House-Hunting, Religiously

The housing crunch in Georgetown, Potomac and Silver Spring -- sites of most of the region's synagogues -- has revitalized the few Orthodox synagogues that are located in less-pricey areas.

Shari Diamond and her husband are members of Kesher Israel in Georgetown, but now that they have a toddler and a new baby they're looking for a house in the District's Shepherd Park, near Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah, an Orthodox synagogue along 16th Street NW.

"It's really picking up, with a lot of young families like us locating there," she said. "It's still possible to find something and be part of an established community. We also wanted to stay in the District, and this is our only other option."

Other families have given up trying to find affordable housing near the established synagogues and have banded together to form new centers of worship. Under Jewish law, 10 men together form a minyan that can conduct communal religious services.

Freundel said he has helped several families who have relocated to neighborhoods in Northern Virginia, which has many fewer established options, to find ways to gather and pray together on the Sabbath.

But these satellite pockets of worship can seem like a last resort to many Orthodox Jews, who say they love the sense of community they get from living near synagogues.

"When you're walking you see your neighbors and it's really pleasant," said David Shaool of Potomac, who is hunting for a new home on Long Island, N.Y. Non-observant "Realtors would show me a house that was a mile and a half away from the synagogue and say, 'Oh, you can walk that.'

"But sometimes I have to walk three times in a 24-hour period for services. Do the math. That's like walking nine miles and once or twice with a stroller," he said. "It's supposed to be a happy, uplifting day -- not an endurance test."

Shaool's 4,900-square-foot house in Potomac is on the market as the family prepares to relocate. Not only is it within walking distance to three Orthodox synagogues, it's also filled with details that observant Jews appreciate.

For instance, his refrigerator and stove are designed with special switches that turn off the interior lights for the Sabbath, so that householders don't inadvertently flip on a light when they open the door, an action proscribed under Jewish law.

Given the house's location and features, it would be an ideal home for an Orthodox family. But legally, sellers cannot discriminate against buyers based on their religion, so Shaool can only hope that another Orthodox Jewish family puts in a competitive bid.

"There's sometimes grumbling in synagogues that sellers raise the prices knowing that buyers are desperate for that location," agent Goldstein said. "But really it's just following the market as a whole. Prices are going up everywhere."

Sometimes, though, everything falls into place. The Zacheims made a bid on the two-bedroom Georgetown condo and got word the next day that their offer had been accepted. They not only are within easy walking distance to Kesher Israel, but also have family nearby in Silver Spring.

And best of all, Zacheim said, there are other young Orthodox families in the same condominium, so they will have company on their walks to Sabbath services.