Upper West Side Resident



Saying Shalom
By Karen Bressler

86/Bwdy. The Blvd. Roommate wanted. 23?&?24?yr. o1d Glatt Kosh Mod Ortho Guys Lking for Brd to Shr Huge Apt. w/Someone of Sim. Age/Backgrnd. Person would have own Lg. BR1411.Apt. has 2 full marble Bath, Huge LRM 6 fully stocked Kosh Kitch (oven, micr, dish etc.). Call Marc 212?XXX?XXXX.

Why is this classified different from all other classifieds? Just ask Greg Zuckerman, 25, founder and publisher of Shalom Bayit, the guide to finding, selling and renting apartments throughout the New York Jewish community.

Zuckerman got the idea for a Jewish classified newspaper when he received calls from two of his friends (one from Los Angeles, and one from Washington, DC) who were interested in relocating to New York City and needed his help in finding places to live. They were both young, single, and?like Zuckerman?religiously observant Jews.

That's the toughie: both of Zuckerman's friends sought roommates who not only observe the Sabbath, but also keep kosher (which means more than just not mixing milk with meat!).

Zuckerman spread the word amongst his friends, then checked the bulletin boards of local synagogues and kosher restaurants for some leads. He found an incredibly huge, rent?stabilized apartment on West End Avenue for the LA woman (she paid the unheard of price of $250 a month!) and a share for the guy from DC in a two?bedroom that was only a few blocks from the hospital where he works.

The satisfied customers spread the word that Zuckerman was well?connected in the New York apartment circuit, and before long, his phone was ringing off the hook?and at all hours of the night?with calls from other friends and their friends who required his services. (He even had to deal with a desperate, young woman who actually showed up at his door early one Sunday morning after her roommate threatened to change the locks.)

Recognizing the need for a complete resource for locating apartments for Orthodox Jewish Manhattanites, Zuckerman began Shalom Bayit.

"I know how hard finding a roommate can be," says Zuckerman, who has a couple of roommate horror stories himself (including one roommate with whom the only common interest he had was the fact that they were both major Dire Straits fans.) "But being Orthodox sometimes makes it even harder."

The fine points of Jewish law can create tensions even between two observant Jews. Sabbath rules are relatively easy. riding elevators or taking public transportation are forbidden. But kosher rules (Which mandate the need for two complete sets of dishes for meat and dairy meals) create even more confusion.

"I know someone who didn't allow his roommate I s food in the apartment because he didn't consider the kosher authorization strict enough for him," says Zuckerman. "It's a tricky situation."

And one that some real estate brokers are incapable of dealing with. "Some brokers don't want to bother working with the building management to accommodate their Orthodox customers, 11 says Manhattan?based realtor Helen Dreyfuss. "And a lot of clients don't want to have to explain again and again to each broker they do business with what their specific needs are. It helps to go through someone who's already knowledgeable on the subject, someone like Zuckerman who understands his constituency. Shalom Bayit fulfills a very specialized need."

Another plus: New York's Jewish community is definitely tight?knit. In the game of Jewish geography, everyone seems to know each other?which makes for a more comfortable living environment.

"I lived in Israel for eight?and?a?half years , says 29?year?old Brad Rephen. "When I got back to the States, I saw a copy of Shalom Bayit in an Upper West Side restaurant, answered a few ads, and found a share in the apartment I'm living in now. The same day I moved in, I learned that a good friend of mine from Israel was moving in too. It was great."

Shalom Bayit?Hebrew for "peace in the house" ??currently lists ads for rentals, shares, and apartments for sale in the area between West 68th and West 116th streets. And it's constantly expanding to cover new locations?and other aspects of Orthodox Jewish life.

The most recent issue included some upcoming local events for Jewish singles and even a few personals?"for those who are looking for Mr. 'Kosher' Goodbar," says Zuckerman. And he's already on his way to making his first "shiddach" (Yiddush for match 11). He's responsible for introducing two people who have been writing to each other for two months now, and are trying to schedule a date to meet.

As the sixth edition goes to press, It seems to really be taking off. Currently Zuckerman receives anywhere from fifty to a hundred calls a week? he even gets listings from apartment owners in Israel who want to swap places with apartment holders ill New York during their vacations?and places about 50 percent of his clients.

Zuckerman recently had to fill three spots in his own West Side apartment. He put a listing in Shalom Bayit and interviewed a handful of guys until he found three new roommates he thought he'd he comfortable living with. So far it's been working out. But if he runs into any problems, he'll definitely know where to turn.

For more information about Shalom Bayit call, 969-0946