After much investigation by Yeshiva World, we would like to clarify an issue that has been raised: Last week, we published a story, courtesy of The Lakewood Shopper, about graves that have been discovered on Caranetta Drive, south of Central Avenue, in Lakewood.

Committeeman R’ Menashe Miller of Lakewood was the one who had taken a representative of The Lakewood Shopper and a few other individuals on the night of January 25 to show them the site.

Mr. Larry Simons, a resident of Lakewood and a frequent critic of the school board and Township Committee in Lakewood, was obviously not aware of this. Thus, when Committeeman Miller raised this issue at Thursday night’s Township Committee meeting in Lakewood, Mr. Simons was surprised to hear Rabbi Miller talk about the matter and how he had discovered these graves, when the issue had already been written about on Yeshiva World.

The following was written by Mr. Simons:

At last night’s town council meeting (Feb.1), Councilman Menashe Miller made an announcement regarding the below information, giving me the impression that he had made the discovery. However, I knew that this information had been circulating on the Internet for several days before his “disclosure.”  I, myself, read it on Jan. 29, leading me to personally feel that Councilman Miller’s statement was self-serving grandstanding.  Why wasn’t credit given to the source of this information? Yes, I can anticipate a response to this question-“Oh, I didn’t know about it having been published in “The Yeshiva World”. Duh!!!

Larry Simons

Mr. Simons was obviously unaware of the fact that Committeeman Miller was actually the one who went down to the Caranetta Drive site, which led to the story which was printed here on Yeshiva World. Committeeman Miller had requested from The Lakewood Shopper that his name not be used with the story until he addressed the issue publicly at the Township Committee meeting. Thus, Mr. Simons accusations are completely unfounded and his claim about Rabbi Miller’s ” self-serving grandstanding” is not only unfair but inaccurate, because Rabbi Miller had been the one who led to this story and the discovery of the graves being made public.

In fairness to Committeeman R’ Menashe Miller, a devoted and selfless servant of the public, it is imperative that the facts be made known.