Dear Readers,
Yesterday, I viewed one of the most vile and despicable videos I’ve ever seen,
and that is saying a lot in the age of WhatsApp, Group chats, and the like.
I viewed a video of Lakewood Police Officers arresting a Rabbi.
That’s right, you read that correctly. Men in uniform making a public arrest of a local Rabbi. Not quite a common occurrence, and jarring to say the least.
But that wasn’t the vile and despicable aspect of the video, and more about the context of the arrest in a moment.
I watched horrified, as a group of presumably members of his Kehillah, many of whom were unmasked, gathered chaotically around this group of officers, taunting and berating these men who were doing their job, enforcing the law; acting quietly, calmly, and professionally, and putting their own health in harms way to protect the very crowd who were verbally attacking them…. from themselves.
Apparently, the several thousand cases (reported and unreported), and nearly 100 Levayos in the town from this dreadful virus were not enough for them. The Lag Ba’omer fire and festivities had to go on. Had to.
This crowd, most of whom were likely born and raised in this town; a town that has been so blessed and privileged.
A town who the Frum community has virtual control over as some would say, or more than significant influence in the towns affairs, would others.
A town where Frum members of the community have served for years in the government, on school boards, planning boards, and are intimately intertwined with all major local decisions made.
The home of largest Yeshiva in the world with familiarity into the state and federal government.
A Police Chief who is literally part of the fabric of the community, and officers, who engage with its citizens, are known to our Shuls, Askanim, school leaders, and even school children, and many in between.
While not drawing ANY justification in the verbal abuse of law enforcement period, let’s put this into context: We aren’t some underprivileged or underserved community who feels threatened or victimized by the authorities and police as some minority communities across the country do. This also isn’t Meah Shearim, where there are unbridgeable ideological differences between the citizens and the government which cause tensions and mutual mistrust to boil over between the two factions.
This is Lakewood, NJ.
The home of the largest Orthodox Jewish community in the Country.
The town where the township sets up crossing guard stations, light towers, and electric billboards on Purim to make traffic flow easier and allow us to celebrate without issue or disturbance.
A town that rearranges the Public Works schedule to accommodate our own unique schedule during the year.
This is the town, that sets up extra patrols over Yomim Tovim to our neighborhoods when many are away to provide extra security and comfort, although they don’t have to.
This is the town that over the 1st day of Pesach this year, incredibly arranged patrol cars to go around neighborhoods who’d experienced a sudden power outage, announcing over the loudspeaker, the Psak of one of the towns leading Poskim on how to deal with an oven that shut off.
You will not see that anywhere in America BUT in THIS town, Lakewood, NJ.
This is the town where police coordinate on every major function, venue and event. Short notice Levaya? No problem. Major Mosad Dinner, massive distribution centers before Yom Tov? They are right there keeping everyone safe and lending a hand.
Involved in community events, crisis, coordinating with Chaveirim, LCSW, Hatzalah? You bet.
It’s also practically unheard of for an arrest to be made for disorderly conduct or other in our community. Simply unheard of. There is a remarkable unheard of cohesion between the townspeople, the township government, and our police force in all matters. Big and small.
So when these officers, who swear an oath to protect and defend, are dispatched to break up an illegal gathering, that is in direct violation of state/federal guidelines and the Governors Executive Orders, and the leader of this venue based on reporting is either non-compliant, belligerent, or even aggressive towards the officers, and they are then compelled to make an arrest, our very own townspeople and members of our very own community scream and yell at them, insulting and mocking them? Is this even possible??
I thought that would be the end and the worst of it, but then the video footage continued. The darkest and most repulsive moment was saved for the end, when the crowd, urged on by the bloviating and abominable, peanut-gallery ringleader, gathered around the patrol car and began to chant and screech some of the dirtiest, most sickening words known in our Faiths lexicon; reserved for the most evil human beings known to mankind, during the most destructive and horrific moments in our history. Gestapo. Nazi. Over and over they screamed in their faces.
10,000 thunderous bellowings of outrage do not even touch the surface of the repulsion and abhorrence of this moment. It would be diminishing and diminutive to even begin to draw lines of distinction here – Between the officers and the words and titles this group of depraved individuals DARED to utter in vain. Words cannot even put it into context.
The respect and admiration for these officers only grew when you watched them, carry-on respectfully, and with minimal aggression to a non-compliant arrestee, without commenting back to the crowd or instigating further.
But above their masked faces and sweaty brows, the streetlights that illuminated their faces, exposed their eyes to the camera, showed a dumbfounded, maybe slightly frightened, and silent befuddled expression in the officers eyes.
“Why are they doing this?”
“Is this what we deserve serving our town and protecting this community?”, they must’ve thought.
I’m sure later than night or early in the morning when they returned home to their families from the night shift and lay their heads on their pillows, the chants and slurs rang through their head over and over. Gestapo. Nazi. The less well-informed of them, perhaps had to Google one of those words, and probably lost his breath when reading about the men who carried that title and the atrocities they committed.
I just hope they also knew, and know, that this crowd was standing on its own. Alone in shameful isolation. Their actions, aggression, and repugnant, disgraceful, abominable behavior was sadly their own and there’s alone. Their repentance for this public disgrace and desecration of God’s name and our people, is between them and their Creator.
The remainder of our great town stands shoulder to shoulder with these officers and the rest of the police force, and praise you for your just and measured actions, supreme efforts, and loyal dedication in keeping our beautiful, diverse, co-existing, mutually respectful town safe, healthy, and secure.
Sincerely,
An embarrassed, but proud member of the Jewish Community.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
bottom line, lets start a massive letter campaign to send to our great police dept with ours & our kids letters & pictures, why we appreciate their great service to our community.
Maybe we should also start a campaign to raise money for them for more safety equipment etc,like hatzolah they protect & save our lives!
are you nuts frum people lost there jobs and have no money and you want to raise money for the police department????????????????????????????????????
there are many problems with this letter number one: A chllul Hashem the Rambam clearly says is doing an avaira afilu bitzina (a sin even privetly) if davining is a sin than i’m sorry. most people don’t know but there are many different oppinoins about whether to davin with a minyan because most people only read the (Jewish and non Jewish) fake news that say one side that it’s ausser to davin (but thats ok) in this rabbis shul there is all the letters from many Rabanim who say to make a minyan inside a shul. this rabbi joined with a preist are sueing the state of new jersey because legaly the governer is not allowed to ban all religose gatherings. Next problom with lakewood many of the residents forgot but we are in gulos THIS IS NOT OUR TOWN our homeland is in eretz yisroel we get allong with the law enforsement in order to help ourselfs be able to act as torah jews not to kiss up to a goy which is ausser (lo sechanam) its a big heter to make a appreciation dinner but many allowed it. another thing is that jews have two responsibility’s one is to Hashem and the other is to our fellow jew (and not to the law enforcement) if there is a jew vs. the law enforcement whether he is right or wrong Halachakly we are obligated to back the jew. only in lakewood will a jew call the police on me because i did a horrific act by chas visholom getting marreid (with Ten people by the way, only immediate family) rabbi forshimers said that the problom with making miyanim is aviah (hate) what can cause more hate than telling the police that the Jews are not listening. if you want to go with your rabbanim go ahead but don’t bother anyone else and don’t call the police on anyone thank you. (a moser is chayav misah)
ps the one who called the police on me during my wedding i’m not mochel you
Hello “anti semite”! There’s no need to be a self-hating Jew over this.
This is undiluted Loshon Hora The Sefer Chofetz Chaim says many times that names don’t have to be mentioned for it to be Loshon Hora. This letter writer is worried about ‘Ushmartem Meod Es Nafshsosechem’ The Neshomo is the Nefesh what about worrying about your Neshomo looking at WhatsApp and Social Media is terrible a big avaira and besides you a choteh umachteh es horabim with all your rechilus motzai shem rah. I am sure that the Lakewood Scoop will not show this message because it is against their philosophy this letter writer should start learning the Sefer Chofetz Chaim maybe then he will be able to do teshuva.
The chofetz chaim says l’toeles is allowed. LS has rabbonim they work with who know the sefer better than you do.
Hashem has kept us safe in america for so many years under the pretext of the constitution. Which prevents the gov. From taking away any of our religious freedoms, and rights. The other side of this story which “embarrassed but proud” failed to address is that no matter how nice and pleasant the officers of the law are they will blindly follow their superiors and their orders. Freedoms are not taken away suddenly and forcefully, they are surrendered slowly by the masses and only realized once it’s too late.
Regardless of whether anybody should be gathering in shull right now or not, every jew in america should SCREAM in protest of a forceful removal or an arrest of any person for gathering in a shull.
I’m not saying the way in which those who protested in this perticular video is the right way to do it. But to take the side of the police, no matter how nice and professional they were, in a blatant violation of our fundamental 1nd amendment right “no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof” is the wrong way to view this unfortunate situation as well.
Beautiful..thank you. A wonderful letter of truth from the heart. G-d is smiling upon you. As for others crying this should be kept quiet and not made public….how dare you! Truth above all else…G-d likes secrets??? No. Truth and love is what G-d likes.
Well written!! I saw that video and was horrified too let them go and apologize..shame
A huge thank you to the great men & women of this town, state, and country for keeping us safe and continuing to enforce the laws.
i think the letter actually clarified to at least the secular that this was only a bad apple (and its crop) in the klal otherwise it may seem as if all jews act this way. also the many in lakewood should know to stay away from this person posing as a rabbi that was put into cheirim.
they should all go and apologize for their chillul Hash-m!
All who are saying This is not lashon Hora obviously have never learnt Sefer Chofetz Chaim.
@Jorge….it is NOT LH. And LEARNT?? Lol, did you? Enlighten all of us that you deem inferior to you….Get over it….it is a sin to keep secrets. They were 100% wrong in yelling such hateful things to police officers…get over your ancient self. Those men were wrong…and you know it. Shameful.
thanks for the letter it deffinttly clarified things that ppl misinterpit esspecailly since someone mention that it was on the asberry park press which is a killer to lakewood (. i want be surpized if the rosh yeshiva beside to stop minyanim when thy where vey close with opening the acctuall building) you also have to rember that this letter can do good for us tere are many guyim that read the lakewood scoop after such a thing happens so it will make us look good!
to wack job, there are a lot of people who could afford to give a small donation or if they can”t maybe they could afford a stamp with a nice letter of gratitude to them .
i just wanna understand what gives anyone a right to decide what defines a kiddush hashem and what defines a chilull hashem?
maybe if the police say not to do a bris its a chillul hashem to defy them? a chillul hashem is worse within our circles than that,
listening to our torah is what we are commanded to do and there are many different views and opinions in judaism and in all the generations the others opinion, even if held was wrong, was always valued.
someone who has an opinion should stand up for it. for that the rabbi gets credit for not giving up his stand because of some threats and violence, just proving to what extent and truthfulness his opinion holds!!
and to the letter writer: hold your comments to yourself you most definitely didnt make the slightest of a kiddush hashem, the contrary this article is a MASSIVE chillul hashem! and full of lashon hara, whether the rabbi was right or wrong this is definitely wrong!!
Anyone who thinks that this executive order is constitutional, obviously didn’t read the bill of rights.