mommamia22 -“I wonder if the UWS is the primary influence of people becoming less frum or if they’re disillusioned with life (meaning, before they actually move, their yiddishkeit and emunah have already become weaker) and then they go to the UWS to seek social comfort and peer support.”
Both. It’s a vicious circle/cycle. First they become disillusioned and then they follow the crowd.
“It is VERY hard to be more mature (age wise) and single in the frum community. There really is no chevra other than the UWS that can minimize their suffering and the feeling that others view them as having issues contributing to their taking longer to marry.”
Yes, another issue in the Frum community that’s been swept under the carpet. But I’ve heard Passiac is now a community with a lot of singles and it seems to be a Frummer crowd than the West Side.