One of the largest Modern Orthodox communities in North America — Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, and Inwood form a self-contained Jewish universe on Long Island's South Shore, with Central Avenue as the kosher commercial spine.
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Find apartments here ↗The Five Towns sit at the high end of the Modern Orthodox spectrum. Young Israel of Woodmere is reputedly the largest Young Israel congregation in the world; Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Congregation Beth Sholom, and a dozen other shuls serve every Orthodox orientation. The eruv covers the core of Lawrence, Cedarhurst, and Woodmere — check weekly at fivetownseruv.org or call 516-900-3831.
Central Avenue in Cedarhurst and Lawrence is lined with kosher restaurants, Judaica, and Gourmet Glatt’s flagship store. The school infrastructure is elite: HAFTR (co-ed, PreK–12), DRS yeshiva high school for boys, SKA for girls, and Shulamith anchor one of the most complete day-school ecosystems outside Brooklyn. Direct LIRR access to Penn Station makes the Five Towns a realistic commute for Manhattan workers.
Note: the Five Towns Eruv covers Woodmere, Hewlett, Cedarhurst, North Woodmere and Lawrence, but portions of Back Lawrence, the Woodmere Dock area, the Woodmere Club golf course, Hewlett Harbor and certain North Woodmere streets fall outside it. Status: fivetownseruv.org or 516-900-3831. Lawrence also sits inside the separate Far Rockaway and Lawrence Eruv. Checked 7 September 2026 — always confirm the current boundary and status with your own rav before carrying on Shabbos.
The full relocation guide covers what housing costs, which section to look at, kosher shopping, schools, and how families actually get around on Shabbos — written for someone deciding whether Five Towns is the right community for them.
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Five Towns has 11 shuls on ShulMap in Long Island, NY: Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Young Israel of Woodmere, Young Israel of North Woodmere, Congregation Shaaray Tefila, Congregation Beth Sholom, Agudas Achim of Lawrence, Congregation Bais Tefilah of Woodmere, Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael (KAY), Beis HaKnesses of North Woodmere, Congregation Anshei Chesed, Chabad of the Five Towns.
One of the largest Modern Orthodox communities in North America — Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, and Inwood form a self-contained Jewish universe on Long Island's South Shore, with Central Avenue as the kosher commercial spine.
Yes — shul is the traditional term for synagogue, and Five Towns has 11 Orthodox synagogues listed on ShulMap, each mapped with the kosher amenities and housing around it.
The Five Towns are a cluster of communities on the South Shore of Long Island, in Nassau County, New York — traditionally Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, and Inwood (the name predates the area's growth, and a few more hamlets are often included). Together they form one of the largest Modern Orthodox communities in North America, with Central Avenue as the kosher commercial spine.
The Five Towns are home to one of the largest concentrations of Modern Orthodox Jews in the country. Community estimates put the Orthodox Jewish population in the tens of thousands across Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, and Inwood, closely tied to the adjacent Far Rockaway community. These figures are estimates.
ShulMap maps 11 of the largest and most central shuls, including Young Israel of Woodmere — reputedly the largest Young Israel congregation in the world — but the community-wide total across the five towns is higher, into the dozens once smaller shuls, shtiebels, and yeshiva minyanim are counted. This is an estimate; the mapped selection covers the major anchors.
Yes. The Five Towns Eruv covers Woodmere, Hewlett, Cedarhurst, North Woodmere and Lawrence, is funded by roughly 40 affiliated shuls and is under local rabbinic supervision. Status is posted at fivetownseruv.org, sent by free email alert, and carried on the hotline at 516-900-3831. Exclusions the eruv calls out include the Woodmere Dock at the south end of Woodmere Boulevard South, the Woodmere Club golf course, Hewlett Harbor, the Grant Park pond and walking path, Doxy Brook Park on Branch Boulevard, North Woodmere Park past the playground entrance, and waterfront sections of Back Lawrence around Albro Lane, Meadow Drive, Turkey Point and Sage Avenue. Note that Lawrence also sits inside the separate Far Rockaway and Lawrence Eruv. Source: fivetownseruv.org, checked 7 September 2026. Confirm the current boundary and weekly status before carrying, and follow your own rav.
Use the apartment and home search on this page to see current listings in Five Towns. Walking distances to shuls are approximate — confirm what's comfortable for your family.
Walking distance: Walking-distance circles are approximate and do not assert a halachic standard. Confirm what is walkable for you locally.
ShulMap is an independent directory. Listings and routes are informational — verify all details directly with the source.