DEP orders religious burial site in Lakewood cleaned up
By ZACH PATBERG• TOMS RIVER BUREAU • April 7, 2010
Asbury Park Breaking News
LAKEWOOD — The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered a site where some 2,000 trash bags full of discarded religious text and clothing were dumped to be cleaned up, agency officials said.
The DEP issued a field notice to remove the material that sits in a large hole in the woods. If it is not cleared, the next step would be a violation notice followed by a more serious action such as a fine, DEP Spokesman Larry Hajna.
The site drew heavy criticism from neighbors and other residents after it was discovered that members of Orthodox Jewish community were discarding the sacred belongings, or Shaimos, there during Passover. Orthodox Jews are not allowed to burn or throw away items in garbage bins, but rather must bury them in a respectable way. According to local officials, the custom has been going on for decades.
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