LAKEWOOD, NJ – It’s like nothing that has ever been seen before after the Lakewood area’s Orthodox Jewish community leaders united to endorse Republican Jack Ciattarelli for governor of New Jersey.
Not everyone is happy about it, especially Mikie Sherrill and her radical Democrat followers. They have mobilized in a vile anti-Jewish attack on Lakewood-based news outlets’ websites and social media pages to bash Jews and spread their hate-based vitriol.
The campaign appears to be loosely organized, but the messaging is the same, attacking the Jewish community for uniting behind Jack Ciattarelli.
The Lakewood Scoop, a major Jewish-based news website serving Ocean County, has permanently banned hundreds of users after an explosion of antisemitic comments flooded its pages over the weekend. The outlet said the hateful remarks, many coming from self-described Democrats, targeted Orthodox Jews for their unified support of Republican candidates and gubernatorial contender Jack Ciattarelli.
The site’s administrators said the vitriol crossed every line of decency, with users posting slurs, threats, and anti-Jewish conspiracy imagery in response to reports highlighting strong Orthodox turnout for the GOP.
In a statement posted Sunday night, The Lakewood Scoop said it had removed “a couple hundred social media users” and vowed to continue banning anyone spreading hate or bigotry on its platforms.
Key Points
- The Lakewood Scoop banned hundreds for antisemitic, threatening comments.
- The attacks followed reports of strong Orthodox Jewish turnout for Republican candidates.
- The outlet said most banned users identified themselves as Democrats.
Lakewood Scoop vows zero tolerance for hate
The Lakewood Scoop, with more than 200,000 combined social media followers, said the flood of attacks came shortly after its reporting on the community’s large-scale voter mobilization in support of Jack Ciattarelli and other Republican candidates.
“Feel free to debate issues and to vote for whoever you’d like,” the outlet wrote, “but we will not tolerate bigotry, racism and antisemitism on any of our platforms — even if it means banning thousands.”
Moderators described being inundated with antisemitic tropes, including references to Jewish control of politics and false claims about “voting blocs” — rhetoric condemned by community leaders and local officials.
Jewish pundits on X are also being targeted with hateful messages for their support of Jack Ciattarelli.
“Then you should vote for his opponent. A crowd of genocidal pawnbrokers is not a good thing. It implies he’s a sellout,” one comment on X read.
“Interesting thread if you ever wondered why you’ve never seen these orthodox jews working an honest job ever in your life,” another comment on X read.
“Pretty interesting that homogenous jewish communities can thrive and face no backlash but if white people do it it’s a big [expletive] problem. Way to drive down property values by infesting neighborhoods with you people, forcing the owners to sell. Disgusting practices and people,” another wrote.
Online antisemitism spikes around elections in and around Lakewood
The incident comes amid a broader trend of antisemitic rhetoric escalating during election cycles in parts of New Jersey where Orthodox Jewish populations have grown rapidly. Experts say social media has amplified these tensions, with misinformation and hostility spreading quickly across partisan networks.
In Jackson, Chris Pollak walks fine line beteween supporters and his need for votes from the Jewish community, secretly meeting to please both sides
In nearby Jackson Township, a separate controversy has been brewing around local candidate Christopher Pollak, whose campaign has faced accusations of antisemitic messaging. Posts from Pollak and his supporters have included conspiracy-themed images and hostile rhetoric toward Jewish residents and their political participation.
This week, Pollak and his campaign manager, Elliott Shem Tov, who was born into the Orthodox Jewish faith has been running damage control for Pollak and his supporters.
Shem Tov has been meeting with Jewish community leaders this week, promising that despite Pollak’s attacks on the community and a campaign built on stopping the spread of Jews in Jackson Township, that the former superhero will indeed ‘work with’ the Jewish community if he is elected on Tuesday.
At one stop at the local bagelry, Bagel King, Shem Tov, dressed in a traditional black suit and white undergarment promised constituents that Pollak will tackle tough issues facing the community such as private schools and unsanctioned daycares running in residential neighhbors, promising an amicable resolution to both.
At Jackson Day, earlier this year, Shem Tov promised Orthodox Jews that when elected, Chris Pollak will officially sanction Hatzolah as an official EMS of the township. Hatzolah has been under fire by Pollak supporters over their new facility and parking lot on Pitney Lane in recent months.
“Chris will support Hatzolah,” Shem Tov told members of the community.
Shem Tov has also been working on social media and messenger apps for Pollak, hosting a Pollak Q&A session on WhatsApp, where he has been making campaign promises in private. Leaked transcipts of those chats surfaced this weekend.
Anti-Jack Ciattarelli Messaging
Pollak has publicly criticized Ciattarelli for engaging with Orthodox leaders, writing last month that “Jack Ciattarelli is helping the people working against us.” The comments, and his campaign’s online tone, have drawn condemnation from both Republican and Jewish organizations.
Ciattarelli is expected to endorse Pollak’s opponent, Republican Al Couceiro before tomorrow’s election deadline. The two men have met several times in the past 30 days to discuss issues in Jackson Township such as school funding, illegal home rentals, immigration, public safety, and affordable housing mandates.
