'It's an invasion': Mayor of New Jersey town claims Orthodox Jews are trying to take over as residents claim aggressive realtors are trying to bully them out of their homes
The mayor of a New Jersey town has branded an influx of Orthodox Jews akin to 'an invasion' with residents claiming aggressive realtors are trying to bully them to sell their homes.
Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher says he has had complaints from residents since last year - who say some realtors are aggressive and use ‘suspicious and creepy’ tactics to try and convince residents to sell.
The issue stems from a housing crunch in nearby Lakewood - home to one of the country’s largest populations of Hasidic Jews – which has led to real estate agents looking to adjacent towns to accommodate the rapidly growing Jewish community.
But these realtors tell residents that if they don’t sell, they will be the only non-Jews living in an Orthodox community, Kelaher told Bloomberg.
He added that there have been occasions when strangers have pulled up outside homes to take pictures and videos – even going as far as to ask children on the street where they live.
Kelaher compared his town’s current problems to ‘blockbusting’ by the African-American community decades ago.
‘It's like an invasion,' he said. 'It’s the old throwback to the 1960s, when block-busting happened in Philadelphia and Chicago with the American community – “I want to buy your house. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.”
‘It scares the hell out of people,’ he added.
Rabbi Avi Schnall, the state director of Agudath Israel of America, a national grassroots advocacy and social service organization representing Orthodox Jews, blasted the mayor's comments, writing on Twitter: "It's Like an invasion" said Mayor Kelaher of Toms River. If this was said abt any other minority group....Shame. [sic]'
He added that the town has seen a spike in bank robberies and break-ins, drugs are 'rampant' and the area is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, yet the mayor feels 'aggressive realtors' are the biggest concern.
Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher (pictured) said he has had complaints about aggressive realtors from residents and branded it 'like an invastion
The complaints have led to towns, including Toms River, to update their ‘no-knock’ rules on door-to-door solicitation, adding real estate inquiries to measures that already limit when soliciting can occur and allow residents to bar solicitations.
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New Jersey town claims Orthodox Jews are trying to bully them to sell
......
......
Odium
What's the agenda here and where is all this money coming from?
The mayor of a New Jersey town has branded an influx of Orthodox Jews akin to 'an invasion' with residents claiming aggressive realtors are trying to bully them to sell their homes.
Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher says he has had complaints from residents since last year - who say some realtors are aggressive and use ‘suspicious and creepy’ tactics to try and convince residents to sell.
The issue stems from a housing crunch in nearby Lakewood - home to one of the country’s largest populations of Hasidic Jews – which has led to real estate agents looking to adjacent towns to accommodate the rapidly growing Jewish community.
But these realtors tell residents that if they don’t sell, they will be the only non-Jews living in an Orthodox community, Kelaher told Bloomberg.
He added that there have been occasions when strangers have pulled up outside homes to take pictures and videos – even going as far as to ask children on the street where they live.
Kelaher compared his town’s current problems to ‘blockbusting’ by the African-American community decades ago.
‘It's like an invasion,' he said. 'It’s the old throwback to the 1960s, when block-busting happened in Philadelphia and Chicago with the American community – “I want to buy your house. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.”
‘It scares the hell out of people,’ he added.
Rabbi Avi Schnall, the state director of Agudath Israel of America, a national grassroots advocacy and social service organization representing Orthodox Jews, blasted the mayor's comments, writing on Twitter: "It's Like an invasion" said Mayor Kelaher of Toms River. If this was said abt any other minority group....Shame. [sic]'
He added that the town has seen a spike in bank robberies and break-ins, drugs are 'rampant' and the area is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, yet the mayor feels 'aggressive realtors' are the biggest concern.
Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher (pictured) said he has had complaints about aggressive realtors from residents and branded it 'like an invastion
The complaints have led to towns, including Toms River, to update their ‘no-knock’ rules on door-to-door solicitation, adding real estate inquiries to measures that already limit when soliciting can occur and allow residents to bar solicitations.
......
New Jersey town claims Orthodox Jews are trying to bully them to sell
......
......
Odium
What's the agenda here and where is all this money coming from?
