In about one month the Lakewood VAAD will be endorsing Senator Bob Singer in Lakewood’s township committee election. The opponent of Singer who the Lakewood VAAD doesn’t support is a man by the name of Hershel Herskowitz.
Herskowitz has been one of the more outspoken voices in Lakewood on wasteful spending and corruption. Herskowitz is also the current chair of Lakewood’s downtown committee. He has gone to great efforts to address Lakewood’s problem of illegal immigrants, reckless driving, and the amount of money that Lakewood wastes in tax dollars on the Blue Claws.
Herskowitz remains the underdog, but does have a growing following in Lakewood. If Hershel defeats Singer in spite of the Lakewood VAAD’s endorsement it won’t only signify the decline of Senator Singer’s 30 year career in politics, but also the end of the Lakewood VAAD.
The Lakewood VAAD has fallen out of favor with some members of the Lakewood community as of recent years. They failed to rally the support of the Lakewood community behind Jon Corzine in 2009. If they fail to rally the support of the community behind Senator Singer their endorsement will become virtually worthless.
(Avi Solomon – YWN Lakewood)
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15 Responses
As the high Holiday of Lakewood, “Hud She’B’Hud” nears, we should remember that welfare and free handout may be all that the residents and visitors of Lakewood really want but this way of living is chazerish and causes Chillul Hashem.
Maybe there are other jobs around besides collecting welfare, HUD Vouchers and other forms of shnoring?
I think the Lakewood Vaad lost all their credibility by the corzine election, if they endorse Singer it would almost certainly mean Herskowitz’s Victory. The people of lakewood had enough of 30 years of backroom deals and the excessive waist of our tax dollars
About time someone shakes things up in the corrupt system of “under the table deals” in Lkwd.
Go Hershel go!
Mr. Herskowitz: Where can I send my contribution to your campaign? Please post an address and how to make out the check.
Truthfully, I don’t know who to vote for yet. But I will say the following thought:
The anger that the community is showing, through the ascendancy of Herschel Herskowitz’s candidacy, is a reflection of growing citizen and tax-payer sentiment around the entire country. The Tea Party is a collection of regular normal tax-paying citizens in the greatest country in the world, who have simply had it with “tax and spend” policies of Democratic liberals, and RINO’S (Republicans In Name Only), who continue to tax us and spend the money, without regard to our vehement objections.
We simply want to be left alone. We want taxes to go down. If that means less services….. so be it!!
The country is up in arms.
So is Lakewood. We’ve had enough. STOP THE TAXES. STOP THE SPENDING.
The politicians better wake up and smell the coffee. Because there is real concern out there on the streets. NJ voted Republican, and wonder of wonders, 60% of liberal NJ supports Christie’s policies of cutting spending and taxes!! (the other 40% are on welfare)
Massachussetts, the most liberal state in the union, voted Republican.
Any politician who doesn’t realize what is happening is commiting political suicide.
An endorsement from the Vaad for Singer???? Bring it on! The people didn’t listen to the Vaad and voted for Christie, you watch what will happen this time!!
the main problem is that hh is a very flawed candidate, he is running on a campaign of fluff with zero substance besides not taking a salary. exchanging one flawed politician for another is usually unwise.
he may have good intentions but lacks the temparament to be a leader.
For starters, Hershel is very cynical, and thinks that only his way is the right way and besides which, who decided that the Vaad is going to endorse Bob Singer?
I have one question: Does Hershel speak to a Rav or Rosh Hayeshiva before making decisions? Replacing Bob Singer is a big responsibilty which needs a higher authority.
I’m a Lakewood Voter, I want to tell the Vaad right now straight up that just like I didn’t listen to them by the governors race I want this time. Go Hershel Go!
There was a time when most residents of Lakewood were graduates of the Yeshiva and therefor had allegiance to the Vaad. The demographics have shifted, and many families have no connection to the Yeshiva at all. Also, many of the graduates that have become businessmen have been alienated by the yeshiva and no longer feel allegiance to the yeshiva’s endorsements.
I wish Hershel luck. He has the good of the people at heart and hopefully the working class will vote for him in large numbers because he cares about their bottom line and lowering taxes. Its time to send the VAAD packing. They only care about sucking tax dollars.
#1 – “Maybe there are other jobs around besides collecting welfare, HUD Vouchers and other forms of shnoring?”
Maybe some people in Lakewood actually work very, very hard for a living? Maybe there are people being supported by their wives who are helping out the world with their Torah learning? Maybe there is a din of dan likaf zchus? Maybe you have no right to judge?
#6/7 – Honestly, I don’t think people really care about what HH actually stands for. They just intensly dislike the system, and therefore they will childishly vote for anyone who they see as “against the system”.
I am indeed pleasantly surprised that YWN posted this. After all, YWN is typically institutionally inclined. The Vaad’s endorsement’s usually come along with a letter from “the institution”.
Having said that, I have not yet met anyone, who is planning on voting for Singer, regardless of the Vaad’s potential endorsement. The Vaad has a serious problem indeed. Should they lose this election, the “perception” that they control the Lakewood Kehilla’s vote, will be over. After all, the last election loss was unofficially blamed on a religious issue (Toeiva marriage), whereas this election is strictly based on local issues.
A serious dilemma indeed.
HH makes me think of Ross Perot. Made a lot of noise and pumped himself up because he had a lot of $$$ to blow. When it came time to vote…
On a different note, even according to those who may think that Bob Singer did his time, I don’t think too many people think that HH has what to farkoif.
MW-13 -Why do they “intensely dislike the system”?
Could there possibly be something wrong with the Lakewood Yeshiva system? This must be the system you’re talking about because I know of no other system that has any power in Lakewood; not the Seniors, nor the African-Americans, nor the puertoricans, nor the mexicans, and definitely not the white goyim.