[Reader Submitted] On Thursday, my wife and I were walking back from Shul (Elmwood Village) with her sister and brother-in-law. Both my sister in law and brother in are ill, so the walk took a little longer than we would have liked. Along the way, we stopped at the gazebo within the Enclave gates.
After resting a while we, continued our walk to my home.
To our amazement, a police car approached to ask if we lived here. My brother in law said he didn’t, and the officer immediately told us there was a complaint filed people are walking around the Enclave that didn’t belong. At this point my wife told the police officer we in fact lived here with in the gates of the Enclave. How embarrassing is this !!!!. Oh, did I mention my brother in law and I were wearing yarmulkes. The yarmulkes would be the only thing that would make us stand out as Jews except for the fact my wife and her sister were dressed in black.
Friday afternoon, the same event happened again. I invited a friend over after services with his son and again they were stopped by the police.
I applaud the police for doing there job, I just can not believe we have residents with in the Enclave that would rather call the police then ask the person or family walking if you live or belong in the Enclave. My opinion is Jews are not welcome unless you’re driving.
Carl Fink
Anytime someone who looks like they don’t belong should walk west of route 9, you don’t hesitate to call the police. Now you know how it feels. Maybe the “community” should listen to your words here because there is a message that everyone can learn from it.
Jews are welcome just fine when they bring their $…just another example of the (albiet comfortable) golus we live in.
Unfortunately members of our community do this all the time to non Jewish people walking through an all frum neighborhood. Just shows you should think before you judge someone, they could just be using on of our neighborhoods as a short cut to get to where they have to go but because they ” look like they don’t belong” you call the police. It’s not right just because it happened to you doesn’t mean it’s someone being anti-semetic so DON’T pull that card.
And if a black or Hispanic man was walking in the neighborhood there would have been 10 calls to the police. How sad.
Now you know how it feels. I was escorted out of WestGate when I pulled in a parking lot reading a map trying to get somewhere in Jackson.
Just because someone thought that there was a trespasser, does not make it Anti Semitism.
WeLl in all those cases th people actually didn’t belong there. In this case they did! Hmmmmm
Oh please, when’s the last time a Lakewood Jew committed a violent crime? whens the last time one us broke a window? Just a couple of rabid anti Semites who are to afraid to stand up and say so, rather they cowardly call the police.
lets not judge our neighbors. we can all live in peace. There is no need to ask neighbors to move
Wow! This truly hurts… It is true; as Jews, we are quick to call the autorities whenever we see someone who “doesn’t belong”.
I will not make an excuse for this as I, too, am guilty. But to our non-Jewish neighbors, part of the “paranoia” comes from the fact that we have been a pretty much targeted group for, oh, the past two millenia. Again – I am not condoning it, just attempting to offer an explanation. A good year to all!
You do all want to know why he called it anti Semitism, because if it were a frum person calling about them THEY would have called LCSW not the Police. The Police tell us constantly to call them and not to take action on our own. I guess that we are only allowed to call the Police when we are sure the person is not Jewish. It has been written on this site that there have been Muslim men grow their beards and put on a long black guess what they look like and guess what they want to do.
Stop pulling the Anti Semitism card it gets old.
Carl, it is always so nice to see you in shul – your smile says it all!
There are many Hispanics, African Americans and Jews working in west gate. No one would be asked to leave,unless they were doing something very suspicious.
to #5. Wow! I am shocked. Lately, I have seen some non-Jews shopping in the westgate shopping center. It’s a free country. I understand it’s a development but the stores are open to the public! I don’t live there either. If someone pulls in to the parking lot unless he looks suspicious (driving drunk…) why would someone escort them out of the parking lot???? I am Jewish and shop there. Is westgate getting snobby? or is there more to the story?
I think some residents Jewish and Non Jewish are snobby..they feel that they are better than the rest of us..GOT NEWS FOR YOU..Your not..any place in Lakewood that is a public street you can be on unless its a Gated Community..those are exclusive to the residents and emergency responders..all other places are open to the public to do as they wish.To my knowledge there are not many if any Private roads in Lakewood, if there was I would know cuz I do a lot of driving in this town
wow, what nerve!
Myself being a jew, i can say this honestly: The jewish community in lakewood being so secular, have & always will be very protective of their enclave neighborhoods/communities. Which is fine, to each their own. I personally like when ethnicities preserve their culture. The world would be boring if everyone was identical & equal.
That being said, anyone who doesn’t “fit in” has been in one way or another pushed out. Even potential non-jewish property buyers are pretty much not allowed in. With all these secular rules, YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO EVEN MENTION A SINGLE WORD ABOUT SOMETHING BEING “NOT FAIR?”
If there was a report of people using a certain neighborhood as a cut through, and the report generated a lot of feedback from the local residents, the officers are not going to look at a couple of jewish people and say: “oh its just jewish people walking, they’re cool, not a big deal. but oh- there are some non-jewish people, let me go talk to them instead!”
an officer is unbiased, and will speak with everyone, jewish or not. so pull your head out of the sand; whoever told you your better than everyone else/100% innocent every-time/perfect/do no foul/etc, LIED TO YOU.
In my neighborhood: some Jewish folks decided to MAKE A CUT-THROUGH, From their backyard into my backyard (along the edge of my backyard & my neighbors) and now after months of this going on, i have dead grass and a legit path looking trail. I wont call the cops. I hung up a sign. No one listens, No one has respect. You tell me Mr. Carl Fink, what one should do so not to be presumed “Anti Semitic”? Stand armed on my property every time these people are known to trespass? Have them arrested?(i have multiple video’s of this). Or should i allow this to go on, simply because the people trespassing ARE JEWISH?
in our neighborhood there were 2 youths who didn’t live here biking through looking for trouble. Swearing at the other children for no reason and looking for bikes to steal. We called the police and they got rid of them. If you have a closed neighborhood you should definitly keep on the watch for people that don’t belong. You can call it profiling or whatever but is has worked for many years for the law enforcement community. and to mr. yellow star #8 to a gentile we look like we don’t belong (means we’re doing our job) then let them call the police. What’s the issue??? I do have an issue though when exiting the dollar store and had to listen to a person tell his spouse that the only way to slow down traffic in Lakewood is to “run over a few Jews and teach them some respect” It’s one thing not to like someone, it’s quite another to condone voilence against them.
If I see a suspicious Jew on my block who doesn’t belong, I would call the police.
And I’m as Jewish as they get.
Carl
We really enjoyed having you –
How did you get such a good seat !
See you on yom kippur
Zydco # 5 is known from his years of posting as an experienced liar. A true hater at his best.
oh would you post my previous comment already! stop censoring so much. let the people decide for themselves what they wanna take in and what they dont. LET YOUR PEOPLE HAVE A CHOICE!
….its like even adults are children still, and your the parent that wont let them see the truth in life.
Carl,
The Enclave is a private community, for residents only. Residents often alert LPD of someone that does not appear to be a resident. This is a precautionary measure, not a racist issue.
Have you discussed the issue with your Board, or at Community meetings? Perhaps if you notified security that your group was accompanied by residents, the situation would have been avoided.
Your jumped to unfounded conclusions, when in reality, the resident was concerned and LPD was doing their job. This tactic will not work, because caution is conducted in most communities for the safety of the neighborhood. This caution is extended in private communities.
Bill, when you walk around your community do you first get the ok from your board. In the future I will send our HOA board a letter advising them I am walking around.
TO # 10 REBRAMBO
History tells us that african americians have been persecuted since they came to this country by force ,when the country was still largely un inhabited by many ethnic cultures.
you want to talk about a targeted people who have suffered massive atrocities much like the jewish people have. we had our own holocaust by all accounts.
We africans have a lot in common with our jewish neighbors and we continue to be misunderstood and targeted as well.
food for thought,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
to # 22, I am in full agreement with your thoughts. I would welcome sitting down to have coffee to discuss building a relationship for the future
I am alerting the HOA board and property manager Saturday October 8th is Yom Kippur. If the weather permits I will be walking around the Enclave with a baby stroller and my family.
Mr. Hobday, thanks for the suggestion
I don’t see the big issue here.The police were called about people who don’t belong.The person who they approached indeed didn’t live there.They should of asked the police what the residential requirements are for entering The Enclave but I don’t see any antisemitism.And I’m no fan of the police.
On another note. I live in Westgate and nonjews come there all the time.A co worker of mine who lives in Jackson but uses the cleaners in Westgate Plaza thought it was odd when I asked him if he feels uncomfortable is Westgate.
sort of sounds like when ever a person of african american or hispanic decent walks through a mostly jewish neighborhood. how often do the police get calls for a “person not belonging” and its just someone walking on the sidewalk….
Mr fink. I think its just that they didn’t recognize you. Its simple. They didn’t know anyone that wears a kipa that live there. I’m sure now that they know that you wear a kipa they will not call the police. Its like if a chinese person moved into my development, I would think they don’t belong there because I had no idea that any chinese people live here. The people didnt know that any religious looking people live in the enclave. I don’t know if it is antisemitism
Fred, you might be right on your thinking. All I know is I was very embarrassed being with my family. I do believe if I was not wearing a yarmulkes or my wife dressed in black the police would not have been called.
#20 thanks but not a liar
Carl,
You are not a victim, merely because LPD asked you if you were a resident. Your reply in the affirmative ended the issue.
Private communities require that residents use their gate pass or other means when entering the community in a vehicle. Had you entered in a vehicle, this task would have been conducted. However, you and your guests walked through the gate without incident. You could have identified yourself as a resident at that time. That way, the gatehouse would have known that you were a resident.
The issue is that no one knew who you and your guests were. Had they known, I am sure that the information would have been conveyed to LPD when they entered the Enclave.
Bill, thanks for the insight but on the High Holidays I walk instead of driving to shul. My brother in law is 67 and my sister in law has 4th stage cancer looks terrible and she walked to shul also. It took us almost an hour to walk .06 10ths of a mile. We didn’t have a stroller and common sense should have prevailed. The shul is off of cross street, with two ill adult’s are you saying we should have walked around to the front entrance on Mass. ave rather then use a back back entrance which is there for all residents usage.
Does anyone know the definition of enclave? Didn’t think so. Look it up.
To: Mr. Coservative.
Thank you.
To #27 and #34, I believe the author of the letter does live in the Enclave.