Last week, The Daily Beast published a list of America’s 30 Most Jewish Cities and sadly, the Twin Cities were not represented. The list was based on three criteria:
- Jewish percentage of the city’s population
- Number of synagogues per capita
- Number of Kosher restaurants
Like most similar types of lists, this one is also heavily flawed. It certainly takes into account the quantity of Judaism in America’s cities, but not the overall quality. From what I have seen in my 2+ years of living here, the TC has a very vibrant Jewish community. I can’t imagine that Pittsfield, MA can do better. I wonder what the Jdate scene is like in Portland, ME. Too many lobsters I bet. And I can’t seem to find a DetroitJewFolk.com.
So what gives? Do we belong on the list or what? Maybe if we had a real deli…
Let’s discuss: What would YOUR criteria be for a similar list? Ever visited/lived in any of the cities that made the list – do they belong on it? What do you think would be the surefire addition to get MSP on the list?
(Photo: Mark Z.)
The same website does not include MSP as one of the 30 most Muslim cities in the US. I’m pretty sure we have a lot more Islamic culture than Anchorage, Alaska or Lincoln, Nebraska. I think their criteria are very skewed. I’m betting they are not looking at total metro populations. The TC metro has large Jewish and Muslim populations – it’s just that they’re scattered into suburbs and across Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Love my city and Love my Jewish community here, but I tend to agree. We probably aren’t part of the top 30.