- What is the population of lakewood new jersey
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What is the population of lakewood new jerseyLakewood Township, New Jersey - Wikipedia
Lakewood population growth tops NJ, census results say
Air Force veteran, Orama was used to handling things on his own and this time would be no different. Except that it was. His neighbor of three years, David Shlezinger, had a generator and offered to let the Oramas hook it up to their fridge, which was full of meat and other foods they had bought in preparation for a large family gathering later in the week.
For Shlezinger, originally from Brooklyn, N. In a Jewish neighborhood, it would be a normal thing, but here people mostly keep to themselves. The two men are likely to be found sharing a late snack; Shlezinger will drop off some food his wife cooked, and sit and talk about work or life. Shlezinger, for his part, may ask Orama for home-repair tips or inquire about his work in the U. Air Force.
The friendship that has built up between Orama and Shlezinger is a sharp contrast to the usual stories as they relate to Orthodox Jews and their neighbors coming out of Ocean County, N. Since about , and possibly even earlier, as the Orthodox Jewish population of Lakewood has continued to multiply—half of its , residents are Orthodox Jews and the other half includes Hispanic or African-American—tensions have also been growing with their neighbors.
Residents of nearby towns, primarily non-Jewish, Caucasian middle-class families, will point to concerns about overdevelopment in Lakewood, where multiple-family dwellings have replaced single family houses and natural wooded areas; concerns about Jewish control of the township and school boards, which they believe has had a detrimental impact on both the local public school system, with significant budgetary challenges; and the aesthetics of Lakewood, which once welcomed such dignitaries as railroad magnate George Jay Gould and John D.
Rockefeller, who owned property there. They complain about the increased funding spent on busing for Orthodox Jewish children, whose Torah-observant families want to keep separate from the greater community. They also claim that Orthodox Jews who want to buy properties outside of Lakewood proper have been aggressive in their actions—banging on doors; sending fliers to residents, urging them to sell; and advertising proposed new housing developments only in Jewish publications, indicating that they for Jewish residents only.
Orthodox Jews, for their part, will point to problems getting zoning to build religious schools and synagogue in nearby towns. They note harassment and threats, both verbal and online. And just a few weeks ago, more than tires were slashed in Lakewood on Shabbat; all those cars were owned by Jews.
Once home to vast farmland, summer resorts and a quiet pace of life, the growth of Orthodox Jewish life in Lakewood began in the s, when Rabbi Aharon Kotler, one of the leading Jewish leaders of his time, started Beth Medrash Govoha, a yeshivah and Kollel center for advanced Jewish learning for men in Lakewood. Young post-high school men came to study for their rabbinate degrees.
Newly married men stayed in the Kollel to study for a few additional years, settling their young families in town and building the next generation of Orthodox Jews in Lakewood.
Jewish elementary and high schools, stores and restaurants catering to the kosher dietary needs of these young families, along with clothing boutiques and Judaica shops, encouraged even more families to come to town, pushing out the historically white, non-Jewish residents.
All of these developments helped fuel the growth of a township that had just 38, residents in to the more than , who call the township home today. While much of the growth has been centered in Lakewood, in recent years young families have been moving to adjacent towns, which is when things began to get heated. According to the ADL, Ocean County recorded 21 anti-Semitic incidents in —a number experts believe is low because of the underreporting of incidents. I have my mac 11 loaded.
Again, not a threat. Martin Luther King Jr. To be sure, Ocean County is not the only place where the outgrowth of the Orthodox Jewish community into other neighborhoods is divisive. About people attend the event. Tova Hershkovitz, a marketing guru and young mother in Toms River, is one of those leading that charge. She attends town hall meetings, participates in the Unity Project a project of the Gannett-owned Asbury Park Press and local residents to increase dialogue between communities and more.
I felt personally offended when I went to these meeting, and I was surprised by the questions and stereotypes that people had—for instance, I was surprised they thought we were all very insular and uneducated.
Though differences and problems do exist, Hershkovitz thinks the media has somewhat exaggerated the tensions.
I heard some of the negativity when I was house-hunting in Jackson. All sectors of society—elected law-enforcement officials, local leadership, community leaders, clergy—everyone needs to come together and have meaningful dialogue and denounce hate wherever it comes from. With geographic, political and social divides growing wider, high-quality reporting and informed analysis are more important than ever to keep people connected.
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Lakewood, N. Credit: Wikimedia Commons. A historic photo of Lakewood, N. Credit: Matzav. New construction in Lakewood, N.
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