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August 21, 2020

Lakewood residents literally roll up sleeves to fight coronavirus with plasma

  First published in the Asbury Park Press on August 12, 2020. LAKEWOOD – Shmaray Keilson couldn’t pass on the opportunity to once again go to the front line in the fight against COVID-19. The 36-year-old township resident is a survivor of the disease and back in April joined hundreds of plasma donors taking up chairs in […]

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April 3, 2020

Coronavirus: An open letter to the Lakewood community | Rotberg

  First published in the Asbury Park Press on April 3, 2020. As a resident and rabbi in beautiful Toms River, I would like to share a few thoughts to my friends in Lakewood. As someone who was born in Paul Kimball Hospital in Lakewood and spent the first 38 years of my life there, […]

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April 3, 2020

Coronavirus in Lakewood: the pandemic has ‘changed the way we live and celebrate’

  First published in the Asbury Park Press on April 1, 2020. LAKEWOOD – After seeing and hearing all the negativity targeting Lakewood in this novel coronavirus pandemic, a Howell man decided to take a drive and see for himself.  The video travelogue that 28-year-old Boruch Perlowitz created reveals a township that is ostensibly on lock down, its […]

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April 1, 2020

Coronavirus in Lakewood: A Facebook Live chat with Rabbi Aaron Kotler

  First published in the Asbury Park Press on March 31, 2020. The Asbury Park Press will host a Facebook Live chat with Rabbi Aaron Kotler on Wednesday, April 1 at 12 p.m.  Editorial page editor Randy Bergmann and Lakewood reporter Gustavo Martinez will join Rabbi Kotler for a discussion and will be taking your questions live […]

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March 19, 2020

We need STEM teachers, Orthodox schools say. $5M grant will help pay for them.

Credit: Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media For NJ.com First published in NJ.com on February 26, 2020. By Steve Strunsky The K-8 Toldos Yaakov Yosef yeshiva in Lakewood does have its own science and math teachers, officials of the K-8 school say. But, added Principal Baruch Hochman, “They’re not certified.” And therefore, Hochman said, STEM-related classes for Toldos […]

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December 17, 2019

Lakewood growth: What’s in it for all of us?

Credit: APP First published in The Asbury Park Press on December 16, 2019. Lakewood Neighbors is appreciative of the APP’s Unity Project, with this article being a perfect example of how it’s building bridges in the community. Mary Jander When the horror of last week’s shooting in Jersey City was revealed as a possible anti-Semitic attack, I was […]

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November 18, 2019

N.J. Orthodox and hate crime: Be part of the solution

Credit: APP First published in The Asbury Park Press on November 17, 2019.  Hate crimes in New Jersey rose for the third straight year in 2018, according to a new report from the FBI. That should come as no surprise to anyone, certainly not anyone living in Ocean and Monmouth counties, where much of that hate has […]

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September 14, 2019

Becoming a model for neighbors

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (Religion News Service) — Like any rapidly expanding exurb, this town of 103,000 residents 1 1/2 hours south of Manhattan along the Jersey Shore has received its influx of outsiders with trepidation about the changing nature of their home turf. One thing that makes Lakewood different is that nearly half the town’s population […]

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September 7, 2019

Special Envoy discusses stopping hate

On Tuesday, September 10th, Lakewood Neighbors hosted Elan S. Carr, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at a meeting on tolerance and combatting hate. Special Envoy Carr participated in an open discussion about the challenges facing our region and his thoughts on how to prevent bias. The meeting was held at the Lakewood Municipal […]

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September 7, 2019

A evening of crafting, kindness and community

An evening of building community and kindness by bringing people together to craft. About this Event: Join us in Mancini Hall of the Toms River Library for an evening of kindness, community and crafting. Bring your family, friends and neighbors to this free community event aimed at bringing together the diverse populations of Ocean County. […]

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July 17, 2019

Letter: Thank You, Lieutenant Butterworth

Credit: The Lakewood Scoop First published in The Lakewood Scoop on July 15, 2019.  To whom it may concern: I wanted to express our gratitude and let you know that yesterday our family was the recipient of exceptional service from the Lakewood, NJ police department. Lt. Butterworth of the Lakewood police department went out of […]

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June 20, 2019

Lakewood Police Chief Greg Meyer hosts ‘Building Community Relations’ event

Credit: The Lakewood Scoop First published in The Lakewood Scoop on June 11, 2019.  Representatives from Lakewood’s Hispanic and Jewish communities came together this evening for an evening of unity, hosted by Police Chief Greg Meyer. The Hispanic community got to hear first hand how the many volunteer organizations within the Jewish community operate, and […]

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June 18, 2019

Focus on similarities, interdependence in building relationships

By Stacie Smith, associate managing director and senior mediator at the Consensus Building Institute. First published in the Asbury Park Press on June 17, 2019. As part of Lakewood Neighbors’ commitment to address the social and civic challenges facing Lakewood, my colleagues and I came to Lakewood in February with a goal of understanding as […]

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State of New Jersey State
June 13, 2019

Situation Assessment for Lakewood Region

Background Lakewood NJ is the fastest growing township in NJ, and the most populous in Ocean County. The population includes diverse constituencies – the majority is Orthodox Jewish, with a sizable Latino/Latina population, as well as other ethnic groups. Lakewood also has a significant senior citizen population, as it has been a popular retirement location. […]

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June 3, 2019

A Blueprint for Lakewood’s Future

  Since we formed in late 2017, our primary mission has been to address the social and civic challenges facing Lakewood and the region. As a continuation of that mission, we engaged the National Charrette Institute (NCI) and the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) to help form a collaborative process for fostering a shared blueprint for […]

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May 13, 2019

Armin Shimerman: From Lakewood to Star Trek

Photo: Shout! Studios Perhaps best known for his run as the space bar proprietor Quark on the series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” from 1993 to 1999, Armin Shimerman’s Lakewood childhood followed him all the way to the stars. In an interview with the Asbury Park Press, Shimerman discussed how memories of his Ocean County […]

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State of New Jersey State
April 18, 2019

Lakewood: A Leader in Charitable Giving

  Time and time again, Lakewood’s residents have demonstrated their giving spirit. Whether it’s been through gathering members of different communities to break (and bake) bread, or celebrating the hard work of local law enforcement to keep the community safe, Lakewood continues to display its key values through action. Most recently, Lakewood’s spirit of philanthropy […]

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March 18, 2019

Connecting Ocean County neighbors through challah

  It’s no secret that Ocean County is home to a diverse cross-section of cultures, working together to bridge barriers and better the community.  As an extension of this spirit of fellowship, a group of more than 100 women gathered in Toms River last week to make challah, a type of bread that serves as […]

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February 21, 2019

Inside the Charrette Process

As part of our mission to address the social and civic challenges facing Lakewood, we proudly engaged the National Charrette Institute (NCI) and the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) to help form a collaborative process that will foster a shared blueprint for Lakewood’s future. The process has two phases: an assessment that consists of interviews with […]

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February 19, 2019

This Lakewood Company is Revolutionizing the Pharmaceutical Industry

Think of the last time you visited your local pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Did you know how much it would cost before you were asked to pay for it? For most people, the answer is “no.” To address the clear lack of drug pricing transparency in the pharmaceutical industry, Ezriel Green founded EzriRx, […]

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January 4, 2019

Altruism in Action: Simcha “Sim” Shain of ParaFlight EMS and Aviation

Lakewood has produced more than its fair share of community figures that work hard for the greater good. Over the years, we’ve heard numerous accounts of volunteerism from township residents across a diverse range of backgrounds, and it’s one of the many things that make our community great. One of the good neighbors that characterize […]

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November 27, 2018

Founding Member of Lakewood Neighbors Interviewed by NJ.com

Rabbi Aaron Kotler has a lot to say about Lakewood. As a founding member of Lakewood Neighbors, the CEO of Lakewood-based Beth Medrash Gohova, and a member of the Lakewood vaad, Rabbi Kotler has played a pivotal role in fostering community-building in the township. Earlier this month, he sat down with NJ Advance Media in […]

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October 23, 2018

Lakewood Neighbors coalition engages international collaboration experts to foster community planning

Lakewood, NJ — To address Lakewood’s regional growing pains and foster a shared blueprint for its future, the Lakewood Neighbors coalition engaged the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) affiliated with MIT-Harvard, and the National Charrette Institute (NCI) affiliated with Michigan State University to provide an “Assessment and Process Design for Community Action Planning” prior to forming […]

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August 14, 2018

Celebrated LHS Graduate to Perform at the Strand

Emmy- and Tony-nominated artist William Goldstein, the world-renowned composer and pianist—a 1959 Lakewood High School graduate, and an inductee into the Lakewood High School Alumni Hall of Fame—will be performing at the Historic Strand Theater, 400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood, at 2:00pm on Sunday, October 28, 2018, to benefit the Lakewood Historical Society. Goldstein, a recording […]

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August 13, 2018

Lakewood Community Unites at Festive “Night Out Against Crime”

Cities and towns across America celebrated the 35th annual “Night Out Against Crime” on Tuesday, August 7, and the Lakewood Police Department hosted a particularly robust event. A diverse cross section of the Lakewood area community gathered at Pine Park to enjoy free rides, prizes, fireworks, shows, pizza, barbecue, live music by the Wilbur Whitman […]

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May 2, 2018

Piners Pride On and Off the Field

Big cheers for some extraordinary Lakewood students, including two LHS seniors, who received Academic All-Shore Awards. The recent honors were for the All-Shore Conference encompassing forty-three teams for football in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. It’s important to note that only two athletes could be nominated per school, but LHS had at least three more who […]

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April 25, 2018

LTC Consulting Services: Where Positive Attitudes and Actions Lead to Success

The Lakewood Blue Claws are not the only winning team in town – LTC Consulting Services also is known to hit home runs and throws strikes with pinpoint precision in its field. As LTC says on its website, “The world of healthcare financials is always changing. We’ll help you navigate the complexities.” So, when it […]

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April 18, 2018

CHEMED Awarded Highest Recognition

The Center for Health Education, Medicine and Dentistry (CHEMED), a federally qualified health care center (1771 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, NJ) has been recognized at the highest level as a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the National Council on Quality Assurance (NCQA). The NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Program, the most widely adopted evaluation program […]

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April 6, 2018

Night at the Cabaret

From Lakewood’s Hotel Heyday What was Lakewood, N.J., like in the 1960s—the era of countless hotels and star hotel musicians who made Lakewood a destination vacation resort that challenged the Catskills in appeal? Meet some of the musicians and entertainers at “A Night at the Cabaret” as Jimmy Givens, the last of the Lakewood hotel […]

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April 6, 2018

Discovering Next Generation Problem Solvers in Lakewood

Questions for Lakewood High’s Ben Lieberman Benjamin Lieberman is the coordinator for Lakewood High School’s new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) Academy. He teaches Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Engineering, and Introduction to Engineering and Design. Following the announcement of UNEX Manufacturing’s engineering scholarship, we asked him about ways the school is identifying today’s problem […]

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March 15, 2018

Walk Safely | Lakewood Safety Campaign Begins with Pedestrian Safety Cards

Lakewood—Several Lakewood Township agencies and organizations met recently to design a safety campaign for the town that will feature Pedestrian Safety Cards in English, Yiddish, and Spanish, among other safety tips. Many injuries and fatalities happen because drivers and pedestrians simply don’t see each other. Each organization will distribute the Pedestrian Safety Cards as part […]

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March 2, 2018

APP: Lakewood’s 2,500-Year-Old Party

A deafening live band — thump thump thump — provided the metronome fueling the frenetic atmosphere overnight inside synagogue Kollel Ner Avrohom, tucked behind Georgian Court University on Arbutus Drive. Take a look inside the party in the video at the top of this story. Richard Roberts, a former pharmaceutical company executive and political donor […]

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February 12, 2018

APP: “Mr. Lakewood” is Oscar Orellana

APP: On Sunday mornings, he (Orellana) coaches in a sports league for children with disabilities. On Monday nights, he helps run a literacy program for Latino families. On most Tuesday nights, he’s coaching and mentoring at the Escape Wrestling Club, a free program he started to introduce underprivileged kids to the sport that changed his […]

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February 7, 2018

APP Video: What Exactly is a “Shul?”

Many residents of Lakewood and surrounding communities have added a new word to their vocabulary—”Shul.” Yiddish in its origin, the word is a synonym for a synagogue and widely used in the Orthodox community to refer to a house of prayer and worship. Please be neighborly and watch and share this video.

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_DSC5409
December 20, 2017

Lakewood Neighbors Coalition: Facing Challenges Together

Over 50 leaders from Lakewood and across Ocean County gathered for a dinner on Wednesday night to form Lakewood Neighbors, a coalition to address the social and civic challenges facing the region and develop a shared vision for the future. They will be reaching out to concerned citizens to join them in the coalition, and […]

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November 7, 2017

8th Day: Building Bridges Through Music

Most times, a bridge that connect communities is made of steel and concrete. Other times, a bridge of music can cross community boundaries and provide a connection. That was the case this fall at Ocean County College, where the band 8th Day performed and then took part in a question-and-answer session with a diverse audience […]

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graduate
November 5, 2017

NJIT Profiles Lakewood’s Ruth Fiore as “First-Gen College Student”

For Ruth Fiore, a freshman from Lakewood, N.J., studying biomedical engineering, being a first-generation college student has presented her with a host of challenges—particularly since she is also the youngest in her family and the only one of the five children to pursue higher education. Read the full story >

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October 22, 2017

Barber never cut ties with his roots in Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Edgar Gallegos cuts hair for a living, but when it comes to giving back to his community in Ocean County — and his entrepreneurial spirit — he cuts no corners. The native of Ecuador’s background reads like an American success story, New Jersey style. He came to the U.S. with his family […]

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October 21, 2017

Infographic: CHEMED’s Language of Caring

One of Lakewood’s recent success stories is the leading-edge Center for Health Education, Medicine, & Dentistry (CHEMED). This Federally Qualified Health Center is dedicated to providing primary health care, disease prevention, health education, case management services, and social service referral to all residents. The infographic captures CHEMED’s mission of promoting health and wellness to diverse […]

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October 21, 2017

Lakewood’s Presidential Pedigree

Historical Quick Takes: The POTUS Connection LakewoodNeighbors.org connected with Stan Lipson, president of the Lakewood Historical Society and member of the Lakewood Heritage Commission, to deliver a series of historical snapshots of our hometown connection to towering figures from American history. LN: Which president had the deepest connection to Lakewood? SL: The most important president […]

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October 21, 2017

Lakewood man lends a hand in feeding Houston after Hurricane Harvey

Joseph Mutterperl lives and works in Ocean County, but when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, his heart — and culinary talents — landed in Houston. After the Category 4 storm devastated Southeast Texas, with as much as 60 inches of rain and winds up to 130 m.p.h., the owner of South Side Sandwich Shop and Smokehouse […]

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mexico1
September 26, 2017

Lakewood’s Diverse Community Rallies to Mexico’s Aid

Once again disaster struck, and once again Lakewood’s diverse community came to the aid of distant victims. Shortly after a deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake ravaged Mexico last week, Alejandra Morales of La Voz Latinos rallied a relief effort, and the heart of Lakewood responded. Soon a steady stream of supplies, including water, non-perishable food, clothes, […]

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Close-up of round yellow vegetable and green leafy vegetable
September 22, 2017

Lakewood Family Welcomes APP During Sukkot Observance

Local news website APP recently featured the Kotler family of Lakewood and their celebration of Sukkot.

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