Check out this Letter sent to Louis Follman of J2 Pizza

Louis Follman received this letter this evening, and shared it exclusively with TLS. 

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18 COMMENTS

  1. Yoish.
    The “evil Ganev” strikes again.
    Seems this guy has done this to more than 1 store.
    I dont think he’s evil, just a big, big Nebach.
    Like my son told me, imagine he has no money and is really, really hungry.
    Takeh a Nebech.
    And Louie is takeh a Tzaddik.

  2. A few months ago it was Pizza Plus that got this same anonymous letter. I think one thing we can tell about this person, is that he likes pizza…
    Curious to know how both store owners are dealing with this. I don’t think it’s about the money as much as seeing that this person is able to come to terms with what he did and get the right help…

  3. Keep up the good work Reb Yid! Don’t ever let anyone discourage you from doing the right thing! I always say “ a person never has to feel stupid or embarrassed unless he is doing the wrong thing “ so you keep it up! Ppl say the wrong things sometimes like a lot of comments on the scoop but its usually Not coming from a very good place to say the least.

  4. This person seems to be a real בעל תשובה. We can all learn from him. After this letter, I would imagine all eateries in Lakewood will now start implementing new procedures. The order won’t be processed until payment has been received.

  5. rabbosai! this letter tells us many things. here are a few thoughts:

    1.) its wrong to steal
    2.) there are people who are hungry and can’t afford food.
    3.) yiddin are good people period.
    4.) this is how teshuva is done for real. not just lip service
    5.) poor people do desperate things. how about we try to get them a decent job that pays liveable wages, not chicken feed.

  6. I don’t think anyone is stealing here in lakewood stores. You go in to a pizza shop, they take your money and give you pizza. The pizza counter is next to the cash register. I doubt he’s stolen much, if anything at all. I think he’s trying to raise awareness so others won’t steal. if so, and even if not, he’s annoying. He is also requiring store owners to be mochel people for gezeila. It’s very insistent of him to push for that. And as to paying more than the bill, there is no way to do that. You hand a store owner an extra dollar cash, they count it. And give you back change. And if you pay credit card, you can’t add more to the bill. They ring up your bill and you pay the price they entered. The whole thing is full of sententious quotes and jargon about his ol, and gezeila, and mechila “bpeh malei”. Yowesers! All these fancy terms to show that he learned in yeshiva. I think this guy is a yenta rabbi who thinks that he is going to raise awareness and cleanse others of their sins. Baruch Hashem, the people here in lakewood are not shoplifters. So it would be nice for him to stop sending these inane letters, that imply that others need mechila. It’s drivel. And it’s wrong of him!

    • Very naive. There is a yetzer harah and people are nichsol. They rationalize due to a desperate situation or the stealing becomes an addiction. I have worked for one of the main grocery stores in Lakewood for over 20 years and I can tell you there are customers who were caught walking out with full shopping carts which groceries they bagged themselves in the aisles. Many have been banned from the store. Some were given weekly gift cards by the owner to pay for the groceries once he assessed their situation. And we have received many letters in the mail with cash and apologies from shoplifters apologizing that they knew it was wrong but they were desperate/embarrassed and rationalized that they would pay it back in the future. And children steal candy because they are left unattended and they can’t pass the nisayon. I’ve told many mother’s that it is not right to leave their kids alone in the candy aisle after seeing their child stuff candy in their pockets (or mouth). We received a letter with a large sum of $ from someone admitting that she stole candy on a weekly basis for over 10 years because her parents wouldn’t let her have candy and even though she knew it was wrong, she was desperate for nosh, When my friend started a ‘gemach’ on Second St, she left a shoe box in the room for people to pay as they left. I told her that she can’t do that; she doesn’t know how many people struggling financially she might be tempted, seeing a pile of cash lying there. She thought I was off the wall and being motzei shem ra on Klal Yisroel. I told her to ask a sheilah and she did. R’ Forschheimer said that she should not leave cash out like that and should buy a lock box for the customers to deposit cash. Everyone has their own yetzer harah. Baruch Hashem this person is trying to do teshuvah and even allowed the letter to be publicized to give encouragement to others. And as far as your comment about the cash register being on the counter, I can tell you that I took my family to J2 Pizza one summer and with all the balagon with the kids and an town family, we almost walked out without paying. B”H we realized it – I thought my sister-in-law paid and she thought I paid. I immediately went to the register and apologized for what happened and paid the bill. Mistakes can happen. Let’s encourage people, not put them down.

  7. To ” I find this hard to believe” and the other negative commenters here, all I can say is that not only are you wrong, but you also are doing a serious disservice to those who are trying to do serious teshuva by mocking them. LETZANA ACHAS DOCHEH MEAH TOCHACHOS The letter insinuates that the writer actually sent money along with the letter, so I find it hard to believe that someone would just send money around to storeowners just to get some press. he obviously sent it as payment for what he stole. And, as to your point that it is hard to steal from stores, or hard to pay extra, those are both not hard to do. You go to the counter and make your order and sit down to eat. You can then leave the store without paying, or pay for less than you actually ordered.(sadly, many people do this. I know this for a fact) Also, when you want to pay extra, all you have to do is tell the cashier, ” I am paying for 2 pies and a fries” when all you had are 2 slices. Many stores in town run this way and it is both easy to steal and easy to pay extra. This person seems to have true remorse and is doing the right thing. DON’T MOCK HIM. LEARN FROM HIM and rectify your own ways, be it in stealing or in other sins, as we ALL have sins! Kudos to the letter writer for doing tesuva and kudos to the store owners for being mochel him and kudos to the scoop spreading this letter so others can gain awareness. MI K’AMCHA YISROEL!

  8. The letter came with 200 dollars in it
    Also I get this more then 5 times a year usually in person
    Or with a phone call
    The point of publishing the letter is not to judge these kids & be nice to them cause at the end of the day they pull thru iyh

  9. Louie Follman is one of the most caring people out there. I’m sure that he gets goosebumps when reading letters like this. I also wouldn’t doubt that he even knew about this BF the letter. Mr Follman probably even has certain people who he knows can’t pay and helps them out.
    Louie once again we are super proud of you but completely NOT SURPRISED!
    Keep being you – if more yidden were like this the world would be a much BETTER place!!!!!!!!

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