Identification and Analysis of Orthodox Jewish Enclaves in Brooklyn, New York: a Gis Based Approach

Given that religious faith is constitutionally procluded as a census question, it can be challenging to document the geography of religion at the micro level. This paper explores the geography of adherence to Orthodox Judaism in Brooklyn, New York through a variety of signature locational phenomena associated with the faith, including synagogues, yeshivas and kosher food retailers. The address, function, and sect affiliation of each location were obtained from the Yellow Pages and subsequently uploaded into a GIS. Using an address geocoding tool, these phenomena were plotted on a map based on their exact spatial location. Two criteria were used to help locate and define Orthodox Jewish enclaves and separate them from their non-Orthodox counterparts. The first was a high organizational density, marked by a dense concentration of Jewish establishments. Characteristic of Orthodox Jewish enclaves, high organizational density implies that there is religious homogeneity within that neighborhood. The rate of transition from high to low organizational density is also an indicator of Orthodox enclaves since it denotes isolation from the outside community. Finally, this study examined the racial composition of neighborhoods within and outside the enclaves. It was established that Orthodox Jews tend to conglomerate near particular racial groups, and that certain Orthodox sects isolate themselves from other sects. The Orthodox Jewish community continues to be mobile and their settlement spaces constantly expand and contract based on population pressures from other neighborhoods.