In a stunning incident that comes less than a week after the approval of Jackson Township’s deal to settle the New Jersey Attorney General’s lawsuit over anti-Orthodox Jewish discrimination, a group of Jackson residents hired a private investigator to stake out a home where Orthodox Jewish worshippers were legally holding prayers, Lakewood Alerts reported.
The disturbing scene unfolded this past Shabbos, September 2nd, at a home in the S. New Prospect area of Jackson. The private investigator – identified by Lakewood Alerts as Rich Coombs of Lemieux & Associates – sat in a vehicle outside the home for hours, snapping photos of worshippers entering and exiting the residence.
Lakewood Alerts has conclusively confirmed that the private investigator was hired by local residents, and was not employed by Jackson Township, which was accused of spying on homes where legal worshipping was taking place in the lawsuit it has just settled.
The incident is incredibly shocking, as it comes on the heels of Jackson Township settling with both the federal Justice Department and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office over similar allegations.
Additionally, this weekend’s spying is particularly troubling as it comes against the backdrop of a worrying increase in anti-Semitic attacks in New Jersey and across the country. Aside from the patently hateful act of spying on a religious gathering, this incident served only to increase fear and concerns for their safety among Jackson’s Orthodox Jewish population.
It will be interesting to see whether this revelation will spark a new investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General into anti-Orthodox Jewish hate that is clearly still rampant in Jackson Township.
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17 Responses
buy all the homes of the Gentiles an then turn and sell it to ……..I can’t believe what I am reading or hearing
Machsheifis, Did anyone force the gentile to sell their home
Company website is interesting. A CEO that boasts about his “company values”, and a salesteam that appears to be all women under the age of 30.
I wonder how much the city-I mean the citizen who of course never chatted with anyone official- paid for this nonsense.
Hashem is doing with us a tremendous Chessed. Imagine we found out about this after Yom Kippur and then we start davening to Hashem, it will require a lot of prayers to get Hashem to intervene.
Baruch Hashem we found out now, because now if we daven before Yom Kippur, it will require from us much less prayer and Hashem will help us asap because before Yom Kippur Hashem answers and helps very quickly.
This happened a couple years ago on Rosh Hashana in a suburb of Cleveland (UH). The mayor pretended to like the Jews there and even partied with a certain group at a Hachnasas Sefer Torah but then turned on the whole community when he got censured by the city council. So when he hired a PI over RH to spy on the same group above, it caused panic especially because of an attack on a community member just prior. Very poor judgment.
Have the illegals , & arabs move in . That will satisfy them !!!
It’s their job. If you don’t do crime or financial fraud, you have nothing to fear.
What does he gain from spying?
“It will be interesting to see whether this revelation will spark a new investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General into anti-Orthodox Jewish hate that is clearly still rampant in Jackson Township.”
You guys serious? What exactly is there to investigate? Nothing illegal was done, however annoying it was.
I find it strange when the Frum move into a new neighborhood some face stiff resistance, new zoning laws to make life difficult, & hostile neighbors while in other places they don’t face these problems. I wonder why……
in a free American State , one doesn’t spy, one is a citizen and it is illegal to do this…..they are exhibiting Nazi traits and more so what Christian did to jews always…Hashem , seems to be telling us something…..we must be slipping and time to cuddle up and close our doors to ‘ONLY OUR OWN’…..
Why are people replacing shuls with homes?
> Farbissen
Start with the question of whether any government member was affiliated or communicated with the group that hired the spy. That would certainly make this spying illegal. But even without that, it is not a question of just “illegal”. There are serious security concerns even when private citizens spy on other private citizens. As well, it is also a matter that such external spying suggest the serious possibility that more insidious (and illegal) forms of spying may be taking place (or planned).
Shimon Nodel re
“Why are people replacing shuls with homes?” –
I think you meant, Why are people replacing homes with shuls?
Are we so soft that we can’t walk 10 minutes to shul any more?
same thing goes on in my neighborhood in Haverstraw, NY. The local members of CUPON drive by on shabbos and yomtov and snap pics and take video. We are in golus, and we need moshiach now!!!
moisheli, Don’t you get it? Hashem will send Mashiach WHEN KLAL YISRAEL DESERVES IT!! You want Mashiach to come so there should not be anymore tragedies, so the goyim won’t plague us? Read the Rambam! You have it backwards! “According to Rambam (Hil. Taanis 1:1-3), it is a positive commandment of the Torah for every individual to cry out and search his ways at a time of national calamity, for G-d visits calamities upon Israel to inspire each Jew to repent for his misdeeds. If someone fails to recognize that tragedies occur through an act of G-d rather [than] through happenstance, he is considered cruel, because he will not be motivated to improve his behavior. As a result, G-d will beset Israel with more troubles, until all are motivated to change their ways.” You want Mashiach now? Then speak up when you see cruelty that is against the Torah especially when it’s by “frum” Jews. I have seen tzar caused to widows by so-called rabbis and people garbed like hasidim. I have witnessed a sukkah dealer in Monsey move a boundary to help his client steal land. You want Mashiach? Be careful, for if Hashem has to send Mashiach in order to administer justice you may not like it.
What a Kiddush Hashem! Non jews snapping pictures 📸 of jews davening. I am sure when they see kedusha and derech Eretz, they will vote for opening more shuls