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Are there any Halachot pertaining to a Jew living in a community with no other Jews? Is it permitted for a Jew to live in such a community? I need sources!

I'm not talking about keeping kosher and observant. I'm talking about physically living where there are no other Jews and perhaps with family that is not Jewish.

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    Ik not entirely sure I get your case, but the only one that comes to mind is they don't need an Eruv if they are literally the only Jew there
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 7:27
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    I'm a convert. My birth family isn't Jewish. There is no shul or rabbi within 120 miles of my hometown. My father is 90 and not doing well. My grandson's are growing up fast. They are 8 and 9. I MISS my children and family. I need to know if there is ANY halachot that says I can't live in a city with no Jews.
    – Adina Leah
    Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 9:25
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    This is something that you need to discuss personally with a rabbi who can help you rather than leave to strangers on the internet. May you find someone who can help.
    – sabbahillel
    Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 12:11
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    @DoubleAA but they would still need a wire around the city, which is 99.99% of the work in establishing an eruv, so it's not that helpful. They wouldn't need a kinyan from the mayor or police, but they would need permits for the wires so they still have to go through the local government.
    – Heshy
    Commented Sep 4, 2017 at 14:39
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    @heshy only if they want the whole city to be one domain (and it isn't otherwise surrounded by walls or fences or doorways). I didn't say city. Whatever domain they are in, they don't need an Eruv for it.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Sep 4, 2017 at 14:45

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It seems that halachically this isn't a problem. Chaba"d shlichim (emissaries) go to places that have no Jews and start a Chaba"d. Rav Binyamin Kamenetzki, a"h was encouraged by his father (Rav Ya'akov, a"h) to start a new Jewish community in Long Island. (My understanding from speaking to him is that there were NO Jews when he first developed his yeshiva. There were a few in a neighboring community.)

However, I think you can learn an excellent example from Kinyan Torah (Aka, 6th "chapter" of "Pirkei Avot") Mishnah 9. Rav Yose ben Kisma makes it clear that a person should live only in a place that has Torah, and should not be lured to live in any other place even if offered astounding wealth. In other words, it doesn't appear to be encouraged, if one has a choice.

On the other hand, Hillel, in Pirkei Avot 2:5 says that "In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man." I.e., that might imply that if you think you can establish a Jewish community somewhere, you should try to do so.

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  • Hillel was living in Israel. It's doubtful there is any value to starting a brand new Jewish community in the diaspora nowadays. (If there are Jews there, but no religious infrastructure, that's not a brand new community, and those Jews need that infrastructure while they are there.) Jewish communities in the diaspora will hopefully die out.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Sep 5, 2017 at 15:01

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