The Kupas Tzedakah for Americans in Eretz Yisroel

One of the most hallowed traditions of tzedakah giving throughout the Jewish world over the past hundreds of years has been contributing to the nearest Rav Meir Ba’al Haness pushkah.

By donating to Kollel America – Rav Meir Ba’al Haness, one is not only supporting their friends and relatives in Eretz Yisroel but also doing so through a fund that was set up by the great gaon, Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, zt”l, over 120 years ago.

Nearly every Yiddishe home and shul across Europe and Middle Eastern countries over the past few hundred years – going back to the time of the Rishonim – had a Rav Meir Ba’al Haness pushkah, whose monies supported acheinu Bnei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel.

Each home had a pushkah in which mothers donated tzedakah before bentching licht each Shabbos, and this was the venue through which people donated money in times of need.

Indeed, many tefillos were composed by gedolim across the spectrum for people to recite when putting money in a Rav Meir Ba’al Haness pushkah.

This tzedakah was held in such high esteem that the Bais Yosef and the Alshich made a cherem that the money in the Rav Meir Ba’al Haness pushkah can’t be used for any other tzedakah (quoted by Rav Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev in a letter of support for Rav Meir Ba’al Haness).

As time went on, a system was implemented through which every region in Europe supported people who moved to Eretz Yisroel from their region.

Thus, the Hungarian Jews supported their landsleit who emigrated from Hungary (which helped build Battei Ungarin in Yerushalayim), and Russian Jews supported those coming from Russia.

Over thirty different Rav Meir Ba’al Haness tzedakahs were set up across Europe and the Middle East through this system.

Shluchim from Eretz Yisroel traveled to each area to collect the monies that were dispensed into the pushkah.

The gedolim stipulated that the tzedakah has a din of aniyei ircha, since the money is allocated to their former residents.

Indeed, Rav Chaim Volozhin signed a letter just days before his petirah stating that each area must contribute to the Rav Meir Ba’al Haness tzedakah of their area and that the tzedakah has a din of aniyei ircha.

The Pe’as Hashulchan – Rav Yisroel M’Shklov, the talmid of the Vilna Gaon who spearheaded talmidim of the Gaon moving to Eretz Yisroel – went a step further by declaring that Rav Meir Ba’al Haness tzedakah has a priority over aniyei ircha.

About 120 years ago, immigrants from America began moving to Eretz Yisroel. Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin started the Kollel America fund in the 1890s through which Rav Meir Ba’al Haness monies from America were earmarked directly to American immigrants.

Rav Yaakov Yosef, zt”l, the Chief Rabbi of New York at that time, affirmed Rav Yehoshua Leib’s signature on the letter, which bore his chasimah in support of the Kollel. Rav Yosef’s constant involvement throughout those years and his staunch support of Kollel America were critical in establishing the Kollel and providing the proper means of support for bnei Eretz Yisroel.

The Achva neighborhood in Yerushalayim was the address for Kollel America; the Kollel correspondence was addressed to Kollel America, Shechunas Achava, Yerushalayim. Kollel America funds helped build the Amerikaner Shul located across the street from the Achva shul, which was used for many years by talmidim of Rav Dovid Soloveithick.

About twelve years ago, a group of talmidei chachomim headed by Rav Yitzchok Sheiner, Rosh Yeshivas Kamenitz, and Rav Sholom Schechter, revamped Kollel America to meet the needs of the American immigrants of today, the most overlooked and neglected group in Eretz Yisroel.

“People assume that the ‘rich Amerikaner’ are taken care of by their parents and friends,” noted Rav Shimon Flohr, one of the representatives of Kollel America in the US. “But that’s not the case. Many Americans are feeling the pinch terribly.

They have no means of support from their family. Those wishing to find jobs – klei kodesh or other – find it difficult since they’re not part of the system.

The language barrier, cultural differences and not having extensive contacts with whom to network, all contribute to the difficulty for many to provide for their basic necessities.”

The Kollel is the only address to which American immigrants, consisting of yungeleit, maggidei shiur, ba’alei battim and anybody else – can turn for assistance. As long as either the husband or wife had lived in America, the Kollel is there to help them.

Kollel America is thus indeed a keren for those who may be familiar to us. The over 1200 families that turn to Kollel America for support can be the chavrusah we learned with in yeshiva who decided to live in Eretz Yisroel, the neighbor we lived next to if we ourselves lived there, or the people who would host us for Shabbos.

Some of the heart-wrenching stories that have come to the attention of the gabboim include bochurim begging their yeshivas not to have an off-Shabbos because there is nothing for them to eat at home; children leaving for cheder without breakfast and with empty lunch bags, who frequently stop at a neighbor’s home to plead for something to eat and take with them to school; decrepit apartments crammed with children, where mattresses or blankets are laid out in the dining room each night because there is nowhere else to sleep; mothers washing clothes every night because each child has only one set of clothes, which they wear seven days a week; and increasing numbers of children coming to hospitals with distended stomachs from undernourishment, by which time the damage is already done.

“These people literally don’t have bread to put on the table,” explains Rav Flohr. “It’s hard to imagine hearing about and seeing people living under such conditions in today’s world. They would be totally destitute if not for Kollel America. They turn to us, the bnei America, for assistance, as was traditional in Klal Yisroel for hundreds of years.”

The gabboim here in American, Rav Shmuel Yosef Gutfreund and Rav Leibel Zeilberger, together with their counterparts in Eretz Yisroel, Rav Sholom Schechter, Binyomin Friedler and Rav Aaron Shlomo Svei, personally review all the cases that come to their attention and try to help as many families as possible.

Rav Shimon Flohr galvanized the roshei yeshiva in the US to help raise money for Kollel America. Leading roshei yeshiva, such as Rav Simcha Schustal, Yoshev Rosh, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rav Aharon Schechter, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, Rav Yitzchok Feigelstock, Rav Dovid Schustal, Rav Chaim Yehoshua Hoberman, and others have joined together to help acheinu Bnei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel through Kollel America.

The fact that the money earmarked for Kollel America is collected “by Americans for Americans” enables it to have a din not only of aniyei Eretz Yisroel but of aniyei ircha, according to many poskim. Thus, having a Kollel America pushkah in one’s home and supporting Kollel America is one of the highest forms of tzedakah and is po’el yeshuos as promised by Rav Meir Ba’al Haness.

Corzine reopened the workers’ contracts in late 2008 after state revenues plunged and New Jersey’s budget deficit ballooned.

Under the renegotiated deal, the unions put off a 3.5 percent pay raise for 18 months and took furlough days in exchange for a no-layoff-pledge through December 2010.

Christie now said his lawyers have told him that laying off state workers would accelerate the raise payment schedule under the current contract.

The Republican said what he said during the campaign was what he “thought should be true.”

By The Associated Press

It’s mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

It’s only ten questions. It’s the Census.

Every 10 years, the government is required to accurately count the population living in the United States to make sure everyone is getting his or her fair share of federal money and representation in the government.

The Census determines whether the population has grown, changed, or shrunk.

Each district is supposed to represent an equal portion of the country’s population; therefore, changes in the population will determine whether we lose representation or gain representation in the House of Representatives, which is made up of 435 congressional districts.

Based on the Census, Congressional districts are redrawn every 10 years to adjust to the changes in population and to make sure the district lines reflect the same proportion of the overall population.

Districts, such as Lakewood which is in the Fourth District represented by Rep. Chris Smith, may lose representation if its population is undercounted.

But determining the Congressional districts is only one reason why filling out the Census is important.

The government uses population totals to decide how it is going to allocate billions of dollars of government funds and other resources.

How much funding each district or community receives is based on how much of the population is counted in each district.

The more people a district has, the more government funding it will receive for schools, hospitals, transportation, social services, and other programs.

Some people are worried about their personal information.

By federal law (Title XIII), personal information is kept secret for 72 years. So any information about one’s address, family size, and other personal matters cannot be used against you.

Citizenship is not required to be counted in the Census.

Even if you are a not a citizen, even if you are undocumented you should fill out the Census.

Only the total number of people in a residence is important for the Census.

On or around March 20, residents will receive a census form in the mail to fill out. Wherever you live the most, THAT is the place you should list as your residence whether you are a student, homeless, or a resident of another country.

Because Lakewood was considered hard-to-count in the last Census, the Complete Count Committee has enlisted the help of community leaders, including rabbis, ministers, public and private school administrators, and orthodox and Hispanic representatives.

Some particular concerns of Lakewood’s Orthodox community include:

Why is it important for us to fill it out the Census?

Aside from fulfilling a duty as a U.S. citizen, it is also very beneficial to our community. About 65 percent of Lakewood residents participated in the 2000 Census. Although that is in line with the national average, it means Lakewood received only 65 cents for every federal dollar it could have received had everybody participated.

Because April 1 is in the middle of Passover, a time when people are away or busy with the holiday, it is important to fill out the Census form and send it back in a timely manner. The form is only 10 questions, and should take no longer than 10 minutes to fill out. The slogan for this year’s census is, “Ten Questions: Ten Minutes.”

What does the community stand to gain if a higher percentage of the community fills it out?

The population of Lakewood in the 2000 census was about 60,352. The projected population of Lakewood is 110,000. We’re aiming for at least 96 percent participation, which would put the population of Lakewood at 100,000. This would designate Lakewood as a city, which will attract businesses and jobs, revenue for our tax base, transportation, other infrastructure projects, and many other issues.

If you are, the UEZ can save you money.

The Lakewood Development Corporation, the administrative arm of the Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), is offering the public a free business seminar, “Get to Know the UEZ: What Every Business Owner Should Know,” Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Conference Room C, Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street, Lakewood.

The UEZ workshop will discuss the benefits of locating your business in the Urban Enterprise Zone.

Attendees will also learn how to save money and attract new clients.

The session also serves as a refresher course for businesses already participating in Lakewood’s UEZ program.

All businesses are welcome whether or not they are participating in a UEZ program.

A question and answer period will follow.

To register or find out about UEZ programs and seminars, call May Kay at 732-364-2500 x5256 or mmalec@lakewoodtwpnj.org.

About the UEZ:

The Urban Enterprise Zone program was designed to foster economic growth to revitalize and stimulate designated urban communities.

The program encourages businesses to create private-sector jobs though public and private investment.

More than 8,000 businesses throughout the state and more than 360 businesses in Lakewood benefit from tax and financial incentives.

Personnel from the Lakewood UEZ are available to discuss program eligibility and answer questions.

Emotions vs. Logic – Part Two

I previously wrote that the dominance of a woman’s emotions and a man’s logic affect both what and how they communicate with each other – women simply enjoy talking and sharing their feelings, thoughts, ideas and dreams with their husbands, while men focus on tachlisdik subjects, which are necessary for their day-to-day living.

The following examples further illustrate this concept:

Round-Table Discussions

When a group of women are sitting around a table at a wedding, they will usually notice and comment about another’s nice clothing, shaitel, shoes, or evening bag, and discuss prices and where one can get the best buy on these items.

Women also may share their feelings about their child-raising issues or difficulties in managing the home.

Occasionally, they may receive useful information about these topics, but sometimes it’s just to make conversation, as this helps nurture relationships between themselves.

On the other hand, when listening to a group of men conversing at a table, I highly doubt that a man would make one of the following comments to his friend:

“That’s a nice suit that you have; I like the new style lapel, and your tie is a real match. Is it silk or polyester?”

Or, “Is that the latest Borsalino hat that you’re wearing? Let me get a closer look at the band and new ribbon.” And I’m sure that a man will hardly pay attention to what style shoes his friend is wearing.

Kollel yungeleit will probably exchange divrei Torah with each other, and working men will usually speak about their jobs and options of how to earn money.

In today’s hi-tech world, they may discuss the latest news in computers, digital cameras or cell phones.

The following anecdote typically depicts how men’s conversations are limited to matters that are le’maaseh.

For months, two men played tennis with each other on Sunday.

Their wives, who had never met, suggested that they have a barbeque together to get acquainted with each other.

During the meal, the wives started to speak about their families, and one wife happened to mention that one of her children was hospitalized with a chronic illness.

As the couples were driving home, one of the wives asked her husband, “Jeffery, how come you never told me about Mike’s sick child?”

Jeffery innocently replied, “I never knew he had children.”

Why didn’t Mike tell Jeffery about his child? For the same reason that Jeffery didn’t ask – it was irrelevant to the purpose of their weekly get-together, which was to play some good tennis games for exercise and relaxation. (In contrast, women in the same situation would probably take off some of their recreation time to form a relationship by socializing and getting to know each other.)

Similarly, two men could be learning b’chavrusah for months without either of them knowing anything about the other’s family situation.

Reminiscing

The emotion/logic dominance influences how men and women share events with each other and how they reminisce about their past experiences.

For example, when returning from a weekend vacation, the wife will focus on the emotional aspect of it, such as the serenity, beautiful scenery, how enjoyable it was to finally be alone for Shabbos and away from it all.

The husband, on the other hand, will amuse himself by talking about the new car he rented with the latest electronic gadgets or other logistical and action-related topics.

For a couple to share and enjoy conversing together, they must learn how to discuss and share topics, stories and experiences on their spouse’s wavelength.

2. How to Listen

The next area of communication is learning how to listen when your spouse is speaking to you.

Listening is not just hearing what your spouse says; it’s listening so that your spouse feels that you are listening to him/her.

If, for example, a husband is engrossed in his own affairs while his wife would like to discuss something with him, even if he is listening and can repeat verbatim every word she’s saying, nevertheless, it does not suffice if his wife doesn’t feel that she’s being heard.

This is because when someone wishes to communicate with another person, the satisfaction of the one speaking depends on how much he feels the other person is listening to him.

Therefore, to give this feeling to one’s spouse, it is of utmost importance to give him/her eye contact by looking at him/her when he/she is talking to you.

During the summer months, Rav Moshe Feinstein would travel up to the Catskill Mountains and carry with him a Tanach wherever he went. When his wife had something to discuss with him, Reb Moshe would close the sefer while keeping his finger on the place and speak to his Rebbetzin for any length of time. When she finished speaking to him, Reb Moshe would open the Tanach and continue to study until his Rebbetzin had to speak with him again. He would then close his sefer again until she would finish what she had to discuss with him (adapted from Reb Moshe, Artscroll, p. 160).

When I repeat this story, I add, “I doubt if there is anybody in the audience who will ever be able to emulate Reb Moshe’s hasmadah or come close to reviewing Shas and Shulchan Aruch the hundreds of times that he did. Yet this story teaches us proper derech eretz – when someone is speaking to you, stop what you’re doing and look at him or her.”

Together with eye contact, the following gestures are also helpful in giving your spouse the feeling that he/she is being heard.

o Nod your head every so often.

* Verbally express your interest in what your spouse is saying by remarking, “Yes, I hear,” “Uh huh,” or “Mmm, that’s very interesting.”

o Comment every so often on what is being said.

* If your spouse is excited, respond emotionally. For example, “Wow, you don’t say!” And if he /she is happy, sad or serious, show happiness, sadness or seriousness on your facial expression.

Additionally, it’s vitally important not to interrupt your spouse when he/she is talking. At times, when a husband or wife is relating an incident, the other spouse will interrupt with minor corrections of irrelevant details, such as the exact time or place that the event happened. Or the listener may interject and say, “I know the rest of the story.” Besides being disturbing, a person usually never feels that he’s being heard and understood if there are constant interruptions. (Moreover, interrupting someone who’s speaking is one of the seven traits of a golem [an uncultivated person] [Pirkei Avos Ch. 5]).

Being a good listener is vital for compelling a husband or wife to want to converse with each other. If a husband and wife feel that their spouse is talking more with other people than with them, the reason could be that the wife or husband feels that other people are more attentive and show a greater interest in what they are saying than their spouse does.

Likewise, if a husband sees that his wife is not attentive enough when he is talking to her, (or vice versa), the reason may be that the husband is not attentive enough to his wife when she talks to him, as the pasuk in Mishlei (27:19) states, “Ke’mayim ha’panim la’panim, kain lev ha’adam l’adam” – As water reflects a face back to a face, so one’s heart is reflected back to him by another. Meaning, a person will interact with another person in the same manner that the other interacts with him.Your browser may not support display of this image.

This closure is necessary to allow New Jersey American Water Company and J Boyd Contracting access to sewer utilities beneath the street.

From Drop Box

Due to the excavation required to complete this project travel through the work zone will be restricted.

Drivers of emergency and service vehicles may be able to travel through the work zone.

However it is strongly recommended that drivers of emergency and service vehicles use alternate routes.

Local residents will always have access to their homes.

SecureMark Decal, the lone bidder for Kyleigh’s Law decal production, agreed to provide 1.4 million replacement stickers at no cost to correct the problem but New York decided against signing another contract with the company, the New York Times reported last October.

Up to 2.5 million of 13.5 million inspection stickers produced by SecureMark Decal and distributed to motorists in 2009 failed to stick, the Times reported.

Amid a public uproar, New York Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David J. Swarts issued a statement last May waiving the fee for replacement inspection and registration stickers and advising police to “use their discretion” upon encountering loose or taped stickers.

Phone calls to SecureMark Decal were not returned Monday.

It was not clear whether New Jersey officials knew about the defective stickers in New York prior to awarding the contract. An email to the state treasury department was not immediately returned.

State Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman Michael Horan said on Monday that the misstep was not necessarily relevant to the company’s decal bid.

“This is apples and oranges,” Horan said, noting that the Kyleigh’s Law decals will be designed to be detachable and that “performance provisions” were written into the contract.

Under Kyleigh’s Law, new drivers — mostly teenagers — subject to restrictions under the Graduated Driver License law will be required to affix decals to the upper left of their front and rear license plates or face a $100 fine.

Motorists will pay $4 for a pair of decals, Horan said.

SecureMark Decal will begin shipping approximately 500,000 reflective red, detachable decals — measuring one inch by one and one-half inch — to MVC offices by early April, Horan said.

Up to 1.25 million motorists are expected to purchase the decals within the first year of the law taking effect, Horan said.

Last Friday, a Superior Court judge in Morristown dismissed a Rockaway attorney’s bid to overturn Kyleigh’s Law and rejected a separate motion to delay it from taking effect on May 1. The attorney, Gregg Trautmann, filed suit on behalf of his teenage son and nephew and is appealing the judge’s dismissal.

Kyleigh’s Law is named in memory of Kyleigh D’Alessio, a 16-year-old West Morris Central High School student killed in a 2006 crash in Washington Township in which another teen was driving.

By ROB JENNINGS • GANNETT / THE DAILY RECORD

When engaged in the art of words, the possibilities are endless. There are practically no rules, other than basic grammar. Therefore, practically any point can be articulated in manners ranging from mild to caustic.

It is frequently assumed that the most effective way to articulate a point is by using the sharpest, most absolute wording that will make an unmistakable impression upon the reader or listener. In reality, however, it is quite the reverse. The harsh dramatization of a point says more about the articulator’s attitude and confidence in point than about the validity of the point itself.

When properly approaching an audience, respect must be given to their independent thinking capabilities. Attempts to sway opinions must be aimed at getting the audience to think likewise with their own minds based on the said information and perspective, as opposed to condescendingly trying to force the opinion’s validation upon them.

In this age of fast-paced media, the race to grab the ever-shortening attention span of the populace has spurred many to go nuclear. When scanning the plethora of media mediums, both old and new, one notices that the more contrarian, caustic and absolute the storyline is, the more prominence it gets. Trying to disprove longstanding, well-proven thinking on any matter or placing unequivocal blame and shame on a particular person, group of people, lifestyle or approach for any number of ills is now heralded as “refreshing” and “courageous.”

However, this approach does little besides masking the fragility of the point being made. The lack of nuance and respect simply doesn’t jibe with reality and is merely a valiant attempt to get that fact to elude the audience member.

A quick scan through some recent news events proves that point.

Last Tuesday, Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders implied that those doubting the official liberal party line pertaining to supposed manmade global warming are akin to Nazi pacifists. Sanders told fellows, “It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the 1930s. During that period of Nazism and pacifism’s growth – a real danger to the U.S. and Democratic countries around the world – there were people in this country and in the British Parliament who said ‘Don’t worry: Hitler’s not real. It’ll disappear.’”

The timing for such a ludicrous statement could not be more telling. If there was ever a time that the veracity of the decades-old global warming hyperbole was deeply in question, it is now.

In recent months, the “Climategate” scandal has rocked the world of science and politics. Hacked emails from top British scientists who “proved” the conventional global warming wisdom revealed that they were okay with fudging facts, withholding evidence and refusing to entertain any alternative theory in order to further their movement to remake the world’s lifestyle with religious-like zeal.

Only shortly thereafter, it was revealed that the purportedly vaunted UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) shrill declaration that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 was based on a student essay and article in a mountaineering magazine.

Most of all, this year’s nasty winter has severely dampened global warming alarmists’ credibility. Polls in recent months, particularly in the United States, have shown significantly increased public skepticism on the matter.

So much for the decades of doomsday predictions by these alarmists, who lacked solid scientific proof.

Another recent political development echoes the above.

Top Justice Department official David Margolis recently announced that former Bush administration Justice Department lawyers Jay Bybee and John Yoo were cleared from disbarment, other disciplinary measures or criminal prosecution.

Last year, Bybee and Yoo were the favorite whipping boys of the Obama administration and American liberals, along with the CIA, due to their roles in approving and implementing Bush-era enhanced interrogation techniques for high-level terrorists after 9/11. Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder were all over the map on this issue, but pretty much left the door open on potentially going after these officials full force.

Seeking to justify such an unprecedented move, the administration pointed out that they were, of course, not looking for political payback, but needed to get to the bottom of such grave violations of American values. Now that the political winds have changed, the administration has shelved this supposedly noble idea and actually implemented an increasing number of Bush-like national security policies.

Unfortunately, though, much damage has already been done. The administration’s politically driven attacks on America’s counterterrorism officials has boosted terrorists’ morale and lowered the morale of American officials. Following the administration’s badgering of intelligence officials, former CIA Executive Director Alvin Bernard Krongard remarked that morale at the agency “is down to minus 50.”

In our very own backyard, it is the teachers’ unions that are back to their game of desperate shrill deception.

Newly-minted Governor Chris Christie is thankfully abandoning the ways of his predecessors and actually being straightforward to New Jersey residents about the State’s financial predicaments and necessary solutions. Facing a $2.2 billion budget gap, and with the option of further raising taxes in this overtaxed state unwise, Christie ordered a freeze on state spending. These measures would result in a $475 million reduction (out of over $11 billion) in the State’s school aid for this fiscal year, which Christie has ensured won’t directly affect the classroom, all the while the governor is working toward restructuring teachers’ pensions.

Nevertheless, the powerful teachers’ unions, fearful of not holding a New Jersey official not in their back pockets, are waging a nasty campaign against any policy that may imperil their stranglehold on the taxpayer. Spending in New Jersey public schools rose by 8% last year to $13,601 per pupil. Additionally, as Christie pointed out, under the current system, teachers contribute $62,000 toward their pensions, yet receive over $1.6 million in pension and medical benefits over their lifetime.

True to their tactics against any fiscal discipline or talk of school vouchers or other school choice initiatives, the unions are railing that their loss of monopolized power will hurt the children. The New Jersey Education Association (teachers’ union) President Barbara Keshishian declared that cutting school budgets “is the path to educational ruin.”

While the merits and pain of the school cuts or other controversial policy can be legitimately debated, such transparently disingenuous talk offers many clues as to who is telling the truth.

Overtime paid last year was $4.9 million, a drop from the $6.7 million paid in 2008.

Two years ago, 2,108 employees were paid $114.5 million in total payroll. Last year, 2,093 employees were paid a total of $118.4 million.

By the start of 2010, the Board of Freeholders reported that another 65 positions had been eliminated through attrition.

County Administrator Alan W. Avery Jr. said the decrease in overtime can be attributed to a directive he received from the freeholders at the height of the banking crisis at the end of 2008.

“I instructed all Ocean County departments to make every effort to reduce overtime,” Avery said. “The board also in their budget process for 2009 reduced budgeted overtime by various percentages as a cost-saving measure. Some overtime costs are inevitable, particularly in those departments that are required to operate 24/7. The only way to avoid that expenditure would be to overstaff those departments.”

As was the case in previous years, officers in the Sheriff’s and Corrections departments accrued the most overtime, with two corrections officers and one sheriff’s officer each making more than $40,000 in overtime.

There were 133 corrections officers last year, plus 32 supervisors, according to payroll records. The base salaries ranged from $47,000 to $88,000 for the corrections officers. Salaries for the supervisors ranged from $96,500 for a sergeant to $142,500 for the warden.

The Sheriff’s Office had 102 officers last year plus 32 supervisors and the sheriff himself. The salary ranges were similar to jail officers.

The most overtime paid to a single individual last year was to Corrections Officer Frank Gordon, whose base salary in 2009 was $86,657. He was paid $45,836 in overtime, for a total income last year of $145,563. Gordon was hired in February 1997.

The top 44 overtime earners, all in county law enforcement, each made more than $20,000 in addition to their base salaries in 2009.

Of the 103 county departments, 35 racked up more than $10,000 in overtime last year.

The administrator cited the operation of the Ocean County Jail in Toms River as requiring overtime. Each of the three shifts need between 20 and 45 staffers, he said. When a corrections officer calls out sick or takes vacation or personal time, another officer must be called in on overtime to replace that officer.

Between declining revenue streams and added financial burdens imposed by state government, Ocean County faces an $8.1 million budget deficit this year, if the county tax rate is not increased 1.8 cents to 27.2 cents per $100 of equalized assessed property value.

Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., director of finance on the five-member, all-Republican board, said county government has implemented a general hiring freeze. If New Jersey’s fiscal emergency results in any further significant reductions in state aid, the county will be forced to consider furloughs or layoffs later this year or next year, he said.

“I can understand the state not forwarding state aid because it doesn’t have the money, but then it ought to forward an IOU, and it ought to make it up in the future and not just say, ‘We’re not forwarding what we committed to pay,’ ” Bartlett said.

APP

We would like you to inform the public of our weekly distribution of 180 small bottles of grape juice. If anyone has extra bottles from Purim, it would be of great assistance if they can be dropped off at 93 Prospect or 1354 Shafto. Thank You!

Bikur Cholim of Lakewood

Dear Voice:

I just want everyone to be aware of a problem that most people don’t know about. I heard from a rav (and forgot his name, sorry!) that there is a problem of bugs in the dill juice of dill pickles. It doesn’t go inside the pickle, so you’re supposed to rinse them very well before eating! Please ask your poseik.

Thank you,

A Lakewood Admirer

P.S. Thank you for your great paper.

Dear Coffee Room,

Thank you for being the forum to air our issues. We recently received a beautiful thank-you note for a wedding gift, signed with the chosson and kallah’s married name. Unfortunately, it was a fairly common name, and we couldn’t place it. We wanted to bring to newlyweds’ attention that they should make the additional effort to include the wife’s maiden name on the thank-you note, especially for thank-you notes going to the wife’s side of the family or friends.

Thank You,

Still Wondering who Moshe and Rivky Cohen Are

Dear Editor,

B”H, Purim was beautiful this year. I was proud to be a “Lakewooder.” It was leibedik, exciting, but within limits. The streets were well manned by crossing guards, and mishloach manos delivering was hectic, but very manageable. I really found that people cut down on nosh and unhealthy goodies this year, and I can’t tell you how much it was appreciated. I found that people didn’t put in loads of snacks, but rather a few packaged mezonos, ready-made foods, or wine, not the usual loads of snacks that bring to mind dentists’ bills, cavities and stomachaches.

Thank you to those of you made the extra effort!

N.S.

Dear Coffee Room,

Thank you for being the forum to air our issues. We recently received a beautiful thank-you note for a wedding gift, signed with the chosson and kallah’s married name. Unfortunately, it was a fairly common name, and we couldn’t place it. We wanted to bring to newlyweds’ attention that they should make the additional effort to include the wife’s maiden name on the thank-you note, especially for thank-you notes going to the wife’s side of the family or friends.

Thank You,

Still Wondering who Moshe and Rivky Cohen Are

Dear Voice,

As always, we received many beautiful and creative shalach manos, which reflected much thought and effort. At someone’s home I saw a shalach manos with a doctor’s theme that included a real medicine bottle filled with winky-type candies. While the idea was cute, this is probably dangerous, as small children cannot differentiate between real medicine (which often does look like candy) and actual candy.

Thank you for listening,

A Safety-Conscious Parent

Dear Voice,

It was interesting to note that many people seem to have cut back on shalach manos, sending less items, less junk, spending less in general. We received many beautiful and delicious home-baked goods this year, including soups, salads, kugels, cakes, even some hamantashen! (It’s funny how few of those people actually send.) I would like to thank all those who went to the effort to make sure their items were yoshon and labeled them so, so that all could enjoy them. Also, thanks to the Bak family who sent a container of cut-up fruit; that was the hit of the day! As soon as my kids caught sight of it, they all begged to partake, even my two year old, who had been eating every piece of nosh that came into his hands that day. It was easy to eat, refreshing, a wonderful break from all the artificial colors and flavors!

Name Withheld

Dear Coffee Room,

In this time of economic difficulty, how is it that we are still wasting money on frivolities? The money that is spent on personalizing chocolates, cookies, even candy boxes to fit with one’s “shalach manos theme” could surely be spent in so many other, more useful ways; even spending the same amount of money on a chashuve bottle of wine or nice cake seems to be less wasteful than this kind of showy wastefulness. It is interesting to note that some people manage to use their creativity and talents to beautify their mitzvah of shalach manos without going over the top. And the truth is, if you have a talent or good idea, use it for the mitzvah. Enjoy doing the mitzvah. Be misameach those who receive your package. But once we cross the line into ba’al tashchis and showiness, something has gone wrong!

Name Withheld

Dear Voice,

It is well known that the most outstanding trait of Esther Hamalkah, like her ancestors Shaul and Rachel Imeinu, was tznius, the ability to keep quiet and not to be noticed. We all learn this, our daughters learn this, and yet, come Purim, something goes awry. If Esther, who through her actions and mesiras nefesh, was the person through whom Hashem brought about nes Purim, shouldn’t this be a very special yom tov for women, a yom tov when we strive to emulate this most extraordinary role model? Doesn’t it then seem odd, even inappropriate, for grown girls and women to don costumes – or even just silly hats that certainly call attention to them? Perhaps a good guideline for the future would be to think if we were to meet up with Esther and Mordechai, would we be embarrassed of our behavior and dress?

Thank you for considering my thoughts,

Name Withheld

Dear Voice,

As I was busy preparing for Purim, I started noticing ads for day-camp registration in various publications. My head began to whirl with the thought of figuring out the various day-camp schedules for my kids this summer, while simultaneously making Purim lists, making sure my kids had costumes, preparing mishloach manos, and thinking about Pesach cleaning….. I made a conscious decision to forget about day camp until after Purim. (Which was a bad idea, since one of the backyard camps I called on Shushan Purim was already full.)

After speaking with many other mothers who felt the same way, I would like to make a suggestion: Just as Lakewood has instituted a set date for playgroup registration, perhaps we can institute a similar system for day camps. No advertising or taking registration until after Pesach! I believe that most busy mothers don’t have the head to think about the summer before then.
RSK

Dear Voice and Coffee Room Writers,

I am a thirteen year old who every week looks forward to reading The Voice because of all the great articles The Voice has, such as the robberies of the week, the pictures and the small news articles that you provide every week that most other local papers do not have. And for the readers and writers who are complaining about their babysitters and whatever it is possible to complain about, this is the one thing in The Voice I do not look forward to. I’m wondering if any other readers are interested in all that either.

Name Withheld

Dear Coffee Room,

I just want to take my time to thank the Lakewood community and the TVOL for making the Coffee Room what it is. My husband I wait every week for this column. The Coffee Room has in the past and will I”YH continue to help us grow in Yiddishkeit. For example, I have stopped wearing robes on Shabbos out of the house – Thanks to TVOL – and I now try very hard not to let my daughter sit and relax on the front yard.

P.M.S

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Judge James B. Convery, sitting in Essex County, and Judge James N. Citta, sitting in Ocean County, were reprimanded.

According to court papers, on Sept. 20, 2007, Convery was told a defendant was wearing a hearing aid, to which the judge responded, “What?” and drew laughter in the courtroom. Later, the judge said, “It’s that new show, Bionic Woman,” when told of the same defendant’s multiple surgeries, court papers said.

In another case, the judge on Jan. 4, 2008, “appeared incredulous” when a plaintiff said she did not have Social Security earnings statements, according to the documents. He asked others in the courtroom if they had such statements and then asked the woman, “Well, when did you become an illegal alien?”

In the case of Citta, the disciplinary committee found he created the appearance of “bias or prejudice” on April 13, 2006, by saying a defendant he was sentencing should be returned to Mexico and expressing disbelief that the man could not understand English.

The panel also found the judge strayed outside the “bounds of civility” when on Nov. 22, 2002, he compared a man he was sentencing for the attempted murder of a woman with O.J. Simpson and called him a “pathological liar.”

By Statehouse Bureau Staff

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The funding includes more than $15 million for exterior pedestrian and traffic circulation improvements on the west side of Newark Penn Station and more than $36 million for the construction of a new intermodal station and parking facility in Pennsauken, Camden County, that will allow light rail passengers to transfer to Atlantic City Line commuter rail service and local bus service.

In addition, money that was set aside to buy buses will be reallocated to maintain buses.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who made the announcement in conjunction with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, said today from Newark Penn Station that the investment through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act could create an estimated 4,000 jobs.

“This is, in essence, the focus of the recovery act,” said Menendez, who likened the reinvestment in the rail system to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” investment in America’s rusted 19th century tracks.

The money had already been earmarked and cannot go toward offsetting a record 25-percent proposed fare increase.

NJ Transit Executive Director Jim Weinstein said $150 million in federal stimulus money already went toward defraying operating costs this year.

But without that one-time cash injection of $150 million — combined with a 4-percent loss in ridership due to the economic downturn, union contractual obligations and a reduced state subsidy — NJ Transit is staring at a $300 million budget gap for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.

To close the deficit, the agency has proposed the 25-percent fare hike, elimination of some trains and buses, 200 layoffs, a 5-percent cut in executive pay and a reduction in contributions to the employee 401(k) retirement fund by one-third.

“While this particular investment will not lessen the proposed NJ Transit fare hike or service cuts, we hope that with continued help from the federal government in the form of both important capital projects such as this, and with operating assistance from the jobs bill, the budget relief this type of investment will provide to NJ Transit and the state will eventually be passed on to commuters,” said Zoe Baldwin, New Jersey advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a transportation policy watchdog dedicated to reducing car dependency.

By Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger