Since the 1940s, Lakewood has grown and blossomed from a quiet little resort town into one of the largest cities in New Jersey.
The growth, as is obvious to everyone, was due to R’ Aharon Kotler establishing Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, specifically to be away from the clamor of large metropolitan areas like New York City.
It took decades for Lakewood to really become the center of Torah life in America, but over time, and as tens of thousands learned in BMG and settled in Lakewood, it has become the center of Jewish life.
In more recent years, people from other areas also began pouring in. Places like Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and other areas with large Jewish communities began hemorrhaging frum Jews, who flocked to Lakewood seeking cheaper housing, cheaper schooling, and better infrastructure catering to frum Jewish life.
All the while, BMG was the center of the Lakewood universe. Everyone in Lakewood had some relationship to the yeshiva and much of what occurred in Lakewood was due to the policies or guidance from the roshei yeshiva and other old-time Lakewood askanim.
But that is no longer true. As the community grew by leaps and bounds, new areas arose, and now spreads out even to Jackson, Toms River, and Howell.
Many of the people who now live in the new areas have little or nothing to do with the “old” Lakewood and they have their own rabbanim, their own way of life, and are beginning to build their own frum infrastructure.
Which raises the question: is Lakewood still Lakewood? Is the Lakewood that we know gone?
Yes,the reality is, the Lakewood of old is gone and it is a “new” Lakewood now.
100%. BMG will always be the most significant landmark in town, but the area definitely has an existence independent of it.
Although the town has become more diverse, this is mostly true on a person-by-person basis. You’d be hard pressed to find a mossad or business that does something that is HIGHLY antithetical to Yeshivish values that’s done in other communities.
For example, there are no eating establishments that have TV’s and no girls schools that are significantly more lenient than others about tznius. No shuls where the majority of members don’t wear a hat. Very few, if any, people that are Zionistic and certainly no shuls that say a Mi Shebairach for Israel.
I’ve been living here for 30 years and I don’t wear a hat. Also, what’s so terrible about saying a mi shebeirach for Israel or for the army? I may have news for you, but most Sephardic shuls say a mi shebeirach for Israeli soldiers as per the psak of Rav Ovadya Yosef zt”l.
You have people that live in Lakewood or the surrounding areas and never even drove down six street. Their frumkeit and lifestyle in no way whatsoever matches with the Torah way of life. I respect these people very much, the truth of the matter is it doesn’t say anywhere that you have to have any shaychis
To BMG to live here. In the recent years thousands of Hasidim have moved into town that have no connection to the litvishe Oilam.
Good morning, did you realize this today? This has been the situation for years already and it’s been a gradual but steady process. If you can’t beat em, join them. Someone was once telling me the idea of that BMG should move to a new town that no one had heard of and there they can try to have a place like the original Lakewood was intended
Good morning, this is been to reality for years already and it’s been a steady but gradual process. If you can’t beat em join them.
Someone once told me the idea that BMG should move to a new town that no one ever heard of and there they can try to have the idea of what the original Lakewood was intended as.
About 15 years ago or maybe even more, when I made reference to “The Yeshiva” during a conversation with a new comer to Lakewood, he responded, “Which Yeshiva?” This is old news and as Joe Shmo said, it has been a gradual process for a long time. As a very old time Lakewooder I can attest together with all my contemporaries that the old Lakewood has been gone for a very long time and BMG being a center of Lakewood life is also gone. There will be the yeshiva community and there will be others. For good or for bad, that’s the reality. As for myself, I miss the unique qualities of the old Lakewood tremendously.
Sadly our town has been gone for year’s and it is a big disappointment how once what I knew growing up in Lakewood has changed in a blink of a eye I don’t even like to drive thru the town I once loved because of how the people are very careless anymore and sad that every store I once shopped in growing up is gone and how these people get away with everything including free government assistance and everything yet the People who grew up here paying taxes and everything else can’t get no type of help anywhere
Baruch Hashem Lakewood us grown to the most beautiful frum town to live in the world besides Israel.
Being a yid is able loving our fellow yid no matter we’re they come from or what they do. Lakewood Jackson Toms River Howell are building one by one beautiful community’s shul schools stores. All build to make our world more full of Kedusha and grow close to Hashem.
One person strength is another persons weakness and we learn all day the basics of yiddishkit
Love your fellow Yid (doesn’t give any exceptions)
Don’t Judge your fellow Yid until you are in his place (how many times do we need to hear or see this simple
Rule)
Look all over the world the level of Tumah hate and craziness is put of control. We are blessed by Hashem for such a beautiful place
R Aaron Kutler is looking from heaven and is so proud BMG so many beautiful bnei Torah. So many people giving outrageous amount of tzduka chesed
Don’t be fooled we are a amazing people that all have hearts of gold and value yiddishkit Torah and Hashem. Baruch Hashem Baruch Hashem
All negative thoughts and speaking bad or people are not as frum as us or dress like me or spend money differently then me all that Talk is Evil and hateful and the work of the Satan
Once we all learn to learn each and every fellow YID and respect them love them and treat them better then ourselves we will be ready for Moshiah.
Look at surf side does anyone thing because he was not as frum as me it doesn’t matter. Because she was not wearing a Shetial that it is ok she passed away. Of course not because we see so clear in those circumstances but let’s not wait for death and tragedy to realize it. Let’s start when we see our beautiful new neighbor or people in the street. Give them a warm hello a warm caring smile show was a Yid is all about
Thank you
Congrats on being appointed Rav Aharon zt”l’s spokesperson and contradicting everything he said and did during his lifetime. Also thanks for informing us that it is the “work of the Satan” to want to live in a Makom Torah (as stated in Pirkei Avos) and to want to be able to walk your neighborhood streets without seeing pritzus.
I am Sephardic. I moved to Lakewood 15 years ago and watched it explode. My Yichus is almost 2000 years old. I don’t wish to beat them nor am I required to join them. But the traffic and cliques drive me nuts.
Another point. I was born in Lakewood in 1992. While many decisions and ideas came from BMG I still never had any direct connection to them. By the time I was ready for yeshiva there were a few other options that made a better fit for me personally. In my almost 3 decades living here I’ve been in BMGs building less than 5 times.
You really do sound proud of it!
Most people here have a learning seder most woman are more tzninusdik you don’t see men dressing in shorts and wild clothes
Most men have a learning Seder no shorts or wild clothes they’re cool yeshivish or heimish Most woman dress tznistik
You don’t hear about the regular American talmidim of r Aron A lot of r shneurs favorite talmidim were very intellectual open minded American guys r k Krohn called them the Spinoza chevra
I am ok with all the diversity , but not ok to sit in traffic on account of all the people who ridiculed Lakewood for so many years and are living here now because housing is cheaper.
Good morning America
Sadly the Old Lakewood has been gone for years there is not much left to say it is anything like it should be
Old Lakewood still exists in a few blocks around Yeshivha.
There is defiantly still old lakewooders in lakewood
but if your referring to the town i grew up in where no restaurants sit down (aside r and s) were allowed! yes i repeat there were NO sit down restaurants, a low gashmiyus living style was by all such as in houses cars dress etc , The Mashgiach reb nosson zl standing fest, you dont need me to answear you if that is long long long gone. Some will tell you its so sad what happen to lakewood while others think its greatest thing in world.
only place to live secluded as a litviack is Fallsburg which is also lately getting more exposed especially in summer
as far as traffic, people are in denial it will only get worse and worse just go look what is going up in oak vine area on rt 9! look at the east end and county line light , chest nut , but its all of us to blame who sit by quietly
As an old Lakewood, I also watched Lakewood explode into the city it is now. I watched the level of ruchnius decline and the level of gashmius rise. But I also saw something that was not mentioned here yet. BMG built a few new buildings over the past 20 years or so to accommodate the demand of new bochurim who wanted to join the Yeshiva and the Lakewood community. Although this was definitely a positive thing, the new buildings also created more space in BMG. In order to fill up the space there were bochurim who accepted to BMG that did not neccesrilly have the same hashkafos that yeshiva bochurim should have. They went on to stay in Lakewood to build their own families. These guys and their families created a foundation to the many people that call Lakewood their home today. In conclusion, as much as BMG was the center of Lakewood 20 years ago, technically, it still is, as they allowed this phenomonm to occur.
R’ Malkiel recently got a ride from an out of town simcha back to Lakewood with a resident of Lakewood. When they got off the highway, the driver asked the rosh yeshiva where he was going, to which he replied, the yeshiva. The driver asked him which yeshiva, to which he replied BMG, after which the driver asked, and where is that. We have become a town, where a large percentage don’t know the significance of the yeshiva or the history of Lakewood. This is the reality of the situation, and we can embrace it or fight it, but not ignore it. And many of the newcomers are not the chasidim. There is a large element of sefardim, yeshivish, and Modern that have also made Lakewood home.
One of the most telling changes is the fact that R’Aaron chose a resort town that was far from the city, and today, Lakewood is considered “in town” and most the other Yiddish places of residence are “out of town”!
What’s the difference if it’s old Lakewood or new Lakewood.
We’re in Gallus, is it the new villna or old villna… who cares.
They’re all dead.
Same here!
Every Jew has a right to live in Lakewood.
Been leaving here for 30 years (my whole life)
I am nostalgic about the old Lakewood, but that doesn’t mean everyone shouldn’t feel welcome!!
Please come enhance our town!!
Yes there have been new people locating here who don’t quite relate to the Yeshiva or the OLD(?) Lakewood – However – we have many many people who do, and the stronger they keep their amazing values the more of an effect they make on the picture of the whole town. So please ‘OLD lakewooders – keep it up, make your children proud, and don’t ever let go of the values we got from seeing our wonderful Chashuva tzaddikim – too many to name and too scary to forget anybody, but we were zocheh to incredible figures in our community, and we should never never let go of what they instilled in us.
I love how all these “old lakewooders” talimdei r’ aron are commenting on the Lakewoodscoop.com
Some time ago my son, going to BMG, got a hitch with someone and when asked he said he was going to BMG. The driver asked him where that is. “Is it near Bagel Nosh?”
Love the comment by anonymous.
Lakewood has B”H continued to grow. So many amazing people, both learning and working. So much chesed. I would say of course it’s changed and of course it’s also stayed the same. Many of the same values are still paramount and Torah is still number one. Of course gashmius, tzniyus can be worked on, so can being less judgmental and ahavas chinam.
Lwkdresident
That story never happened.
And to Anonymous, who said!?
We should all count our blessings; not our troubles. We live in the best Jewish town in the U.S. We have over 200 shuls, so many schools, yeshivas, kosher grocery stores. We have employers who give us Erev Shabbos 1/2 day off. We get Yom Tov and Chol Hamoed off without worrying and financially planning to take unpaid days. To complain is to say to Hashem that we don’t appreciate what we have.
Everything is for the good; even the traffic…
Is America still the same anymore? Cancel culture, beating down of religion, no civil rights for law abiding citizens, catch and release of criminals, BLM movement, rise of hate groups, hate out in the open, toeiva like never before, creating another generation of dependency by giving $300 extra a week thereby encouraging unemployment, nobody is industrious or wants to work, etc. We can go on for hours. Nothing is the same anymore, old values are unfortunately dead.
I grew up and lived here for the last 30 years. This has been going on for 15 years already. I think it’s mostly a great thing, to be part of such a huge and increasingly diverse community. I always defend Lakewood when people bash it. But there are some things that I miss. It was kinda nice to be part of a smaller, quieter town. Life was slower paced, less pressure etc. All in all, I wouldn’t want to go back. I embrace the future.
To Lifelonglwoodperson: I hope “these people” that you’re refering to continue to receive all the governmental assistance that they can get, no matter how much it irks you.
In the blocks surrounding bmg it’s Still very much “Lakewood “. Life revolves around bmg and people are all running to and from yeshiva. The houses are more simple. Certainly no pools and the TR gashmuis. Even the stores on Clifton are generally more simple. Sure there is bagel nosh but it doesn’t come close to the other huge fancy stores. I know people moser nefesh still who want the yeshiva life. They stick it out in yeshiva apartments or nearby despite it being tiny and run down while just as high rent as the outskirts. They want a true Torah life. If you seek you shall find it still
B’H, I have recently moved to Lakewood, and in order for me to answer your question, “Is Lakewood still Lakewood? Is the Lakewood we know, gone?”, I would like you to tell me a little bit about this institution you call “BMG”. From the way you describe it, BMG seems like a magnificent and beautiful institution. But since I am new to this town, I must shamefully admit that I am in the dark about BMG and its history. Hence, until I am educated about all this, I can not answer your question. I am sorry that I can not shed any light on your question. Perhaps a few posts about the history of BMG would enlighten me and allow me to answer your question.
As a long ago resident of Lakewood & Rabbi Levovitz & Chazan Lieber & NCSY days of the 1960-70…. I miss that Lakewood. …. of saying mishabarach for IDF & hearing some good Israel stories from the Day School morahs & rebbeim.
With hatzlacha…
The new Lakewood is much better than the old Lakewood ; Today’s Roshei Yeshiva and I’m sure the past whom are in Gan Eden are very proud of it; BMG is bigger and better than ever, and the near thousand other Yeshivas and schools are excellent or near excellent ( 30% of the boys and 10% of the girls from the early old Lakewood Cheder are not frum today); Hatzolah is state of the art; unlike the old Lakewood where woman with master degrees were babysitters , there’s good jobs and opportunities here.
But with the New Lakewood getting the kids into a school is much more difficult ; and the New Lakewood does not provide affordable housing, one must be wealthy to buy a house in Lakewood now.
30% of boys from the Lakewood Cheder of previous years are not frum? Where on heaven’s name did you get that from?
Sorry! I think I meant to say that 00.00030% of the kids turned out to be not frum.
Someone commented about R’ Aharon Kotler and what he would have thought about Lakewood now, suggesting he would be very proud.
Whoo boy, would you be wrong. I’m not R’ Aharon’s spokesman, but I know from first hand accounts about what he thought about a gashmius-driven lifestyle. Let’s just say, if he was coming down with the Luchos, he would smash them, too.
People will argue about the issue of gashmius, but, as someone who has lived in Lakewood for over 60 years, I can tell you that the standards today are absurd compared to the early years of BMG. True, there are people struggling, but the prevailing scene is: Al Shlosha Devarim Ha’Olam Omeid: Al Hagashmius, V’al Hagashmius, V’al Hagashmius.
Since you’re asking us, I don’t know. But can you people just stay in Lakewood? Thanks.
Joshua, how about “you people”, whoever you represent stay exactly where you are living now and not move elsewhere? And can you expand that to all Americans. Everyone should stay put and never move. Thank you for your bigoted suggestion.