Letter: A Rebuttal

A recent opinion entitled “Should Lakewood Support Murphy” asks some very valid questions and makes some clear points.

Firstly, questioning the Governor’s intentions behind the “Hands off Approach” during covid that allowed our yeshivas, schools and shuls to remain open when our brethren across the Hudson suffered terribly from “draconian rules”. That perhaps the Governor was doing it just to keep his constituents happy so that they vote for him. Agreed! The Governor was doing what his constituents needed (and probably wouldn’t mind the votes either). The Basic Premise of Hakoras Hatov teaches us that we should be grateful for this. It is also important for this Governor as well as future Governors to know that we are grateful when they take an action that fills our needs and they we are not shy to show that gratefulness.

Another well made point, is that a pillar of our community is currently senselessly hounded by the Justice department. Another reason to show the Governor that we do and will appreciate when he takes bold steps to recognize the desires of our community. Hopefully the new Attorney General will understand that this is an extremely important issue to us.

Route 9 is an issue that has been plaguing us and is only getting worse. The good news is, that this Governor’s administration has informed the communities in Lakewood and Toms River that work on improving Route 9 will begin in 2022. Many property owners along Route 9 have already signed the necessary contracts with the State to sell strips of their property for these much needed improvements. Thank you Governor Murphy.

The School funding Formula is another sore topic. Our community saves the State millions of dollars a year by having our children in private schools and yet our taxes continue to fund public schools. This is a complicated formula that needs a long term correction via a Judicial (court system) fix or needs a legislative fix (Assembly/Senate) that would require the majority of both legislative bodies to vote for it. The Executive Branch (Governor’s Office) has worked with the Department Of Education every year since Governor Murphy is in office to make sure that millions of dollars make their way to our education system to help both Public and Private schools – we should thank him and encourage this to continue until the more permanent fix is resolved.

It does not feel like Governor Murphy takes our votes for granted at all!

Back to the original question “Should Lakewood Support Murphy”? A resounding YES! Let’s show our Hakoras Hatov and that we are a grateful community that will appreciate a great working relationship during the next term!

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33 COMMENTS

  1. I am concerned that Murphy will mandate COVID shots for all students aged 5 and up. How can we stop that? Only by voting for the Republican candidate. Many Lakewood Rabbonim say shov v’al taaseh on the vaccines. Murphy won’t let our kids go to Yeshiva without it. He refuses to recognize natural immunity! I’m not voting for Murphy!

    • and do you want to give hakaras hatov to someone who killed thousands of elderly ppl by dumping covid positive patients into nursing homes????????

    • you might not be voting for Murphy but half of Lakewood doesn’t vote at all and that’s the problem. everyone has such good ideas and gets very heated up in discussion and then comes voting time- and half the town could NOT CARE LESS! my goodness, GO VOTE!

  2. With your logic, then you should have voted for trump! With the amount of good he did for us it’s obvious that you vote for him!
    With your opinion, by next year we will have vaccine mandates mark mandates crazy high taxes, a huge surge of dangerous illegal immigrants and shutdowns every time a new wave hits. You want to be like sans Francisco where they don’t have electricity at random points of the day because it’s bad for the environment! It’s madness! We have a crazy amount of Thayer already. We don’t need democrats anymore! Hashem should save up from ignorant ppl like you! You will pay for this dearly if he wins like everyone is realizing now with Biden. He’s a corrupt politician that gets money from Soros backed ppl.
    It’s a dangerous time now and we need mashiach. Don’t make it worse.
    And by the way it could be he’s leaving us alone now but with a Republican we will not have a possibility of having I single shutdown or mandate. With Murphy he can go back on his word because he then has full control to do what he likes which means more power and government involved.

    • Whats wrong with saying vote Trump & Muprhy? We are issues based.
      We may a vaccine mandate but as they did with our mosdos and shuls, they won’t enforce it when its a community wide opinion. They get it and are respectful. They have not shut us down in the past for new waves so why would we assume that in the future he will shut us down?
      I think we actually need illegal immigrants. Firstly, I need my goyta. Don’t you? Do you like paying higher prices in the grocery store? We have a labor shortage. These immigrants do jobs that you & I would not do. Our stores need more workers.
      By the way, the last republican governor arrested tons of yungerlit for silly pent up fraud charges that were almost non existent. He wasn’t so nice to our community. I am not ant republican but don’t be so sure that things are rosy the other way.

    • I wouldn’t worry about Murphy mandates and closures. His record shows that he takes our community’s needs into account despite covid.
      Re Immigrants, we have a labor shortage now. Our stores need more not less workers. I actually welcome immigrants that will help bring down prices and improve service.
      Who has cracked down on rise up ocean county and all the other anti semtism across NJ? That was Murphy.
      Christie did much worse than just not dropping the case against a community askan. He went after us and shamed lots of yungerlit with small piety crimes on programs. Who says a republican’s is better
      Yidden are not one party loyalists. Vote Trump & Murphy

  3. Are you nuts? I teach in a public school. Word out is that the day after Murphy is reelected he will mandate vaccines for all students, including the new one for children 5-12 years of age.
    Also common knowledge is that he’s holding off on passing the same mandate as NY which is proof of vaccination (cards) for indoor venues all over the state.

    You’ve got to be kidding about hakoras hatov. What exactly has he done to help Rabbi Eisemann? Nothing.
    How many grandparents did he send to nursing homes to die during COVID? 7,000+

    All this, in addition to supporting Critical Race Theory in school curriculums and creating the lowest moral standards in any state besides California. Ugh.

    • I pay taxes and even got a $500 rebate this summer.
      Please tell me one tax that rose. I guess if I am a millionare it rose but I am not a millonare

  4. A Yid,
    First you make up stories to all the rabbis that isn’t true that the vaccine has problems. Now you make up stories that the governor is going to mandate some thing that he said he would not mandate. This governor has had an open ear to our community. That is a fact and no one can dispute it. (Beside people that like to dispute the facts, but YOU can not dispute their fantasies)

  5. I am not quite sure how “a hands off” approach, that allowed our Yeshivas and Shuls remain open, was a favor and something we should celebrate. I know too many Yesomim and Almanos that are not sharing in your celebration today.

    • Partly true about shuls at least not even limiting it. Weddings even more so.
      But not about yeshivas which were not big spreaders. The little spread it did do doesn’t outwiegh all the torah and yiddishkiet that would have been affected let alone kinds mental health. Yes its worth the elevated risk and yes the torah would say stay open.
      I also don’t think closing long term would have helped that much. Covid hits everyone and you can’t hide from it. This is especially true in the frum community where social interaction is essential and we can’t soicl distance. Even if you close and then open and then play that shpiel it will hit us anyhow. Maybe it works if you really just stay locked up for 2 years. But frum jews can’t do that.

  6. I WILL NOT vote for murphy because he dosnt care about the middle class. We make 156k w yr with tutuions and sky high taxes and prices galore we are struggling. A few months back Murphy gave a state stimulus for the “middle class”. The cut off point was 150k. So does he call me upper class?!?!?! When i stand in the grocery store deciding wether the chicken js too expensive to buy?!?! I dont need his 500$ stimulus. But he clearly dosnt understand what middle class is. And! The low class is thrown food stamps medicaid etc etc etc and stimulus checks of 500$. BUT THE WORKING MIDDLE CLASS who are struggling soooo bad and dont get a dime for free, those he dosnt care about. NO VOTE FOR MURPHY NO VOTE FOR DEMOCRATES. Ever.

  7. Murphy is pro killing tiny babies in their mother’s womb.

    Murphy is anti-capital punishment. He doesn’t like to kill murderers, only innocent babies.

    Murphy is pro same sex “marriages”. They should be recognized as marriages even though it is NOT a marriage and it destroys the underlying moral fabric of this country – whatever little bit remains.

    Is Murphy a good choice for a Torah Jew or for any decent human being for that matter (despite whatever monetary issues)?

    No.

  8. Why are u only saying one side? Why are u hoping for Rabbi Eisman when u know Murphy can and should have stopped the issue a long time ago. In fact it never should have begun. The news reports are having a blast,at our expense. Murphy needs to go. Time to vote for someone els.

  9. Another reason we should vote for Murphy is this ad saying that Murphy with a smile. It makes it sound like a smile is worthless. It belittles the great power of a smile. As Chazal teach us we must be Mekabeil Kol Adam Biseiver Panim Yafos.

  10. It is asur to vote for someone who intiated teaching alternate lifestyles to CHILDREN! Thats what my Rebbi zl holds.Hashem will take care of us. We have to make a kiddish hashem by voting for what hashem wants.

  11. When voting in local elections don’t get caught up in Republican,Democrat,Liberal ,Conservative

    Vote for people who have proven compassion towards our community

    How good was Christie? zero compassion

    Removing Corzine was a mistake for our city

    Be pragmatic

    Remember a politician’s job is to be a politician not the pope

  12. David-
    He doesn’t care about the poor. He cares about taking money from other people to give to people who fit whatever reason don’t have as much money. That’s called stealing. If I want to give charity, it should be on my own account.
    The Democrats do this to gain votes and to make people reliant on them.

  13. To Chacham: since you asked, I lost 2 close friends after Shavuos (I assume I am a bit older than you) and one very close friend recovered after a Shinuy Shem, the doctors did not think he would make it. There were a number of neighbors who lost their parents, again, all after Shavuos. As to those that ask “are you questioning Daas Torah” that is probably a much longer reply not suited for this forum, however, the short answer is that there was not and is not one point of view of the Rabbanim/Gedolim on this issue. I spoke to many Poskim here in Lakewood and beyond who felt that they lost control of the issue so stopped issuing Psak on it. I don’t think that constitutes “Daas Torah”. To the point that as Frum Jews, we need to take risks, you may be right, however to the people who R”L lost their lives, their families likely have a strong opinion on it too.

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