the same points of interest.

Interested in reaching Yeshivish? Have a suggested edit or want to help? Contact us!

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    100,000 Yemenis

    Statistics Canada 2016 counted 6,645 people whose ethnic origin was Yemeni. The 2019 American Community Survey counted 58,627 people born in Yemen now living in the United States. Counting U.S.-born children and typical undercounts of Arabs in the census, it is safe to assume there are at least 100,000 Yemenis in North America. The Wikipedia article on Yemeni Americans claims "there are an estimated 100,000-200,000 Yemenis living in the United States as of 2018,” but no source is given for that statistic.

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    350,000 Bosniaks

    The Congress of Bosniaks of North America estimate 300,000 Bosniaks live in the United States and 50,000 in Canada.

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    300,000 Somalis

    The America Community Survey 2019 estimated 182,951 people reporting Somali ancestry in the United States. Statistics Canada 2016 estimated 62,500 people with Somali ethnic origin in Canada. Census figures tend to undercount groups like Somalis who are suspicious of government authorities and census takers. Community estimates of Somalis in the Greater Toronto and Edmonton areas alone number 100,000. An estimated 300,000 Somalis in North America is a conservative estimate, and their population number could be much higher.

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    670,000 to 1,000,000 Sikhs

    In the 2011 Statstics Canada census, 454,965 Sikhs were estimated to live in Canada. The United States does not count religious affiliation in its census, and the language of Punjabi is also spoken by Hindus and Muslims which makes "language spoken at home" a difficult category for measuring Sikhs. However, the 2012 Pew Religious Survey indicates 5% of Indian Americans are Sikh. The 2019 American Community Survey estimated 4,240,466 Asian Indians living in the United States, and 5% of that population equals 212,023. The Sikh America Coalition, however, estimates 500,000 Sikhs living in the United States. Therefore, low estimates of Sikhs in North America are around 670,000 people and high estimates are around one million.

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    400,000 Afghans

    The diversity of the people groups who identify as Afghans contributes to the difficulty of using census information to estimate the number of Afghans in North America. The American Community Survey 2019 counted 156,434 people in the United States with "Afghan" ancestry. However, some Afghans would identify their ancestry as Tajik, Pashtun, and so forth. Statistics Canada 2016 counted 83,995 people with Ethnic Origin as Afghan, 4,810 as Pashtun, 2,905 as Tajik, and 1,515 as Hazara. So, adding those number together gives a good idea of a low estimate of the number of Afghans in Canada. Allied Media Corporation, who has worked extensively with the Afghan American Community, estimates 300,000 Afghans live in the United States. With adding Canada's number, a reasonable estimate of Afghans in North America is 400,000 people.

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    Estimated 40,000 Kurds in the United States and 16,315 Kurds in Canada

    A 2019 BBC article estimated 40,000 Kurds in the United States, as did a much earlier NBC News Report. A 2009 Kurdish Herald aricle estimated 50,000 Iraqi Kurds were living in the United States. The estimates of Kurds we have found in various cities seem to coincide with the more conservative 40,000 number. However, many Kurds from Turkey mix into the Turkish population and are harder to identify. Statistics Canada 2016 estimated 16,315 people in Canada had a Kurdish Ethnic Origin.

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    Between 275,000 and 350,000 Turks living in North America

    The Turkish Coalition of America gives a conservative community estimate of 350,000 Turks in the United States. According to American Community Survey 2019, 212,489 Turkish people were estimated to live in the United States. Statistics Canada 2016 reported 63,966 with a Turkish ethnic origin.

     

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    1,100,000

     

    Pakistan makes up the largest single country of origin of Muslims in North America, with 769,000. 554,000 (2019 ACS) reside in the United States and 215,000 (2016 Census) in Canada.

    Statistically, it is estimated that 370,000 Indo-Pak Muslims in North America originated of Indian descent. 270,000 reside in the United States and 100,000 reside in Canada. A Pew Research study found that 10% of Indian descent in North America identify as Muslim. It is by using this 10% and total Indian population numbers that the Indo-Pak Muslims from India are calculated.

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    Estimated 66,000 Wolof in the United States

    According to ACS and the Senegalese-American Association estimates listed in articles in previous years, it is safe to assume there are at least 60,000 Wolof in North America. The previous population and community estimates within NYC have listed the Wolof population around 20,000 not including the Wolof that live in Chicago, Seattle, Raleigh, Montreal, etc. Information from Peoplegroups.org lists the population around 66,000. 

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    Approximately 972,000 Gujaratis call North America home

    20% of all Indians in the United States are from Gujarat state. According to the 2019 5-yr table ACS Census Data, there are 4,240,466 Indians in the United States. Statistically, there are approximately 848,093 Gujaratis in the United States. The 2016 Candian Census indicates that 124,030 speak Gujarati in the home. 

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