The Effect of High Gas Prices

By Reuvena Leah Grodnitzky, Chabad.org

With gas prices firmly entrenched at some of their highest levels in recent memory, individual citizens, companies and organizations across the socioeconomic spectrum are altering their daily lives and the way they do business.

Just ask Rabbi Yekusiel Schusterman, who moved to rural Bel Air, Md., five months ago to open Chabad-Lubavitch of Harford County. He covers an area of 500 square miles, travelling up to a half hour for every Torah class he teaches. As the price at the pump gets ever larger, so does the dent in his wallet.

In an effort to control his costs, he has decided to maximize his efficiency, and now reaches people through conference calls wherever possible.

In western Pennsylvania, Rabbi Yossi Stein can’t take that step, and is definitely feeling the pinch. As the director of the Chabad-Lubavitch Center of Greater Altoona, he covers some 40,000 miles a year by car to visit Jewish inmates at area prisons. Some institutions are as far as 100 miles away.

“The high prices don’t affect my behavior,” said Stein, “just my pocket.”

With the U.S. Energy Information Administration blaming continuing unrest in North Africa for the spike in global oil prices, relief for consumers appears to be a ways off. According to the Automobile Association of America, the current national average price for a gallon of gas stands at $3.58, 25 cents more than a month ago.

According to the EIA, the average American household will spend $700 more in gas in 2011 than 2010.

Rabbi Levi Krinsky, director of Chabad of New Hampshire, has even noticed a change in fundraising.

“I think the prices have affected the overall state of mind of people,” said Krinsky. “It makes them less willing to give, because the general cost of living is much higher. There’s an overall mentality of saving money, which directly affects the donation department. It makes us all think harder before we part with our dollar.”

Rabbi Chaim Zaklos, director of Chabad of Solano County, Calif., said he’ll do whatever it takes to make it through this rough patch.

“The cost of travel to service and give classes to everyone in different cities has jumped,” said Zaklos, who can spend upwards of an hour in the car to teach one class. “I spend $100 more a month now to be able to travel to individuals.”

Elsewhere in California, where gas prices are approaching $5, some people find themselves prioritizing car trips.

“A woman who runs some errands for me asked me how badly I needed an item, because it would cost her $8 in gas just to get it,” said Miki Hilel, co-director of Chabad of S. Luis Obispo.

Laura Olson, who lives in S. Luis Obispo, said that gas prices have even had a spiritual effect.

“I used to come over to Chabad for Torah study on Wednesday nights,” said Olson, who lives 20 minutes from the center. “But now I will have to cut it out, and figure out exactly how many times I travel over there.”

It’s a common story, said Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz, director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Idaho, who has noticed that those who live more than a half-hour away from his Boise location come less frequently. Staff at Chabad-Lubavitch centers in Maine and Newbury Park, Calif., reported that community members have started carpooling to events.

With many choosing to stay home, Chabad.org’s Jewish.TV multimedia division has seen ratings spike for its daytime and weekend live classes and replays.

“Instead of going out for lunch or going somewhere on a Sunday, many people are staying at home and apparently engrossing themselves in a good Jewish online class,” said the section’s director, Rabbi Shais Taub.

“Our programs on demand are there for those who want to choose what they want to watch. Without spending money on gas, they can find something that has a meaningful impact on their lives.”