As the saying goes "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me".
Fresh off their "landslide" victory the Vaad goes back to the same games. Oh, they plan on setting up a forum or email for the residents to interact and reach out to the Vaad members, who were unreachable until now.
Read the Vaad letter below from 2006 what they also promised to do back then.
The vaad had more than enough time to regroup refocus and truly represent the needs of the entire Lakewood tzibbur but did absolutely nothing.
See you again in 2027 with the same spin.
From 11 years ago:
As for the restructuring of the Vaad, (Meir) Lichtenstein said: “The outreach the Vaad did before, and the issues that arose, were fewer because the community was smaller. I think the Vaad realizes that as the community grows they have to grow with the community.”
LAKEWOOD — The Vaad, an influential council of Orthodox Jewish leaders, will be restructured to better respond to the concerns of the township's fast-growing Orthodox community, the organization announced in a letter to Orthodox residents.
A council of rabbis is to be formed for the purpose of giving guidance to the 11-member Vaad, which issues political endorsements and takes positions on various civic matters. "It is the intent . . . to place the Vaad under the guidance of the Ichud Rabbonim (council of rabbis) and through that to ensure that the needs of the entire Kehilla (community) are appropriately met," the letter stated. The Vaad was created by leaders at Beth Medrash Govoha, the country's largest rabbinical college and center for Talmudic studies, which has long been the magnet that's drawn Orthodox families to Lakewood. Now, however, many of the newer Orthodox residents have no connection to the yeshiva, which has injected a new dynamic into town politics, say close observers of the Lakewood scene.
"We sincerely recognize that the Vaad . . . must adapt in order to better represent the needs of a growing and diverse (religious community)," the letter stated.
Joe Atlas, a Vaad member and spokesman for the group, said it has become increasingly difficult for the Vaad to respond to all the various concerns of residents as Lakewood's population grows. "As much as the Vaad tries to meet the needs of everybody in the community, it cannot meet with every single person," Atlas said.
The Vaad comprises 11 Orthodox leaders. The council of rabbis will include between 60 and 70 religious leaders from Lakewood's Jewish congregations, Atlas said.
The expectation is that the rabbis will be better able to keep their fingers on the pulse of the community and bring concerns to the Vaad, Atlas said.
In its endorsement letter, the Vaad wrote, "As we see it, municipal government needs to drastically and rapidly change across the board and become much more responsive to the needs of the Kehilla (community) and Yochid (individual)."
The Vaad endorsed two incumbent Orthodox committeemen seeking re-election — Meir Lichtenstein and Menashe Miller.
"We have asked Meir and Menashe to implement a forceful program of change in the way town hall is run and operates," the letter stated. "This will include some significant personnel changes and restructuring, backed by a continued aggressive advocacy for the needs of each and every individual in Lakewood.
Fresh off their "landslide" victory the Vaad goes back to the same games. Oh, they plan on setting up a forum or email for the residents to interact and reach out to the Vaad members, who were unreachable until now.
Read the Vaad letter below from 2006 what they also promised to do back then.
The vaad had more than enough time to regroup refocus and truly represent the needs of the entire Lakewood tzibbur but did absolutely nothing.
See you again in 2027 with the same spin.
From 11 years ago:
As for the restructuring of the Vaad, (Meir) Lichtenstein said: “The outreach the Vaad did before, and the issues that arose, were fewer because the community was smaller. I think the Vaad realizes that as the community grows they have to grow with the community.”
LAKEWOOD — The Vaad, an influential council of Orthodox Jewish leaders, will be restructured to better respond to the concerns of the township's fast-growing Orthodox community, the organization announced in a letter to Orthodox residents.
A council of rabbis is to be formed for the purpose of giving guidance to the 11-member Vaad, which issues political endorsements and takes positions on various civic matters. "It is the intent . . . to place the Vaad under the guidance of the Ichud Rabbonim (council of rabbis) and through that to ensure that the needs of the entire Kehilla (community) are appropriately met," the letter stated. The Vaad was created by leaders at Beth Medrash Govoha, the country's largest rabbinical college and center for Talmudic studies, which has long been the magnet that's drawn Orthodox families to Lakewood. Now, however, many of the newer Orthodox residents have no connection to the yeshiva, which has injected a new dynamic into town politics, say close observers of the Lakewood scene.
"We sincerely recognize that the Vaad . . . must adapt in order to better represent the needs of a growing and diverse (religious community)," the letter stated.
Joe Atlas, a Vaad member and spokesman for the group, said it has become increasingly difficult for the Vaad to respond to all the various concerns of residents as Lakewood's population grows. "As much as the Vaad tries to meet the needs of everybody in the community, it cannot meet with every single person," Atlas said.
The Vaad comprises 11 Orthodox leaders. The council of rabbis will include between 60 and 70 religious leaders from Lakewood's Jewish congregations, Atlas said.
The expectation is that the rabbis will be better able to keep their fingers on the pulse of the community and bring concerns to the Vaad, Atlas said.
In its endorsement letter, the Vaad wrote, "As we see it, municipal government needs to drastically and rapidly change across the board and become much more responsive to the needs of the Kehilla (community) and Yochid (individual)."
The Vaad endorsed two incumbent Orthodox committeemen seeking re-election — Meir Lichtenstein and Menashe Miller.
"We have asked Meir and Menashe to implement a forceful program of change in the way town hall is run and operates," the letter stated. "This will include some significant personnel changes and restructuring, backed by a continued aggressive advocacy for the needs of each and every individual in Lakewood.