H eadlines
It’s so weird to walk around the neighborhood, get that exercise and see the amazing
architecture, and know I’m still very much on the outside of this community.”
VICTORIA ALFRED-LEVOW
The Rendsburg family 
Courtesy of Rebecca Rendsburg
Hebrew Academy) and the
University of Pennsylvania.

The couple visited Philadelphia
often. Rebecca Rendsburg was
struck by the city’s history and
manageable pace.

“I really fell in love with the
smallness of this city. There was
an intimacy to it. There were
neighborhoods that felt like
little communities,” she said.

She and her husband
loved New York, but needed a
larger space to raise their two
children and a more cost-ef-
fective lifestyle in order to
send them to Jewish day school
while saving for retirement.

“We can do that in
Philadelphia. We did not feel
like we could do that in New
York City,” she said.

Their housing search was
complicated by their inability
to view places in person.

“We spent March and
April into early May looking
at houses and virtually never
getting a chance to actually go
in to see the house, so the house
we bought, we did not step
foot in until the last week of
July, until we moved, basically,”
she said.

The Rendsburgs moved to
the Hawthorne neighborhood
in August and joined the South
Philadelphia Shtiebel. Rebecca
Rendsburg spent the summer
doing outdoor activities like
hikes and gardening with her
new community.

“It was a really lovely experi-
ence,” she said. “But then things
had to shut down in November
with the uptick of infection
around Thanksgiving, and so
that was a loss for us. Trying to
connect and meet new people
and be a part of a new commu-
nity while you can’t actually
see people in person has been a
challenge.” Victoria
Alfred-Levow continues to attend virtual
services, but misses getting to
know her new neighbors.

“It’s so weird to walk around
the neighborhood, get that
exercise and see the amazing
architecture, and know I’m still
very much on the outside of
this community,” she said.

Aside from the sublet
struggle, Morgan is excited to
join her partner in Haifa. Her
two siblings live in Jerusalem,
and her mother plans to move
to Israel in the near future.

Morgan, who grew up in
Yardley and attended Drexel
University, said she would
miss the city’s walkability and
community feel. She spent the
past few weeks saying goodbye
to her friends and loved ones
from a distance and enjoying
the snow.

“It’s been a bit of a hassle to
drive in, but it is very beautiful,
and I have been trying to take
it in since I won’t see this much
snow for a very long time,” she
said. l
spanzer@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729
Name: Brightview Senior Living
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Comment: JE
S TAY S O C I A L .

S TAY S A F E .

STAY Bright.

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Brightview residents are thriving in our active communities, where
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safety protocols continue to protect the health and happiness of all
who live and work here.

This spring, residents are enjoying delicious, chef-prepared meals,
socially distanced programs, recreation, entertainment, happy hours,
fitness classes, and so much more with friends and neighbors who
share their interests. Join them!
WE'RE VACCINATED AND WELCOMING NEW RESIDENTS.

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