In this episode we discuss the cost of Orthodox / frum life. What factors affect it, and how? We discuss overall finances (how many are doing OK; how many are not doing OK?); the impact of children's education costs; housing costs in Orthodox neighborhoods; kosher food prices; competitiveness and "showiness"; whether and how incomes are keeping up; is the Orthodox situation getting worse, including compared to the U.S. as a whole?; and, finally, to what extent are people holding up under cost pressures?

My guest, David Sheril grew up Britain. His family became baalei teshuvah when he was nine years old. When David was eleven, his family made aliyah, and he moved to the US at age 22, in 2005. David attended Mir Yerushalayim and Ner Yisroel, he served as a Jewish high school rebbe for several year,; and then attended law school. He is currently General Counsel for a privately held real estate transactional, management, and lending company. David resides in Clifton, New Jersey, with his wife Miriam (formerly an officer at the Federal Reserve Bank and now Head of Product at an international fintech startup) and their three children.

If you have any comments on this episode, suggestions for future episodes, or just want to chat about research in the Jewish world, please email mark@nishmaresearch.dom.

Finally, our Orthodox Community Health Needs and Assessment Survey will be online through January 19, and here is a LINK to take the survey, if you are inclined to do so.