Overbrook Park

Overbrook Park is a neigborhood in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelpha, Pennsylvania. Fifty years ago it had a big Jewish population. It still has two synagogues, one Orthodox and one Conservative, but most of the Jews have moved across City Line Avenue (US-1) into neigboring Penn Wynne in Lower Merion Township. The Jewish community of both sides of the border are considered to be one unit and are connected by an eruv, a wire attached to the telephone and electric poles which allows religious Jews to carry things on Shabbat. The Orthdodox synagogue has purchased a new site in Penn Wynne and is waiting to attain funds to build a new building on the site. Overbrook Park still boasts kosher stores and kosher restaurants. About ten years ago in the mid 1990's, the neigborhood started to become majority black.

Related Topics:
West Philadelphia - Philadelpha - Pennsylvania - Jewish - Synagogues - US-1 - Penn Wynne - Lower Merion Township - Eruv - Jews - Shabbat - Black

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Overbrook Park is bounded by Overbrook on one side, Penn Wynne on another side, and park land on the other two sides. The main artery is Haverford Avenue which goes into Penn Wynne across City Line Avenue where it become Haverford Road. Haverford Avenue and 75th Street connect it to Lansdowne Avenue on the Overbrook side. Haverford Avenue, 76th Street, and 77th Street connect it to City Line Avenue on the Penn Wynne side.

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