Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
There’s an old joke about someone who was late to an appointment and was davening to Hashem that he should find a parking space quickly. Lo and behold a parking place opened up! Instead of thanking Hashem, he looks up and says, “Forget it. I found one on my own.” The people who, after the fact, say we didn’t need all the precautions we took back in March and April are disregarding the fact that it is precisely the strict precautions (with ony Hashem making it possible) which brought us to the place we are in right now. By disregarding precautioins now, we are in danger of a resurgence, which is happening in Israel and other states. But everyone wants to be in denial because that means they won’t have to take precautions. YWN was correct originally when lockdown was necessary and is now saying it’s not necessary any more. I don’t know if I agree with total opening up now, but certainly, now, we are in a better place and can open up slowly.
As an old time Lakewood resident I’d like to tell Baltimore, Cleveland and any other communities: “Be careful what you pray for.” We in Lakewood would always encourage friends and relatives to come live in Lakewood, but that didn’t work out very well, did it? Our old Lakewood lifestyle was ruined and we’ve just become a new Brooklyn. Maybe it would have happened anyway. Who knows? I have also heard nice things about Cleveland, but just let it grow naturally. That should be good enough and you will have more control over the values that you want to maintain.
Tzippi,the key phrase in your post is “enthusiasm for Yiddishkeit”? Why aren’t we giving this over properly? They say there is now a problem of “adults at risk”–adults who never really felt that enthsiasm and just went through the motions become at risk when they come across any adversity.Those adults will certainly not give over any love for Yiddishkeit. But what about the rest of us who hope they have strong feelings for Yiddishkeit, and most important, don’t even consider any alternatives? What are we doing wrong? Are you saying we’re pressuring the kids because we raise them to be gedolei hador? Somehow, I don’t know if that’s the answer.
Gitty, I am amazed at your intelligence and knowledge. You seem to have really thought things through before you made your decision.Of course, I beleive your conclusions are eronious, but I don’t even know what to say to convince you of that. I just know that my heart broke as I realized that you don’t even believe! My fellow Yidden, what are we doing wrong? Why have we been unable to transmit the truth and beauty of Yiddishkeit to so many of our children? Gitty and teenager and so many others that I meet in person just break my heart.
What in the world happened to the initial topic about the Lakewood elections and the growth in Lakewood? I have absolutely no idea what the last few posts are talking about-was one post left out or something? In any case they are off topic. To the moderator–anybody home?
I think Mrs. Yarok stated clearly that as the town grows, planning becomes more important. We have to resign ouselves to the fact that growth is happening. The old, small town of Lakewood is gone. That’s always how things happen, B”H, with the KA”H growth of the frum community. But it has to be done carefully. They say that Boro Park used to be beautiful. Then when I grew up there in the sixties, they started chopping down old, beautiful homes and putting in their place ugly boxes that peopls admiringly called “the new houses”. They were ugly & built shoddily.Sound familiar, Lakewooders? This continued until we have the Boro Park of today- beautiful in frumkeit but asthetically horrible and much too crowded. Flatbush, on the other hand has strict zoning laws (which our community, by the way, hates) that have kept most of the area beautiful, despite the growth. Did anyone ever hear of urban planning? That’s what we need here in Lakewood. You can’t build a huge Westgate and leave the roads in the area virtually the same. That’s only one example of growth to brilng in more property taxes and profits, but no planning for the area around it.
The Vaad are the developers and the investors! When our block tried to stop an investor from renting to lowlives, a major askan contacted a neighbor and wanted to know what we were doing. Besides for the Yeshiva, one of the reasons many of us have settled in Lakewood is for the quiet suburban lifestyle. Now people come here and bring the city lifestyle with them. I used to breathe a sigh of relief when I came back to Lakewood from a visit to N.Y. No more traffic, no more tension, is what I used to say. But now…As long as they can build another ugly, congested complex and make mo $$ from taxes, all this uncontained and unplanned for growth will continue. Build the houses without having the infrastucture to make it livable.