The Complete Kehillah

Hirsch's community in Frankfurt and it's descendant in Washington Heights, New York City can be classified as comprehensive communities. The community in Washington Heights (Kehillath Adath Jeshurun) offers "...Torah classes, an Elementary Yeshiva for boys and girls, a Bais Yaakov Middle School for girls, a Mesivta High School for boys, a Beis Midrash and Kollel, a Mikveh, a Kashrus supervisory organization, a Senior Social Club, a Shaatnez Laboratory, a Chevra Kadisha, a free loan fund, mohelim, and community programming throughout the year." (KAJInc.org) It is possible that this approach developed in Frankfurt in part out of necessity because of a scarcity of religious services available in the city in the late 19th century, particularly services that were not independent of non-religious organizations. But I would propose that the approach of a comprehensive community results also from the Hirschian and German Orthodox believe in a comprehensive Jewish life that includes Torah, mitzvos, middos, and community. Also, Germans are efficient and organized so they are going to be comfortable in working in a style that complements those traits.

The result is a community that in many ways resembles Chassidic communities that often also are comprehensive. The schools tie into the the shul and the rabbinate and everything else. While one may fear this resulting in an oppressive atmosphere it does not perhaps because the German Jewish style allows for individuality.  When you are disciplined you can allow for individuality because nobody's individuality threatens the group. For example, while the Hirschian community was generally not Zionist in the sense of devotion to forming a state at any costs, the community in Washington Heights has had members of the Mizrachi and other Zionist groups over the years. They just weren't allowed to post Mizrachi notices on the shul board. But they certainly were part of the shul and the community. The Washington Heights community, mostly situated in an around Bennett Ave in upper Manhattan has a warmth and coziness to it. Everything is on a few blocks - the school, the mikveh, the rabbis, the beautiful shul. It's quite amazing over there. In my view, the Hirschian kehilla offers the best of the yeshiva and chassidic worlds. The comprehensive community feeling rivals that of Chassidim.