Kosher Travel Guide: Shuls, Shabbos & Kashrus | Kosher Compass
Informational reference only. Double-check original sources for current guidance, and consult your rav or certifying agency. A source review does not confirm live eruv status, minyan schedules or hospitality availability.
United States outside the New York metro area. Working boundary excludes NYC, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, Orange County commuter communities and NYC-oriented northern/central NJ, including Lakewood and the Jersey Shore. Upstate New York and non-NYC Connecticut communities are included. This is an editorial boundary, not a census definition.
Allentown / Lehigh Valley
Allentown's Orthodox community gathers around Congregation Sons of Israel, with daily minyanim, Torah classes and Shabbos youth activities. Local resources include a day school, mikvah and community eruv.
Atlanta
Toco Hills is one of Atlanta's Orthodox community hubs. Beth Jacob and Ohr HaTorah serve the neighborhood with minyanim, learning and family life; visitors can use their local guides to plan a Shabbos near the shuls.
Baltimore / Pikesville
The Baltimore/Pikesville area includes Ashkenazi and Sephardi Orthodox congregations. Suburban Orthodox offers daily minyanim, Torah learning and youth programs, while Ohr Hamizrach is a local Sephardi community with resources for visiting families.
Boston / Brookline
Greater Boston has distinct Orthodox neighborhoods in Brookline, Brighton and Newton. Young Israel of Brookline brings together established families, students and young professionals, with daily minyanim, Torah learning and children's Shabbos groups.
Buffalo / Amherst
Young Israel of Greater Buffalo is a starting point for Orthodox life in Amherst. The shul has weekday and Shabbos minyanim, a community mikvah and visitor resources for people spending Shabbos in the area or traveling to Niagara Falls.
Charleston
West Ashley is home to Congregation Dor Tikvah, next to Addlestone Hebrew Academy. The shul's Shabbos House gives approved guests a way to stay close to this part of Charleston's Orthodox community.
Chicago / Skokie
Orthodox life in the Chicago area spans several neighborhoods, including Skokie, West Rogers Park and Lincolnwood/Peterson Park. Kehilat Chovevei Tzion's visitor and eruv guides are a useful starting point for a Shabbos in Skokie.
Cincinnati
The Golf Manor and Amberley area is one center of Cincinnati's Orthodox community. Golf Manor Synagogue brings generations together for davening, Torah learning, youth activities and community events.
Cleveland
Young Israel of Greater Cleveland is one of the Orthodox community's shuls in Beachwood. Its kollel offers Torah learning for adults and children, alongside the shul's minyanim and communal life.
Columbus
Torat Emet is a Modern Orthodox congregation with daily minyanim, Shabbos services and adult learning. Nearby Ahavas Sholom also offers davening, shiurim and children's Shabbos programming.
Dallas / North Dallas
Shaare Tefilla is part of the residential Orthodox community in North Dallas, where families live within walking distance of shul. Its visitor resources help travelers plan meals and lodging for a Shabbos in the neighborhood.
Denver
East Denver is home to several Orthodox congregations. BMH-BJ offers daily minyanim, Torah classes and Shabbos programming for young families; the local eruv's resource guide connects visitors with other nearby shuls and community institutions.
Detroit / Oak Park / Southfield
Oak Park is one of metro Detroit's Orthodox community centers. Young Israel of Oak Park combines daily davening and Torah learning with family and social programs, and welcomes visitors for Shabbos with member families.
Hartford / West Hartford
Young Israel of West Hartford serves the greater Hartford Orthodox community from Albany Avenue. Its communal chesed program includes welcoming Shabbos lunch guests, and the shul publishes local eruv information.
Houston
Willow Meadows is home to United Orthodox Synagogues, a residential community near the Texas Medical Center. Families have access to shul life, an eruv and Robert M. Beren Academy; UOS is one of several Orthodox communities in the Houston area.
Indianapolis
Indianapolis has Orthodox congregations including Bnai Torah, Sephardi Etz Chaim and Chabad. Bnai Torah's community guide describes a neighborhood with a day school, JCC and eruv, alongside daily davening, learning and youth programs.
Jacksonville
Etz Chaim is a center of Jacksonville's Orthodox community, with minyanim, Torah classes and a local mikvah. Its visitor guide helps guests connect with families and plan a Shabbos near the shul.
Kansas City / Overland Park
Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner (BIAV) is an Orthodox congregation in Overland Park. Its Shabbos visitor program connects guests with local families and offers a way to get to know the Kansas City area's Orthodox community.
Lancaster
Congregation Degel Israel and Yeshiva Meor Dovid share a Torah community in Lancaster, with daily minyanim, a beis medrash and a mikvah. The shul welcomes travelers and offers help planning a visit.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has many distinct Orthodox congregations and neighborhoods. Beth Jacob in Beverly Hills is one starting point for visitors, with Shabbos hospitality and community resources for people staying nearby.
Louisville
Congregation Anshei Sfard is a center of Orthodox life in Louisville, welcoming Jews from varied backgrounds. The community gathers for weekday and Shabbos davening, Torah learning and family events at its Bardstown Road shul.
Memphis
East Memphis has an established Orthodox community with shuls, day-school life and a shared eruv. Baron Hirsch offers daily davening and learning; nearby community resources also include Young Israel and Margolin Hebrew Academy.
Miami / Miami Beach
Miami Beach has a multigenerational Orthodox community. Beth Israel, near 40th Street and Chase Avenue, is one of its congregations, bringing together families for davening and communal life.
Milwaukee / Glendale
Sherman Park is one of Milwaukee's Orthodox neighborhoods, with Congregation Beth Jehudah, Torah learning and family life. Beth Jehudah publishes practical community contacts, including mikvah and eruv information.
Norfolk / Tidewater
Bnai Israel is a center of Norfolk's Orthodox community, with daily davening, a beis medrash, shiurim and a mikvah. Its visitor program connects people coming for Shabbos with local families.
Omaha
Beth Israel is an Orthodox congregation in Omaha that welcomes members and guests with different backgrounds. Community life includes daily minyanim, Shabbos gatherings and Torah classes for adults and young people.
Orlando
Orlando Torah Center is a family community built around davening, Torah study and chesed. Its programs include children's activities, chavrusah learning and a Sephardi Shabbos minyan serving Israeli and Sephardi families.
Philadelphia / Main Line
Philadelphia includes distinct Orthodox communities in Main Line/Lower Merion and Northeast Philadelphia. Lower Merion Synagogue in Bala Cynwyd offers daily minyanim, shiurim and youth programs. In the Northeast, Ahavas Torah serves a Torah-observant community with daily davening and regular learning.
Phoenix / Scottsdale
The Phoenix area has distinct Orthodox communities in North Central Phoenix and Scottsdale. Beth Joseph provides a starting point for visitors to North Central Phoenix; Ahavas Torah and other congregations serve the Scottsdale area.
Pittsburgh
Squirrel Hill is home to Pittsburgh's Poale Zedeck, an Orthodox congregation with a community hospitality program. Its location gives visitors a starting point for a Shabbos spent with local families.
Portland
Kesser Israel brings together Orthodox families, couples and singles of different ages and backgrounds. Community life includes daily minyanim, Shabbos kiddush, Torah learning and gatherings throughout the year.
Providence
Providence's Orthodox community includes Beth Sholom, a Modern Orthodox congregation, and other local shuls. Beth Sholom is a point of contact for visitors looking to join the community for Shabbos.
Richmond
Keneseth Beth Israel is a Torah community in Richmond, bringing generations together for davening, learning and community programs. Its visitor guide helps travelers arrange a Shabbos with local families.
Sacramento
Kenesset Israel Torah Center is a Modern Orthodox congregation in Sacramento. The shul serves as a point of connection for local families and visitors, with hospitality help and a community eruv.
San Francisco / Bay Area
The Bay Area has distinct Orthodox communities on both sides of the bay. San Francisco includes Adath Israel and Richmond District congregation Anshey Sfard; Congregation Beth Israel is a home for Orthodox life in Berkeley.
San Diego
Beth Jacob serves an Orthodox community in San Diego's College Area, with davening, learning and family programs. Its visitor guide brings together local schools, mikvah information and practical resources for a Shabbos near the shul.
San Antonio
Rodfei Sholom brings together Orthodox families with roots in the United States, Israel, Mexico and other countries. Shabbos davening, Torah learning and children's programming are part of the congregation's communal life.
Seattle
Seward Park is one of Seattle's Orthodox neighborhoods. Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath (BCMH) has family and youth programs, Torah classes and a visitor hospitality contact for guests spending Shabbos in the neighborhood.
South Bend
South Bend's Orthodox community includes a full-time kollel, day school, girls' and boys' high schools, and a mikvah. Hebrew Orthodox Congregation houses the community kollel and offers daily minyanim, shiurim and learning programs for boys.
Springfield / Longmeadow
Congregation B'nai Torah is a Modern Orthodox community in Longmeadow serving the greater Springfield area. It offers daily minyanim, Shabbos services, adult classes and children's programs, and welcomes visitors through its office.
St. Paul
Adath Israel is a local shul in St. Paul's Highland area, with daily services and a mikvah. The congregation publishes the St. Paul/Highland eruv map and a hotline for checking its status before Shabbos.
Washington / Silver Spring
Silver Spring includes distinct Orthodox neighborhoods such as Woodside and Kemp Mill. Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah and Young Israel Shomrai Emunah provide local contacts for visitors planning a Shabbos with these communities.