Tzedakah

The word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due.

--from the website Judaism 101 (http://www.jewfaq.org/tzedakah.htm)

A lot of people are quite angry about the situation in Lakewood - but they are blaming the WRONG PEOPLE. They overgeneralize and assume it is the whole of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish community persecuting the poor.

And nothing could be further from the truth. So, consider this a crash course in Lakewood politics, and the facts that set it apart from other towns in the state of New Jersey.

According to Wikipedia, The Lakewood Vaad (Council) "is a voluntary organization of leaders and businessmen, who represent a large amount of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, New Jersey in public policy issues. Lakewood has a large Orthodox Jewish population and is home to the largest Talmudic Academy in the United States, Beth Medrash Govoha. The community maintains a large and unified voting block. The Vaad endorses candidates for office, and communicates the needs of the community to elected officials. It may also occasionally be involved in specific intercommunity affairs. The Vaad claims that it is instrumental in the unity and voting power of the community, and maintains a level of influence within Lakewood politics, commensurate with the number or residents it represents."

Sounds benign enough, doesn't it? A council of representatives chosen to represent the people?

Not exactly, if you look at who they ACTUALLY represent - and it's certainly NOT the entire Orthodox community, judging by what many of them have to say about the Vaad. The actual document posted by the Lakewood View was removed from the site, but the 50+ comments (mostly from Orthodox Jews) are very telling: http://thelakewoodview.com/local-news/read-what-our-vaad-members-have-to-sign-in-order-to-become-a-member/

And here is how the organization that community members call the "BMG (Beth Medrash Govoha) Mafia" have used their power to subdue the folks that don't support their views or underhanded tactics - up to and including the removal of dissenters' children from school. Here's what they did to an Orthodox man who ran for office against an incumbent without asking their permission:

http://dusiznies.blogspot.com/2011/09/lakewood-yeshivas-using-jewsh-children.html

According to the blogger, "the strategy was to force HH to sign at the last second, with no choice other than to leave his girls without a school. HH, however, was a step ahead having his girls already registered in out-of-Lakewood schools. A 'shliach' [legal emissary] surprisingly showed up at his door with the paper for him to sign - the night before school started, without giving him permission to touch the paper. HH told the shliach that its not within his rights to sign without his wife's consent. The shliach relented. HH took the paper into his bedroom, copied it in his fax machine (hence the line in the paper), and then told the Shliach that he cannot sign the paper."

The Lakewood Scoop is their propaganda machine disguised as a community newspaper. They not only remove and block any comments with views that do not support their own, but also blacklist the IPs of anyone who dares to disagree with or question their intolerant, separatist disinformation.

If you've ever seen The Godfather II (required viewing for us Italians), you may recall the Black Hand. Basically the Lakewood Vaad is the Black Hand of the Haredi community. They might not be using guns, but they are bullies nonetheless.

Because of their influence over the voting block, no politician will challenge them. Because of their financial sway, local business owners are mum over corrupt business practices that include the exploitation of undocumented workers. Local law enforcement carry out their orders to harass the poor without question. And the people of their community have too much to lose if they speak their minds.

So even those who wish to engage in tzedakah - helping the poor receive justice - are prevented from doing so by a handful of bullies.

And of course ALL people with a thirst for justice - Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, etc - are outraged. But I hope this will help people direct their outrage where it truly belongs.