Lakewood NJ -9 part series - Orthodox Community [View all]

[JustAnotherGen]

I thought BTA had posted about the backlash against the citizens of Lakewood NJ who are also Orthodox Jews as the result of a few individuals who did a bad bad thing. Went back a few pages and can't find it.

This is a follow up to that - 9 part series that I thought might be of interest to everyone.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/lakewood_inside_the_turmoil_in_njs_most_controvers.html


My note: Not sure how I feel about the title . . .Corruption implies wrong doing by the community at large. I disagree.


Race, religion, corruption and politics: A guide to the crisis in Lakewood

Editor's note, Part 1: Over the next nine days, NJ Advance Media will take a closer look at Lakewood, one of New Jersey's fastest-growing and most complex towns.
Lakewood is home to a huge Orthodox Jewish community and the rapid growth has engulfed the town, igniting tensions between the religious and secular societies on many levels.
Each day, we will explore some of the major issues in the community, including the welfare fraud investigation, housing problems and the strains on the education system.

Lakewood represents the convergence of almost every issue in New Jersey – race, religious freedom, discrimination, corruption, local politics, school funding, overdevelopment and transportation woes.

What makes it unique is the unprecedented growth of the town combined with the complex issues surrounding the booming Orthodox Jewish community.

While tensions have been rising in Lakewood for years, the turmoil has escalated in recent weeks with a showdown over school funding and a high-profile welfare fraud investigation.
The town thrust into the spotlight this summer with the arrest of 26 members of the Orthodox community accused of lying about their income to collect more than $2 million in public assistance.

The arrests brought renewed attention to Lakewood and highlighted what residents of the Ocean County town already know – Lakewood is changing. This once-faded resort community has become the most complex town in New Jersey.