Lakewood, NJ - Vaad To Be Guided by Town Rabbis
Lakewood, NJ - The Vaad, an influential council of Orthodox Jewish leaders, will be restructured to better respond to the concerns of the township's fast-growing Orthodox community, the organization announced in a letter to Orthodox residents.
A council of rabbis is to be formed for the purpose of giving guidance to the 11-member Vaad, which issues political endorsements and takes positions on various civic matters.
"It is the intent . . . to place the Vaad under the guidance of the Ichud Rabbonim and through that to ensure that the needs of the entire Kehilla (community) are appropriately met," the letter stated.
The announcement of the Vaad's restructuring was included in a letter in which the Vaad also made its election endorsements for the municipal, House and U.S. Senate races. "We sincerely recognize that the Vaad . . . must adapt in order to better represent the needs of a growing and diverse (religious community)," the letter stated.
A council of rabbis is to be formed for the purpose of giving guidance to the 11-member Vaad, which issues political endorsements and takes positions on various civic matters.
"It is the intent . . . to place the Vaad under the guidance of the Ichud Rabbonim and through that to ensure that the needs of the entire Kehilla (community) are appropriately met," the letter stated.
The announcement of the Vaad's restructuring was included in a letter in which the Vaad also made its election endorsements for the municipal, House and U.S. Senate races. "We sincerely recognize that the Vaad . . . must adapt in order to better represent the needs of a growing and diverse (religious community)," the letter stated.
posted by VOS IZ NEIAS @ 11/07/2006 03:24:00 PM
32 Comments:
At 9:38 AM,
Anonymous said…
"It is the intent . . . to place the Vaad under the guidance of the Ichud Rabbonim and through that to ensure that the needs of the entire Kehilla (community) are appropriately met," the letter stated.
Does this mean Lakewood will be staying the same and follow whatever the "yeshiva" says or will they now understand there are more yiddin in Lakewood than "just the yeshiva."
At 9:44 AM,
Anonymous said…
I am sorry to say but this will not work. This is some cooked up idea to quickly pacify, placate, appease and cool down the heated controversy that is raging among the frum in Lakewood becasue of zoning issues, etc. etc.
Does this new or revised VAAD have a Written, I repeat, Written charter that clearly spells out what their duties, responsibilities and functions will be.
For instacne, will this VAAD convence town hall meetings once a month to listen to the public. If public hearings are not held monthly, it is a big farce.
The Asbury Park Press said this council will include between 60 and 70 religious leaders. Are you understanidng this the same way I am. Do you think any sane or civil or effective product will come out of a group of such a large number of members? THis is a whitewash to placate the frum.
After several weeks, this whole revised VAAD business will wither away and business back to usual.
If this revised VAAD is not structutred in a proper legal and formal manner, it is doomed to be ineffective.
I am sorry to have to say this, but this is how these situations arise and fall.
At 9:49 AM,
Anonymous said…
We will have to wait and see if this new Vaad is in our best interests or not. The Yeshiva's interests and the peoples's interests don't always correspond, especially since not everyone feels affiliated with the Yeshiva. It is good to be united for a cause, but, not if it works against our best interests.
At 9:56 AM,
Anonymous said…
FIRST TIME THE VAAD OPENLY SAYS THAY DID ''NOT'' REPRESENT OUR NEEDS!
THE MAYOR FEELS THE HEAT FROM THE PROTEST AND POSTPOND THE NEXT COURT AT LEAST TILL AFTER ELECTION
At 10:04 AM,
Anonymous said…
There is a NEW org. called LAKEWOOD KHILA CONCIL they did NOT endorsed MAYOR MEIR LICHTENSTEIN for township committe ONLY REB MENASHE MILLER.
At 10:06 AM,
Anonymous said…
I have one question. The VAAD has been in effect for about 10 years. (I came to yeshiva about 8 years ago and they were there when I came.)
They acknowledge in their letter that they have blown it big time on some major issues. Why am I supposed to vote for them again? I think that after 10 years, if you have not gotten the job done and instead just a few influential people in town have benefited (i.e. the buidlers, Weisberg), you get fired! Why am I supposed to think that the next term will be any different then the last 10 years.
While I respect the Rosh Yeshiva immensely, I do not understand why they keep promoting the VAAD. Do they understand how much animosity this creates in the town towards them. I think in the long rum this just hurts the yeshiva way more.
Anyway, I'm off to vote for Eggert and ther's no way I'm voting for that crook Menendez.
At 10:24 AM,
Anonymous said…
Welcome to Iran.
At 10:32 AM,
Anonymous said…
please excuse my ignorance as i am not a Lakewood resident...
How do the members of the Va'ad serve - are they elected? appointed? If either - by whom?
Thanks for the clarification.
At 10:36 AM,
Anonymous said…
In recent weeks, frustration within certain segments of the Orthodox community has bubbled to the surface. A crowd of angry Orthodox landlords gathered in protest last month outside the home of Mayor Meir Lichtenstein, who is Orthodox himself. The protesters, who described the demonstration as an unprecedented act of rebellion, argued that they're being unfairly targeted by township code enforcement officers for offenses such as overcrowding. Lichtenstein became the focal point of the landlords' anger. And last week, a group of Orthodox men in their 20s and 30s expressed their frustration with overdevelopment at a public hearing in town hall. The main targets of the men's criticism were prominent leaders and developers within the Orthodox community. Many longtime residents say such public criticism is rare.
Joe Atlas, a Vaad member and spokesman for the group, said it has become increasingly difficult for the Vaad to respond to all the various concerns of residents as Lakewood's population grows. "As much as the Vaad tries to meet the needs of everybody in the community, it cannot meet with every single person," Atlas said.
The Vaad comprises 11 Orthodox leaders. The council of rabbis will include between 60 and 70 religious leaders from Lakewood's Jewish congregations, Atlas said.
The expectation is that the rabbis will be better able to keep their fingers on the pulse of the community and bring concerns to the Vaad, Atlas said.
In its endorsement letter, the Vaad wrote, "As we see it, municipal government needs to drastically and rapidly change across the board and become much more responsive to the needs of the Kehilla (community) and Yochid (individual)."
2 endorsed
The Vaad endorsed two incumbent Orthodox committeemen seeking re-election — Meir Lichtenstein and Menashe Miller.
"We have asked Meir and Menashe to implement a forceful program of change in the way town hall is run and operates," the letter stated. "This will include some significant personnel changes and restructuring, backed by a continued aggressive advocacy for the needs of each and every individual in Lakewood. It will adjust the Quality of Life ordinance, so that it is focused solely on where it belongs, on abusive landlords."
The landlords who gathered in protest at the mayor's house have sued the township over its quality-of-life measures, arguing that the ordinances are "unconstitutionally vague."
Instead of zeroing in on bad landlords, the ordinances are enforced in a capricious manner, members of the Lakewood Landlords Association have argued.
Lichtenstein, who is seeking a second term on the Township Committee, has said if the ordinances can be improved he's open to suggestions.
Lichtenstein, a Democrat, is running with Michael Sernotti, chairman of the township's Zoning Board of Adjustment. They face Republicans Menashe Miller, an incumbent, and Hannah Havens, the former township welfare director.
As for the restructuring of the Vaad, Lichtenstein said: "The outreach the Vaad did before, and the issues that arose, were fewer because the community was smaller. I think the Vaad realizes that as the community grows they have to grow with the community."
At 10:45 AM,
Anonymous said…
Can women be elected on this 'vaad'?
At 11:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Vote for Egert
Show the world that 70- 90 % of lakewood's jews do not vote for the Vaad's candidates.
that statement by m.z. weisberg in the Asbury Park Press claiming the 70-90%, is part of the vaad's mission to steal your voice and vote, by creating the notion that anyone who voted for other candidates was not from our kehilla.
Show the silenced votes - even though he wont win, because with enough votes for egert, it will be clear they dont have the platform they claim to have.
TAKE YOUR VOTE BACK!!
At 11:07 AM,
Anonymous said…
need I mention that the APP (Asbury Park Press) is NO friend of the Jews or of anyone normal?
At 11:39 AM,
Anonymous said…
Go EGGERT!! Lets show the people in power that the VAAD does not speak for all of us. He wont win but at least we'll show how dissatisfied we are with the status quote.
At 11:43 AM,
Anonymous said…
I dont like the investors so Lichtenstein gets my vote for standing up to them. On the other hand, I aint to enamored of the VAAD either. I'm going for Lichetenstein and Eggert. This way I'll thumb my nose at the VAAD while showing my appreciation to LIchetnstein for taking on those blood sucking investors
At 12:48 PM,
Anonymous said…
Burnw said...
This development could have the potential to be a watershed event in the community of Lakewood, however, due to reasons I wish not to discuss, this concept will be just that! a concept.
9:46 AM
--------------------------------
If you did not want to discuss your reasons for doubting this will work why did you comment? To get other people to speculate on why it won't work?
Is getting other people to dish out the dirt better than doing it yourself?
Just by writing that you have reasons you don't care to discuss establishes in other people's minds that there are in fact reasons which cannot be discussed in public.
You remind me of the guy who says 'I never speak lashon harah but I let me tell you who does..............'
At 1:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
I am voting for Menashe Miller, because I personaly know of a case that he helped someone the Yeshiva was using the "system" and trying to ruin he help then against the wishes of Aron Kotler. My second vote will will be anyone but Lichtenstein, just ask anyone who dealt woth him as to why.
At 2:41 PM,
Anonymous said…
a good topic for discussion at the upcoming Agudah Convention.
"The effectiveness of a Vaad".
By the way, why is the general public not solicited to suggest topics/themes for discussion at the annual Ag convention?
At 3:36 PM,
Anonymous said…
get rid of the current Vaad members who have only their own interest in mind
first to go should be weisberg followed by aaron kotler and all other members that abused the power we gave them by filling their own pockets.
At 3:52 PM,
Anonymous said…
The VAAD endorsed Menendez and at the asame time ex-VAAD member "Ralph the mobster Zucker" gae $24,000 to Mr Menendez and his PAC's (Political Action Committee). MMMM!! I wonder what's going on here.
You can confirm the amount on the FEC website. Zucker and all his affilated companies together with his partners the Schron's add up the above mentioned amount
At 3:53 PM,
Anonymous said…
If you want to see the problems, chilul Hashem, ugliness, with Vaads and rabbis etc., see what is happening in Crown Heights. Let people choose their own rav and follow him. Utilitarian living is dangerous. The breaks in a community cannot be covered up by vaads and rabbis. It can only be rectified by honesty and lack of hipocracy.
At 4:52 PM,
Anonymous said…
Does this mean we can attend Blueclaws games without getting our kids kicked out of school?
At 5:25 PM,
Anonymous said…
lets not forget who fooled the city and everyone else when they came out as pro the stadium, the team relocating, etc., only to afterwards turn around and bleep everyone including people that invested in kosher stands there by making this bogus rule about kids being tossed from school if they attend games. O, did i mention a certain LARGE moysid in town got a chunk of property in the area for $1 over 99 years or something like that!?
At 5:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
cont....
they got the property when it passed in the same referendum. VOTE FOR THE STADIUM was all we heard. No one said Boo about the property.
5:27 PM
At 5:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
what a bunch of hogwash..
if they screwed up for the last couple of years get rid of them ...
and if they truly want to represent all segments of lakewood then let every neighborhood /development choose their own people to represent them
let the rabonnim be rabonnim and let the people decide whats good for them regarding who to vote for re: financial issues such as higher taxes .by the way the budget went up an additional 6 million dollars thanks to the corruppt vaad that last year endorsed those two goyim over a yid .thanks aron cotler for everything youve done for us simple tax paying suckers
At 5:52 PM,
Anonymous said…
first of all lets ask the mir to come to town
At 6:12 PM,
Anonymous said…
why dont we make it if you pay taxes you get a vote
if your in kollel on food stamps and medicaid and relying on the generosity of others then they get your vote
this yeshiva is so currupt from the top down
they steal money from the govt then have to paay back 1.3 mill and now are coming out and telling us who to vote for
shame on them
let them control there own builders
At 6:44 PM,
Anonymous said…
VOTE EGGERT!! If you have not gone to vote yet, GO! Send the VAAD a message.
At 8:27 PM,
Anonymous said…
the 1st time the vadd started there were about 25,000 jews in lakewood and it was still at the point that the yeshiva had control over lakewood .o.k. very nice so everyone listened 2 them .well after about 5 years when lakewood grew 2 about 50,000 people and everyone started to relize that the vadd is a bunch of garbage and a bunch of liers(i.e.the bluclaws stadium) no one has been listing 2 them anymore. we had enough of them and there are 2 many people 4 them 2 have control over the town so they finale relized hey no is listing 2 us any more we have 2 regrope and come out public that we r going 2 try 2 come out stronger..but hey lakewood vadd/people who think there in charge. ur not going 2 have the power anymore there r just 2 many people in this town that have no intrest in u bec. all u do is lie,lie,lie and lie more....hey what happend to the blueclaws stadium maybe lie 2 the township a little more u only did it 2 get the land....u people/vadd r just making up what ever u think is better 4 u but hey what about the rest of the town???? comes out that the vadd is just like the lakewood landlords .... a bunch of selfish people that would do anything 4 every last penny...yes hey b.m.g we can get u so much land 4 free just listen 2 us we know how 2 do good scams and get u land while we could screw the rest of lakewood..........well it comes out that the lakewood vadd has no more power and it will be like that 4 always. use lakewood people should come out stroing agaist them bec. hey the next thing u know another school will be getting caught by the goverment. a lakewood resident 4 the past 20 years.
At 12:58 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hey, 2:41, you said it! And before you know it another organized bunch of "leaders" will have to control the Igud which controls the Vaad which controls...has anyone read George Orwell's 1984 lately? Soon you will have cameras installed in your homes to have all your actions monitored so they may conform to the said standards/rules. That's why I'm in Brooklyn Ir Hakodesh.
At 11:39 AM,
Anonymous said…
Hey 12:58 AM
It"s nice to know that you are hiding somthing. Are you an Oveid Metoch Yerahs Hashem or Yeras Chaverim?
At 1:22 AM,
Anonymous said…
There is a concept called PRIVACY and democracy.
At 10:05 AM,
Anonymous said…
as a gentile and former resident of Lakewood, It warms my heart to see friction within the jewish community. Why it's only a matter of time before the Ultra violent faction of the Lakewood landlords takes over the town subjecting hacidic community to the blight of complete control by the Mexicans.
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