Orlando Area Jewish Communities

Orlando, Florida, is located in Central Florida three hours North of Miami. Miami and much of South Florida is hotter in the summer and gets much more rainfall than Orlando. In the winter Orlando is slightly colder, especially in the evenings, than South Florida but still very comfortable. Until recently, only seniors and non-religious Jews ventured north, mostly due to the lack of kosher and schools. That is no longer the case. With much lower-priced homes than South Florida along with the slightly cooler and less humid weather, Orlando and the Tampa areas are coming on to their own as Northerners flee New York and New Jersey.

The Orlando Jewish Day School and slightly to the north Jewish Academy of Orlando at the JCC serve a diverse audience of Jews with no affiliation to those who attend services regularly. Chabad Orlando with its growing student body welcomes Jews of all levels, maintaining an Orthodox Jewish education. The latest school in the area is the Orlando Torah Academy a traditional orthodox yeshiva (members of the Rabbinical Seminary of America, reflecting the large increase of buyers buying first and second homes who come from traditional Orthodox communities up North.

The Orthdox Orlando Torah Center has regular classes as well as daily and Shabbat services. Serving the local communities and visitors at local Kosher rental communities. The community Eruv includes the sub-divisions of Sand Lake Hills, Orange Tree, Palm Lake area, parts of Hidden Springs, and Bay Park. Note: The Eruv does not include any hotels within its boundaries. Chabad serves the Orlando area with Chabad of Altamone Springs, Chabad of Downtown Orlando, Chabad-Lubavitch of Greater Orlando, Chabad of South Orlando, Chabad of North Orlando, and Chabad at UCF (University of Central Florida). There is also a Sephardic Synagogue theTraditional Congregation of Mount Dora. There are plenty of Conservative and Reform synagogues throughout the Orlando area as well.

There are two resturants one dairy on Friday and meat the rest of the week (seperate areas), and a kosher pizza shop along with local take out and catering along with two Winn-Dixie supermarkets carrying kosher meats, cholov yisroel dairy products and challah (must have a certification). There's also plenty of shopping with supermarkets carrying many pre-packaged kosher foods.

Orlando is very well situated when it comes to transportation. I-4, I-95, the Florida Turnpike, and many other major highways cater to the Orlando Resorts as well. Orlando International Airport as well as rail, and soon to be added high-speed rail to Miami make traveling a breeze. Only 1-1/2 hours away from Tampa on the West Coast of Florida which has it own airport as well.

As for entertainment there's Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Seaworld, Discovery Cove, Legoland, Legoland Water Park, and Bush Gardens, in nearby Tampa.