Inside New Jerseys Town Invaded by Orthodox Jews

Excuse me. Are you on EBT? >> You're on private property.

Shut the phone over. >> What happens here makes Minnesota look look tiny. >> Pour your heart in the morning.

>> Welcome to Lakewood, New Jersey, the most populated Jewish community in America. 140,000 people. 90% are Orthodox Jews.

Population quadrupled since the early 2000s. Families average six kids, 50% on Medicaid, and 30% live in poverty. The town is drowning in debt and locals are furious, claiming the Orthodox population is abusing the welfare system.

I drove 4 hours to investigate. It wasn't long till I was physically removed from the second largest yeshiva in the world. And my footage even hit the local news.

But I didn't stop there. I applied for welfare benefits to test the system. And I tracked down a local resident who exposed the truth everyone's been avoiding.

Stick around to the end. This is Lakewood. And here's what I found.

>> Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially arriving in Lakewood, New Jersey, the most Jewish community in America. This population has also tripled, not even doubled since the early 2000s. Right off the bat, you see a bunch of Jewish men walking around, which is very common in their culture.

I'm going to go to the yeshiva right now. This is like the biggest yeshiva in America and the second biggest in the world. This is where they go to study to become rabbis.

Just like curious Joel, the driving here is terrible. Look at this intersection. Nobody stopped and I've noticed that every guy has a flip phone.

I am now approaching the yeshiva. Right off the bat, this guy knew I was recording and this guy even waved at me. Welcome to Israel, Henry Baron Hall.

>> I don't even know if they're going to let me in. Maybe I'll ask some people if they are open to answering any questions. This man realized I was a and avoided any contact, but this woman was not breaking eye contact.

It was a little awkward. Another Jewish man on a flip phone and walking up, I was really nervous. I don't know what to expect.

I don't even know if I'm allowed to be here. But here's how it went. Right off the bat, awkward stairs and uncomfortable feeling.

So, I walked into the first room I saw. >> I'm not sure what you call this room or what they're doing. I think they just come here to study and pray.

It wasn't long until a student approached me and I started asking him questions. >> Jewish? >> No, I'm not.

No. >> Yeah. So, you guys come here like every day and just like pray and stuff?

>> We pray, we study. Yeah. >> Awesome.

So, do you guys like work too or is it just >> there are those that work and then >> Nice. Nice. What type of like a lot of support?

>> Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

I hear the driving's bad too. You guys like get in a lot of accidents here and stuff. >> Yeah.

That's what they tell whatever you hear on the news. >> So, what about like uh >> It's a lot more than just what you see on the news. >> No, 100%.

100%. That's why I'm coming to check it out. What is like your main like business that you guys work around here?

>> This is where we study actually. >> You guys study? So, you guys study like all day every day like Monday through Sunday?

Mhm. >> Wow. Okay.

And then how do you guys like support your family? Cuz I know you guys have like a lot of kids too, right? >> So now times after a few years people go to work.

>> People go to work after a few years. >> So do you >> every every job all over >> you guys like have like five plus kids like 10 kids and then how do you support those kids? Usually if you're going to be praying on >> So a lot of times I'm like a father-in-law would support.

They want their kids to >> father-in-law support. Yeah. >> Oh okay.

Gotcha. Gotcha. >> We learn which helps the person build ourselves.

>> What was that? We build ourel. >> We build yourself.

>> Try to work on oursel. >> Gotcha. Gotcha.

Cool. I was also ask you too like what do you think about like some like the zoning laws that are like um in like politics >> cuz I know like the influence from the community pushes into the zoning laws that >> the locals aren't so happy about it. So >> I I don't know.

>> You know nothing. >> Yeah. I don't follow the news.

I'm not involved in that. >> No. Gotcha.

Gotcha. You have any like recommendations places to go check out here? Maybe you go see like for me myself first time.

>> I study here. Go home. Yeah, we just enjoy life.

>> Really? Yeah. >> Anything else around here that I should check out?

Maybe like >> No. Go to DC. >> DC.

>> No politics there. Yeah. >> Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. >> Enjoy.

>> All right. Cool, man. Thank you very much.

Yeah. >> Didn't really get the answers I was looking for. Or maybe I didn't ask the questions correctly.

I was a little nervous being my first time. This is the holy Torah. They study all day.

>> How's it going? >> Great. >> You speak English, >> huh?

>> What are you interviewing for? Uh, just like journalism, like checking out the town of Lakewood. It's my first time.

>> Didn't really want to talk to me, but it's all right. I continued down the hallway exploring the building. Someone that left you.

>> Yes. I was actually looking at the restroom. >> The restroom.

Okay. The restroom. >> I'm telling you, bro.

They all looking at me like I'm crazy. But I actually did need to use the bathroom. >> This is a receiver, right?

>> Yeah. Yeah. >> Cool.

Cool. Yeah. >> It looks like it was closed.

Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah.

Yeah. >> Oh, perfect. Thank you very much.

>> Took a quick leak and I went back to exploring another prayer room. Looks like they have these all over the building where they come to pray all day every day. >> Yeah, this is all they do, they said.

So, I'm going to head to the next room and I'll show you guys around. Maybe I can get another interview. Can somebody else film me?

and uh said they walked away. But it interview >> Can I interview you? >> Can I ask you some questions about the community?

>> Are you sure? >> I'm here. >> Where you from?

Are you Were you born here? >> Got to run. >> Where you going to run to?

>> I'm going to go eat. >> Can I eat with you? I'm hungry.

Can Am I allowed to eat upstairs? >> Can I eat upstairs? Am I allowed to eat?

>> Man, I am not getting no answers in this building. Maybe it's cuz I'm recording. Um, >> don't worry.

All right, I'm not trying to disturb too much, guys. Maybe I should go check it out. I mean, there's food up there, right?

So, I'm hungry. >> Let me just go check out there's some food. It was at this moment when I saw the craziest thing.

Hundreds of Jewish students eating in the cafeteria. And it's also when I got kicked out. >> Oh, it smells delicious.

>> Wow. Holy crap. >> This is delicious.

Yes, sir. Do you know what I mean? >> I'm just documenting the uh local community.

>> Uh did you get authorization from the school? >> They said Oh, really? Oh, sorry.

They said I can come in as a guest. >> Who said it? >> Somebody outside.

One of the guys. >> Uh you have the ID on you? >> No, I don't.

>> All right. >> All right. Let me I'll get off the property, though.

>> I can't get food, though. >> I'm sorry. >> I can't get food.

>> For what? >> They said I can eat. >> Who said that?

>> What are the guys? >> You're in private property. Shut the phone off.

>> All right. Sorry about that. >> Private property.

>> Yes. >> Thank you very much. >> All right, guys.

That was my first and last time coming here. They just said that I'm not allowed to come back. I kind of expected something like that to happen, but it's all right.

>> Let's go explore the town. See what else this place has to offer. >> Listen, you got to go.

You're still on private property. Okay. You want to play games?

>> I didn't realize. I thought you meant outside the building. >> No.

>> All right. Sorry. >> Private property.

>> You want to stand on the sidewalk, you stand on the sidewalk. >> I'm leaving right now. Don't worry.

All right. They're actually kicking me off to come total part of the property. Don't worry.

I'm not causing no harm. I'm a peaceful man. Just documenting what you guys told me to come look at.

So, I'm here. >> So, everyone in there is Jewish. I was the only one that was not.

Yeah, they knew right off the bat cuz I had my phone out. I honestly don't really like filming people putting the cameras on people's faces. It's kind of uncomfortable, right?

I understand. Anyways, I'm going to go to the next spot. This is the yeshiva I just got kicked out of.

So supposedly these school buses right here are funded with the taxpayers money but actual people who live here who are not Jewish. The schools the public schools are in debt because these school buses are primarily used for private schooling which happens to be all Jewish. Even most of the buildings have Hebrew letters on them and are registered as religious facilities for tax exemptions.

This town is also known for having terrible drivers. This school bus stopped in the middle of an intersection on a green light to let out children. >> I got to stop by for gas and I just realized in New Jersey they fill your tank up for you.

40 for 89. >> 40. >> Yes, sir.

>> I will say this guy looks like he runs the auto business here. I wouldn't say they all don't work. I'm actually my first time in Lakewood.

I have a question. I was asking the locals, do you think that like the uh the Jewish community, do they work at all? >> No, >> they don't work.

>> No, one month. >> Huh? >> One W only.

>> They only work for one month out of the year. >> We I am. What does that mean?

>> New Jersey. >> I'm not going to lie, I had no clue what that guy was saying. If somebody knows, let me know.

I think he was trying to mention like a town or city close by. What I found suspicious is that if you look at this billboard, it looks like it's advertising a new development in Israel. Also, this food market keeps popping up.

So, I'm going to check it out. But first, >> I'm at the resource center. I'm going to see if I can sign up for EBT or get information.

>> Hello, sir. How's it going? >> Hey, what's up?

inquiring about the resource program you guys have like services like welfare for like people. >> Yeah. So you're a resident?

>> Yeah. >> Good. So you have ID with you?

>> Yeah. >> Okay. Very good.

I don't need it for me. I'm going to let you go up to the third floor. >> There were two police officers.

One at the main entrance and then another one when you get off the elevator. >> Hello. Just here for the uh welfare program information >> right in there.

>> All right. If you have an ID, they're probably going to ask for. >> All right.

I was going to inquire about the information you guys have to sign up for like welfare programs for food stamps >> or like for housing. >> Okay. Do you have an ID?

You can put your name and your and your >> date. Okay. What do you guys offer here?

>> Full stamps. >> That's it. Okay.

Yeah. I'll take you >> and what medicate? >> Yeah, that too.

Yeah, I need that. Yeah. >> Yo, how long does it take?

Do you know? >> Yeah. >> Oh, here 20 minutes.

>> 20 minutes. What are you applying for? >> SNAP.

>> SNAP. Is it easy to get? >> Well, to be eligible, you mean?

>> Yeah. >> Um, it depends how much your income is and the size of your family. >> Cuz I have like two kids right now and >> family.

>> Family four. Yeah. >> Yeah.

>> Is it like your first time applying or you already have it? >> No, I I did apply before we had baby then we were uneligible cuz we were ready to leave. Oh, true.

So, wait. So, when you have more kids, you you get more benefits. >> Well, you could could make more income and still be eligible.

>> Okay. >> And then also you could go I mean, whatever. First, you need to be under a certain bracket.

>> Yeah, that makes sense. >> And then after that, depending on how within the bracket is what you're going to get, >> how much the poor you are, the more you'll get. >> The less >> you got to make less than a certain amount.

>> Okay. And then after that if you just under you'll make I don't know let's say if you make I'm just giving throwing up. >> Yeah.

I got you. Yeah. >> Jersey is relatively easy that you can make more too.

>> Are you also working right now? >> What? >> Do you work too?

>> I'm on it for that. I'm already >> Oh, you're already working. >> What do you mean?

>> Like do you do you like have a business too? Cuz >> Oh, am I working? No.

No. I'm a student. >> Oh, you're a student?

Oh, true. Okay. >> My wife is working.

So, >> your wife works? Oh, nice. What does she Where does she work?

>> She works in a school. >> Oh, nice. And also >> I need some time I get to the school too, man.

Public schools are bad here. I heard you go to the um big yeshiva over there. So you go there like Monday through Friday?

>> Uh Sunday through Friday. >> Sunday through Saturday. >> Yeah.

>> Wow. >> No day off. >> Saturday.

>> Oh, Saturday. Oh yeah, you guys. Yeah.

Saturday. >> You able to use some of like stuff for like maybe new phones and stuff? >> I got to get my my kids a phone too.

You think they they would sponsor that? Like cuz I see like the flip phones a lot. Is that common?

>> I don't know. I mean, what this >> like some of the programs I cover? >> Oh, yeah.

I never heard of that. Maybe. >> I don't know.

>> All right, y'all. So, I just got my family care application for health coverage and help paying costs. >> Thank you.

>> All right. Take care. They got you hooked up.

>> Yes, sir. They were like, "Sam, cuz I put my name under Sam. " They were like, "Sam?

" I was like, "What? " And then they looked at me. He was like, "You're Sam, right?

" I'm like, "Oh yeah, I'm Sam. " Cuz I gave him a a different name. But your boy got the health care coverage and help paying cost.

All right, let's go to Foodex. It's right here. I'm at Foodex.

I'm going to go see if they accept EBT because that's all I have. >> Excuse me. Are you on EBT?

>> No. >> Excuse me. Do you all accept EBT here?

>> EBT? Yeah, EBT. >> Would you say that like most people who use it are Jewish people?

>> Yeah, >> pretty much all of them. >> Yeah. Thank you, man.

No problem. >> There you have it. You can get approved for EBT pretty easy and everyone uses it.

>> This is the first Lakewood police I've seen. Supposedly, they're also corrupt. They accept tax dollars and they work overtime for the Jewish community.

I will now be meeting with a local resident who grew up in Lakewood his entire life. We will be meeting in the neighborhood of Manchester where there's an ongoing dispute on whether or not the Jewish community can build a religious facility in a residential neighborhood. However, on my way, I've noticed a bunch of brand new buildings with Hebrew letters on them.

And he just arrived. Mr Michael, how are you? >> Nice to meet you, Santiago.

Nice to meet you. >> Yeah, he's grown up in brick his entire life. And it looks like this residential building is under construction because the whole problem right now is that this is trying to be zoned as commercial for a mitzvah.

Right. >> It's not as simple as that. Okay.

>> Right. Because they claim it's not commercial. They got they got the original permit to do a personal mikvah.

Once they got the permit for that, they just started building the overall mikvah. As you can see, they are building it as we speak. And then what and what's going on is the 29th of this month is the final hearing for the for this to be allowed to be built in Manchester.

They're working on it right now. They're claiming they're working on under the permits that they they already had, but that was for a personal mikvah. This was to put, you know, there's going to be a big parking lot over on the side.

They're claiming it's not a commercial use, but it's a commercial service for women under the guise of a 501c3 religious institution. What happens around here is if if the town says no, they sue and because of the laws, they they usually get approved. You can't put anything else up here.

You can't put a a car service up, not a hair and nail salon for women where you're going to need a parking lot. There's no other service that's allowed to that's allowed to be here. >> And the locals are fighting against it.

>> Oh yeah. On the 29th is the final one. So they had four different hearings on it already.

This is a big issue because this is this is what happens. You know, the town over Lakewood that you saw you saw today started off as something like this. the neighborhood, one of these gets gets popped up.

And what happens is it it pushes everybody else around them out because it feels like one group is getting special privilege and they take over street after street after street before you know it. It's going to be majority one one religion. >> How can we stop this?

You've had four hearings and there's no progress being made. Why do you think that's happening? >> There's powerful groups that that own both sides of politicians.

This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue. This is a issue that's my area. Bringing light to this type of stuff and getting people motivated to actually get involved in their local communities.

That's how you stop stuff like this. But it's first versus exposure, bro. >> And what I just saw on that van was looks like they're installing security systems or something.

>> The security system that they're are that they're petitioning the town as we speak to be put in. Even the glow 1209. >> The address is glowing.

They they testified to that. >> Why are you building something before it has approval? You know, it's going to be approved.

That's part of the issue. Before I made a video of this of this place, nobody in this nobody even Manchester knew that this was taking place. This is only going to service one group of people.

You have to be Jewish to to to use this facility. You're going to have one there. You go across a couple blocks, you're going to have another one over there.

You're going to have There's going to be 10 of these in the next 10 years, easy, minimum. >> And we're outside of Lakewood. We're about 20 30 minutes and they're moving out into these communities.

And I hear they're trying to offer, you know, cash prices to bid over just to move in their people because it's getting overpopulated there. Right. >> And once that community buys a house, it'll never be sold to anybody else but anybody in that community.

Lakewood's 90% one religion. >> Yeah. the whole town, the entire town.

It never used to be that way. It was very diverse. >> And how long have you been here?

>> 46 years. We've been fighting against this for years now. I'm glad people like you are starting to take notice of it because let me tell you, Lakewood and this area, what happens here makes Minnesota look look tiny.

The fraud, we call it fraud. I call it organized crime. Straight up organized crime.

The things being built before we have an approval. There's nobody else that can operate like this. And what happens is anybody that fights back against this, they're immediately called an anti-semite.

People like me don't give a This isn't about hate. This is about everybody operating the same exact way. I would not be able to build first and then ask permission later.

Yeah. And that's what's happening. Any town that's touching Lakewood is trying to stop Lakewood from expanding into that country.

>> And also I hear that their marriage isn't considered a legal binding like contract in like you know the state and the law because of their religion. >> There's piles of in every group and then there's good people in every group. So there's people that do everything right.

They get their marriage through the rabbi and then they register with the state of New Jersey. It's not recogniz it's a well-known fact that it happens. >> I also heard that the public schools in Lakewood are in debt.

Is it because of the community taking some of the tax and they're putting it to their private schools? >> Depending on the number, they say it's anywhere from 170 to $252 million in debt. That's just for their schools.

They have another $115 million in Lakewood just for their municipal. Now, how does it hurt the schools? Two different ways.

Number one, the busing. >> So the kids have to take separate buses, girls, boys, and they run like >> really they can't be on the same bus. >> Cannot be in the same bus.

It's called a pass through law from the states. So the busing costs really kill the kill the townships, but it's also the special needs. When you look at the the amount of autistic kids that are in specifically the Jewish community, it's like 33%.

But there's also a lot of fraud in the system. So when you look at the um the school for special abilities or something like that it's called the the guy was arrested on moneyaundering charges >> and a whole bunch of other slew of charges. Somehow his lawyer got him off of that and they're trying to get the moneyaundering stuff expuned and apparently the guy is still running the school.

Right. So it's like and they get $100,000 per student. >> What?

>> Yes. What you saw in Minnesota? It's like the >> they know special needs gets money.

So if you have a high special needs population only certain groups get money. But if you look at Lakewood the regular schools >> Yeah. The teachers in that school will tell you that they have no funding whatsoever.

The special needs kids, the private schools, a lot of some of them have nowhere else to go, so they have to go to the Jewish schools. It's the only Jewish school that that takes non-Jewish students. >> Wow.

And I've also heard that one of the public schools that closed down because they couldn't I'm not sure if they couldn't afford it. The uh Jewish community took it over and now it's one of their schools. >> That's in Jackson.

The Jackson's pass through budget, their busing budget alone seven years ago went from almost nothing to millions of dollars in seven years. So, we're talking, I think it's around $20 million is what their busing budget went to. And that's from busing kids from Jackson to the schools in in Lakewood.

Again, six days a week because they run Sundays as well sometimes. It cost the township so much money that they had to consolidate a school. Somehow they have enough money to buy that school.

The town didn't. When you look at, you know, Lakewood, it's 25 to 40% poverty. You take 30% poverty and then you take a 90% uh Jewish population.

30% of them are on some type of welfare assistance. How do they all pay for private schooling? These are real basic questions that nobody asks.

>> How they pay for it then? >> Obviously the welfare programs. There's plenty of welfare programs.

But if you could get your kid, you know, labeled special needs in any way. They're getting $100,000 a year paid for by the state of New Jersey by our tax dollars. And nobody asked questions.

We hand out that much money. Nobody wants to talk about it. Everyone's bought off.

>> Is the police here bought off? >> I've heard that there was donations given to the police department. So if you take if you take police officers in Lakewood, New Jersey making $386,000 a year.

One one officer pull down a million dollars in three years. Are some of them bought off? Yeah, I guarantee it.

When you have a group of people that have this much influence, they live segregated. They could act segregated, but they can control everything. Nobody wants to buck them.

Nobody wants to say any, you know, nobody wants to talk back. And everyone's afraid about the, you know, the the labels. I'm Italian, right?

I'm American. I don't give a >> We're American. We need to shine a light on everybody.

>> We need serious people, though. I hope this isn't a joke by people on YouTube. When you dig into Lakewood and what's happening in Ocean County, you have these laws that just they favor religions and especially certain religions.

I want to reiterate the final meeting for this property behind me is the 29th of January. So that's in the future and they're still build. They're already building.

We need everybody out there to talk about Lakewood because these people around here, a lot of them are too scared or lose to lose their job. A lot of people can't speak up >> 100%. That's true.

They're going to be forced out and pretty soon when they're when See, there you go. >> Oh, yeah. Looks like Looks like they Michael.

Yeah. Thank you so much. He also has a Facebook page where you post.

>> I do. I run the Brick Breakdown, but I also I'm live Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Um, Center cut Media, but I cover all things Ocean County and especially my area brick on the brick breakdown.

Thank you. I appreciate it. >> Thank you so much, man.

I appreciate it. All the workers just left after our interview. kind of suspicious.

What a better way than to end the video with some kosher food. Let's go try it out. That food was busting.

>> Thank you for joining me along this Lakewood journey. It's my first time here, but it won't be my last. I might come back.

The locals have been reaching out to me, and I'll see you guys soon. Peace out.