TLS today received numerous reports of missionaries again going door to door, soliciting and annoying Frum Lakewood homeowners with their messianic material.
The missionaries were seen knocking on doors in multiple areas around town, and attempted to engage homeowners and other residents in talk about their messiah.
A similar group was in Lakewood last month too.
Though the material is subsequently dumped, residents are beginning to feel harassed.
“Enough is enough,” said one resident who was approached more than once by similar groups. “Just get the message, we’re not interested in converting.”
Another had a similar message for the uninvited guests.
“Stop trying to pull me to another faith and quit dumping your trash at my door. Instead of trying to convert others, try approaching people from your own religion. We don’t try to convert you, stop trying to convert us.”
Multiple missionary groups solicited Jewish Lakewood residents last summer and summers prior, and left DVDs and books at their doors.
[TLS-28/TLS-CCP/TLS-BA]
KPICASA_GALLERY(MisionariesLkwd#)
That’s how we feel in Jackson about people asking to sell our homes.
I will bet that it is as annoying as someone knocking on my door 3 times a week asking if I am going to sell my house.
Hopefully now Lakewood residents have a better understanding of the concerns of their Toms River neighbors who have been bombarded by Real Estate agents going door to door asking if they want to sell their houses. The best solution to this, if it does not already exist is a NO-Knock ordinance which Toms River has had for years since a women was killed by a door to door salesman.
Really ? U feel the same way when someone is offering u 100s of 1000s of dollars for ur home, more than market value, as when someone knocks on my door to give me a pamphlet about a faith I dont believe in ? Plz, thats a stretch. I understand the knocking on the door by RE agents bothers you but its not THAT bad. Have a nice day & lemme know if want to sell ur house. I’ll throw in an iPad !!
to be fair, many people in the surrounding areas ARE selling their homes to the orthodox, so I can understand why the realtors etc are knocking on their doors. Nobody is going to convert to this “religion” though…
You have issues? Print this “No Solicitors” sign (100% free) and post it.
http://www.mysecuritysign.com/No-Trespassing-Sign/No-Soliciting-Loitering/SKU-K-1151.aspx
It’s your property, give them fair warning. If they violate you have cause for further action like calling the police on trespassers.
Your concerns are all valid,
But i have a hard time seeing the comparison between these two legitimate issues.
Sacred Religious beliefs are in no way a real estate transaction !
wow, highly coincidental how the first 3 posters happen to all have commented on the same tangential issue… A far leap from missionaries, and yet look at the unlikeliness – 3 random strangers making this comparison at the same time. fascinating.
I see the connection between the missionaries and those asking people if they want to sell their homes. They’re just saying that it’s also annoying and bothersome. I can see that.
it seems to me that it bothers them tremendously to have their door knocked on and maybe we should learn from that and respect their desire to be left alone
Are you really going to go there @storm @what the? What these missionaries are offering have zero value to the people whose doors they are knocking on. Tho it may be annoying at times to have agents knocking, but you should be thankful that your home is now worth 100k more than it ever was!
Many people don’t care what money is being offered for their homes, it is their home they worked hard for. Not everyone is persuaded by money. When people are ready to move they put their home up for sale. in my opinion no one should be knocking on anyone’s door soliciting a religion or an attempt to buy your home.
I think we should have a forum once a week on TLS discussing all the issues between the Lakewood people and the neighboring communitues.
Good catch, #8. Post 1 & 2 are both at 7:11. #3 is 7:15. And the styles r the same. Ur right. Its the same guy. I hereby withdraw my offer to buy his house. G’Night.
This is why I have a camera by my front door. I get to choose whom I open my door too
Make it 4 Jackson posters tired of being annoyed by people harassing us about leaving our homes. Sending letters and k ocking on our doors. Enough is enough. Annoying is annoying no matter what the issue. You don’t want to change your religion, we don’t want to change our home.
They are a fringe group of people! They don’t represent mainstream Christians. In fact, most practicing Christians would consider them a “cult” so to speak. Also, most non-Jews including other Christians feel the same way when they knock on their doors. I don’t know any of them personally. Maybe they’re nice people, maybe they’re not Usually they are respectful and leave when people decline. However, this is a problem all over the country, not just in Lakewood. They give good Christians a bad name.
To # 8 –
I was going to say the same thing! what a coincidence that the first 3 posters said the same thing AT THE SAME EXACT TIME too!! I mean, talk about coincidence.. If I wouldn’t know better, I’d think they were all the same person.. but then again, I’m not really sure that “they” are not..
Get the point Just covert to Judaism and the reactors will stop knocking
You don’t want us to buy your home or you don’t want us to live next to you?
The realtors of Lakewood do not represent the Lakewood Community. Please do not blame an entire community for actions of a few members!
First of all I am one of the first three posters and I can guarantee that I am not related to the other 2. Second to the person that says they are paying hundreds of thousands more for our homes, that’s a joke. Have you ever heard of the term “block busting”. Look it up if you need to but I am sure you don’t.
Some faith traditions ( Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses,Fundamental Evangelical Christians) require the “spreading the “Good Word.” They are following their hearts. I like the NO SOLICITING sign idea, perhaps that would be sufficient to deter the missionaries. I don’t like this group leaving materials unsolicited on the door step, especially in a non christian home. It is rude on their part. Don’t answer the door if you don’t want to hear their message.
I was in JS hospital recently, as I was obviously frum, one of the nurses there was asking me what he can do about people knocking on his door (Jackson). His wife is so fed up and disgusted. Why do they have to be bombarded all the time with offers to buy their house?!?! They don’t want to move!
I advised him to follow his wife’s advice of putting up a sign “this house is NOT for sale” , and no, it’s not a rude thing to do. But why people have to make others feel unwelcomed in their own home they’ve lived in for years?! It’s really NOT RIGHT!
One major difference: There are many (former) Jackson residents out there who are thrilled that someone knocked on their door with an offer to buy their house. They felt as if they won the lottery selling their home for double what they thought they could get for it. admittedly this may be annoying to those who do not want to sell but its not as if the RE agents are coming totally out of left field.
What about annoying ” I like to buy your house” all the time.
Yes, this knocking on people’s doors to ask if it’s for sale is yet another Chilul Hashem perpetuated in the name of “frumkeit”. Be normal, decent citizens and stop acting as if the whole world belongs to us; it doesn’t.
saying the same thing
#27 dan-huh?! Who ever claimed anything in the name of frumkeit
FYI to all. Jackson and Toms River both have a “No Knock List” that you can sign up and solicitors aren’t allowed to knock on your house. I don’t know if Lakewood has it. It’s very easy to add yourself.
Probably if 3 people posted almost simultaneously about the parallel to ppl knocking on their doors to buy their homes, there’s a reason for it. And it needn’t be “obvious” that they’re the same person. Very likely it’s because there’s been a sharp increase in real estate knocks lately. As a religious Jew I understand them completely. It is very annoying to have random people knock on your door to solicit anything. Your faith is one. Your willingness to try any product or gadget is another. Your home is too.
When it’s your home, which in their and many other people’s case is dear to them, it’s unsettling too. If realtors are starving for more homes to sell to potential buyers, they should consider more comfortable and less offensive methods. Like advertising in Jackson/TR circulars or newspapers. Put in an ad, saying “Want to sell your home? Contact xyz realtors for fantastic service! We get you the best price and least hassle!” whatever. You want your message out there, but in a way that it’s available to potential sellers without being knocked into their lives. Good luck!!
My point is these “missionaries” aren’t just a problem in Lakewood, they’re a problem all across the country. And they’re making those who aren’t shoving their religion down others throats look bad.
Just like there are different types of christians, there are many types of jews. I spent over two years looking for a home in the Lakewood area and I never dreamed of knocking on someones door that didn’t have a for sale sign. The people doing this do not represent jewish people or Lakewood residents.
the problem with the first 3 comments is that they are blaming the “Lakewood residents” (wonder what that means) for behavior the don’t like with some RE agents.
How about this to solve the problem. If someone wants to sell their home then there would obviously be a for sale sign out front. No for sale sign, no knock. I’ve already had a friend tell me that she has posted a no soliciting notice on her door so the ” realtor” waited at the end of her driveway and approached her as she was getting in her car. This just is nothing more than pure harassment.
I don’t believe that the first three posters, myself included as the third are blaming residents of Lakewood for this behavior. We are justing making a valid point.
Also Thumbs up to The Lakewood Scoop for finally not censoring comments that are not offensive but rather only convey an opposing opinion. I feel that this creates a better understanding between the various community’s. Reading the many posts in this article made me feel better that there are many in the Lakewood Community that also do not endorse the behavior of these realtors.
Well, duh! That’s right #34. That’s what happens when some Yidden don’t behave well. The whole community gets blamed. This has gone on forever and anyone who doesn’t know this must have come from another planet. Just one more reason for Yidden to behave like mentshen. Besides for the fact that we are required to behave by the Torah. Reminder for the 9 days and beyond:WE ARE IN GOLUS. WE MUST HUMBLE OURSELVES!
Im a real estate agent and every time I see some one In Jackson or toms river outside their home i tell them they have a beutiful neighborhood I see why they chose to live here . If you ever think about moving please call me it would be my pleasure to list your home and find you a new home
The truth is people do want to sell . There was a Facebook chat how the rabbis blessed the street of glassI and white in Jackson by the current owners.
Obviously no truth to it. Just that families are growing and they need bigger homes to live in.
Real estate agent are allowed to knock on door so long as they are not on a no call or no knock list. How else are they supposed to get listings or introduce themselves .
Jackson rule for no knock makes sense . Sign up on the list and put up a sticker on your front door
toms river doesn’t seem to have the same rule they are red lining a certain group and stopping sales people real estate people and so forth from making a living .
Unless you tell the clerk the names and address of the house you would like to knock on you can’t. I didn’t see the final ordimacr in toms river but that was the preliminary ordinance they wanted to pass.
I have been under the impression for at least the past 20 years or so that Lakewood required a permit for anyone to go soliciting door to door.999I do not know if the ordinance applied to specific groups or if the ordinance was recinded at some point. So what does Lakewood Township have to say about this?
Jackson residents are increasingly becoming annoyed and frustrated by the barrage of Lakewood residents going door to door asking to sell thier homes or consistent mailings from (moderated). Residents have even gone to town Council asking for something to be done. I don’t think Jackson neighborhoods wish to have their community turned into a Frum community, and based on the comments made by these Lakewood residents going door to door that is exactly what they are trying to do. So please ask your own to be respectful as well and stop Jackson solicitations.
In summation what everyone is saying is quite simple and all are right. Real estate agents across the country are doing something to make money. They know that when they knock on doors then quite a few will sell. Some sooner and some later. Many of those who won’t and even many of those who eventually do sell will not necessarily enjoy the knock at the door at first. The reason why RE agents continue doing this though is because it works and they MAKE MONEY because many people do want to sell at some point.
These missionaries are intentionally targeting areas that they know the people are religious Jews. It is because they have an agenda to specifically take people away from the Jewish faith and they try to be deceptive in their approach. They aren’t seeing people leaving an Orthodox Jewish life to join them that justify the effort if they see any results at all. They are doing something because they believe that they are doing a religious duty to disturb Orthodox Jewish homes that the know for certain don’t want them to come. Maybe it’s like playing the lottery and they are dreaming of the huge win of getting an Orthodox Jew to become part of them.
And on top of it all, yes we all have a MISSIONARIES DO NOT KNOCK sign on our doors. It is called a mezuza which is affixed to the right doorpost. Unfortunately the missionaries look for the mezuza and purposely knock on those doors!
#36 I fail to see the the connection between the RE agents and “Lakewood residents” besides being of the same religion you
#37 you are right we are in golus and behave accordingly,but that doesn’t excuse the bigotry of some of our nieghbors
Did I miss the legislature passing a law allowing block busting?
Any reason why my posts won’t get published???
still waiting
I have a sign on my garage stating THIS PROPERTY IS NOT FOR SALE that’s been up for over 30 years across the 4 Corners Bagel. It works!