Vandals posted a banner containing an anti-Semitic slur on a Holocaust memorial in front of a synagogue in a New Jersey shore town where several residents were recently accused of misrepresenting their incomes to illegally obtain welfare benefits. Photos posted on Twitter Sunday by the state chapter of the Anti-Defamation League show the banner covering the memorial at the synagogue in Lakewood, New Jersey. The text on the banner included an ethnic slur for Jewish people and stated they "will not divide us," along with the name of a group supposedly responsible for placing it. State authorities announced Sunday they were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible. Seven married couples who live in Lakewood, including a rabbi and his wife, are currently facing charges of misrepresenting their incomes to secure a total of $2 million in welfare benefits to which they were not entitled. Three couples were arrested late last Tuesday in Lakewood, following the arrest of four other couples, including Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, of Congregation Lutzk, and his wife, Tzipporah, on Monday. The couples were released without bail after making initial court appearances. Prosecutors say they failed to disclose income from numerous sources on applications for Medicaid, housing, Social Security and food assistance benefits. The state and federal investigation centers on Lakewood, which is home to a large and growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Lakewood is the state's fastest-growing town and is home to more than 100 private religious schools. The population increase has intensified concern over how public money is spent and sparked complaints from neighboring communities that say they face overly aggressive solicitation from real estate agents looking to find homes for the growing Jewish community. In a separate incident, anti-Semitic flyers referencing the recent arrests were placed on the windshields of dozens of cars in Lakewood. It was not clear if the same people were behind both acts. The New Jersey chapter of the Anti-Defamation League tweeted Sunday that town officials, residents and community leaders "must offer full-throated condemnation of this anti-Semitic attack."
