"Since October 7, we knew that we can be threatened because of the thriving Jewish community here," Lakewood Mayor Raymond Coles said in an exclusive interview with Maariv. Lakewood, New Jersey is known for its large ultra-Orthodox community and a significant number of yeshivas and seminaries where students from all over the world come to study.
"I have been working for 8 years, and I always have Jews in the council," said Coles. "The work of the [Lakewood] ultra-Orthodox society in the city is amazing. They help guard the community and have an organization that assists when someone is locked out of their home, if someone has problems with their car, and the like. They even helped me and my children when we were locked out of the house. I really want to visit Israel, but only if there is something meaningful I can do there that will benefit our community."
Coles stated that there have been no significant antisemitic incidents in the Lakewood community, but there have been minor cases of antisemitism. "I work with all law enforcement agencies, the police, FBI, Homeland Security, and guards. Jews in Lakewood are an integral part of the city, and it is my duty to ensure they are safe."
Rising antisemitism in New Jersey
Duvi Honig, CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, told Maariv, "We have invested a lot of money in the community's safety, but we have been fortunate with a mayor who really cares. Despite this, there is a lot of antisemitism throughout New Jersey. Just this week, in the yearbook of a school in Brunswick, they removed the names and pictures of Jewish students studying there. According to them, it was a mistake, but we all know it was intentional."
Honig mentioned that as soon as he sent a letter to the Governor of New Jersey, he received a response within minutes that he would ensure a police investigation. "We receive many inquiries from people about cases of antisemitism and from Israelis whom people in the US are not willing to work with. I do a lot of work to try to address these cases," Honig told Maariv.