Yeshivas
are Jewish schools that focus “on the study of traditional religious
texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah,” where students attend for life,
collecting taxpayer-funded government assistance for as long as they are
enrolled.
 |
| Malkiel & Aaron Kotler With An Estimated Net Worth Of $250-$300 Million - While The Victims Of Their Kollel Scam Starve & Steal! |
 |
Yeshivas
are Jewish schools that focus “on the study of traditional religious
texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah,” where students attend for life,
collecting taxpayer-funded government assistance for as long as they are
enrolled.
|
DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THIS SYSTEM WORKS?
LAKEWOOD - Welfare is so widespread in the township that half of all children live in homes that receive some form of government aid, an Asbury Park Press analysis of census data found.
But one statistic stands out among all other municipalities in the state. There are 10,000 more children in households with married couples in Lakewood receiving food, income or state aid than the next closest town.
Of the 43,600 children under 18 years of age in Lakewood, 18,200 with married parents receive government assistance.
Newark, the largest city in the state, is second with 7,800 children with married parents receiving aid, according to the Census Bureau's 2015, 5-year average American Community Survey. Newark has a total of 70,669 children, and 37,965 children in households receiving public assistance, the data show.
That poverty indicator is telling in two ways: Lakewood has a strong family tradition with many of it residents living in a two-parent household with young children, yet most of those families can't make ends meet without government help.
Following the FBI's public assistance fraud raids this week that saw the arrest of seven married couples with children, it may be an understatement that many township residents are in a "panic," as termed by one of the leaders of the majority Orthodox Jewish community. Up to 30 couples could be arrested by the time the probe is completed, according to one law enforcement source.
More: Lakewood welfare fraud: What we know so far
"It's absolute panic," said Rabbi Moshe Weisberg, a member of Lakewood's Vaad, or Jewish council, about the mood in the town after this week's arrests. "People are begging us for guidance."
In Lakewood, 21,600 children live in households that receive some form of public assistance, nearly half of the town's 43,600 children, according to federal data.
The millions of dollars doled out in the township is high, especially for a community that voted overwhelmingly Republican in 2016, with some districts voting 9 to 1 for Donald Trump.
Conservative voters are traditionally for smaller government and less public aid, saying individuals need to be self-sufficient.
The town has more than 100,000 residents, up 15,000 from 2010, according to census records. The average Lakewood resident is 22.4 years old – making it one of the youngest towns in the state – and roughly 31 percent of people in town live under the poverty line, including retirees and single residents, according to the Census Bureau. The median household income in the town is just under $42,000, which is in the bottom 5 percent of N.J. towns, data shows.
49.6%
Of Lakewood’s 43,571 children, 49.6 percent of them live in a household that receives food stamps, welfare or Supplemental Security Income.
26th lowest
Lakewood's median household income is 26th lowest in the state at $40,983
31%
In total, about 31 percent of the town, or 25,876 residents, had income below the poverty level in 2015.
2,770
Of the estimated 8,500 students in college or enrolled in graduate-level studies, 2,770 claimed poverty, or 3.28 percent of all the poverty in the township.
22.4 years
Lakewood has one of the youngest populations in the state, with an average age of 22.4 years. The average age in Ocean County is 42.8 and 39.4 in New Jersey.
Sources: Census Bureau, 2010 census and 5-year ACS report for 2015
$1.8 billion
Lakewood reported $1.8 billion in taxable income in 2014, or 0.5 percent of all income in New Jersey.
940
The top income bracket reported by the IRS is $200,000 and above. Lakewood had 940 income earners in that category, or 3 percent of the town. Across the state, 7 percent reported incomes of $200,000 or more.
65%
Most Lakewood children — 65 percent — lived in families earning $50,000 or less. The state average was 42 percent.
45%
45 percent of all for-profit businesses in Lakewood reported taxable income of $50,000 or less.
Below state average
Interest, dividends and capital gains from stock profits — a strong indicator of wealth — were below the state average for those reporting more than $200,000 in income, the topmost bracket.
27%
Taxable business profits in Lakewood were below the state average. 27 percent reported income over $200,000. The state average was 42 percent.
Source: IRS income data for 2014
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