BLUF- I need help introducing this despicable jerk to the 21st century. Do you know anyone in a position of authority who can help with this?
Ordinarily I write about internet marketing but something arrived in the mail last week that simply defies belief. One of my very wealthy neighbors who just happens to share a zip code with me sent out the following postcard:
The sub-title of the postcard is: HELP SAVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD FROM NEGATIVE ELEMENTS! This is about a $2.5 Million dollar home that is going to be auctioned. This neighborhood (which I don’t live in) is a largely Jewish area with a fairly conservative, and very wealthy population. The postcard was sent out by a Mortgage Broker named Jack Lefkowitz.
Mr. Lefkowitz replied to my request for clarification with the following. (I am paraphrasing here) “We didn’t intend to hurt anybody. We are just trying to give the neighbors a chance to bring in their kind of people. The kind of people they want as neighbors.” He went on to say, “We had a Realtor who was holding open houses and advertising this very widely and they weren’t bringing in the kind of people we wanted.” He said, “It was a poor choice of words and we are going to send out a new postcard next week with different words.”
Mr. Lefkowitz refused to identify who had actually written the postcard. When I challenged him on the “Beware!” and other wording he repeated that they were not trying to hurt anyone.
My interpretation of these statements of Mr. Lefkowitz’s is that he is without a doubt trying to Red Line this home for his kind of people. (Red Lining is the practice of not allowing a group of people to purchase homes in a neighborhood.) He said that he does not live in the area, but that he had wanted to at one time. But it is clear from his statement that he has a certain kind of people in mind for this house, and simply being able to afford $2+ million isn’t enough.
I firmly believe that diversity in our community (whether our geographic or virtual community) makes us better people. Insular communities breed distrust and hate.
I find Mr. Lefkowitz’s tactics to be absolutely despicable. Playing upon people’s fears, especially using the racially charged term “negative elements” is simply unacceptable in 2008. Hell, it was unacceptable in 1968! The fact that this man feels he can send a postcard through the mail, blindly to addresses near this home shows his level of comfort with this behavior.
I’m not sure if he is breaking any laws, but I’m going to do my best to find out. I’ve already checked with a Realtor and determined that while it is illegal for a Realtor to do this, it may not be illegal for a mortgage broker.
So I call upon You my Dear Readers to connect with anyone you may know in a position of authority to do something about this. Drop a comment here with any contacts, or use my contact form on this site to keep the communication private.
On an internet marketing note
If you receive this blog via email you are missing 1/2 the conversation. Please visit the blog and read the comments as there is surely going to be a storm of them. You can witness the power of social networking coming to bear upon shady business practices first hand. Get involved and take part and make our world a better place.
Tanks for reading,
Chris
This post is unreasonable and has no related reasons.
20 responses so far ↓
1 Rob Blatt // May 29, 2008 at 11:23 am
As someone looking for a house now, the thought of this is disgusting. This kind of stuff happens quite a bit, but thanks to the internet, we’re finding out about it more.
2 Cheryl Waller // May 29, 2008 at 11:27 am
While I don’t agree with the connotation of the message, you have to admire it for creative use of direct response marketing. That beats a ‘Just listed’ postcard any day of the week!
3 Todd Mintz // May 29, 2008 at 11:41 am
Really sad since the same thing was likely done to his relatives in early generations.
4 Trula // May 29, 2008 at 12:53 pm
That is so wrong on so many levels. What *kind* of person do they think who can afford this house would be undesirable? I’d ask them to describe the characteristics of these ‘negative elements’. Not race, or sex or religion, but how do they feel such a person or family would behave.
5 Alan Wolk (The Toad Stool) // May 29, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Chris: Help me out here: how do you get “religious bias” out of this scenario?
Is it because the realtor is Haredi? Because I read his initial postcard as being a not very well reasoned attempt to scare the neighbors into action.
There’s a negative connotation to a house that’s sold by auction- and that was the fear I read into the note.
Just because the neighborhood is “largely Jewish” why would you think that the “undesirable elements” were non-Jews as opposed to say real estate speculators moving into a family area? Are the Jewish residents mostly Orthodox and Haredi?
I keep feeling like I’m missing a link here. Perhaps you can explain your reasoning.
6 Chris // May 29, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Alan,
Thanks for stopping by and for asking this question.
First, this isn’t a Realtor- I’m married to a Realtor and they would lose their license in a flash if they tried this. Realtors in NJ spend hours in courses learning that this type of tactic is illegal for Realtors, because it was the type of scare tactic used in past years to do things like block busting.
As for the undesirable elements being speculators, that isn’t a good argument. You would be happy if a speculator purchased the home next to yours because they would do everything they could to increase it’s value- and most likely this will positively effect the value of your home too.
A home for sale at auction is a public dealing in NJ, and is regulated. The impending sale is required to be a public notice in the local paper. And a very simple way to notify all of the neighbors of a home for sale in the area uses the ubiquitous HOME FOR SALE sign.
Realtors in the US commonly use a “Just Listed” postcard to notify neighbors that a home is for sale, as Cheryl Waller noted in her comment above. This is because neighbors will often know of a friend or relative who wishes to move into the area.
This postcard goes far beyond commonly accepted practices. And using the tactic of fear that the value of your home will decline if “undesirable elements” move in next door is despicable and illegal.
Finally, I am making the assumption that it is religious bias because of my knowledge of the area and my 15 years of living here. And based upon my conversation with Mr. Lefkowitz. There could also be a racial bias to this but I have a strong feeling that it is mainly religious.
I hope that answers your question and I look forward to further discussions.
Thanks,
Chris
7 jburg // May 29, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I am an unabashed torah observant Jew. I believe there has been a fundamental “miscommunication” here.
Before I continue, I would like to say that I do not know Mr. Lefkowitz, nor can I speak for him. However, I can speak for the Jewish faith (and torah law) and provide some background and perspective.
Firstly, it is important that we differentiate between a faith/religion and individuals within a given group. The actions of a single man do not reflect that of a broader society.
I live in a culturally diverse neighborhood and have many close friends of varying backgrounds and faiths. It would be much appreciated if the broader social community would please understand that this is but one man within a much larger society – and that your perceptions of this man should not reflect on anyone other than this individual.
Now, as for Mr Lefkowitz’s actions – there is a linguistic cultural divide between certain elements within the “ultra-orthodox” community and the broader American society. The words “undesirable elements” and “warning” are loose translations of the yiddish phrase “azharah chamurah”. In certain circles, it is common practice for community leaders to issue communal urgent announcements with the title “azharah chamurah”.
At times, this phrase is used (by some) as an attention grabber – similar to a direct mail piece utilizing a sensational headline to grab a recipient’s attention. This phrase does not always indicate that anything urgent, untoward or inappropriate is taking place.
I personally believe that this has all been a miscommunication.
The Englewood community is both religiously and culturally diverse. I have many close personal friends in the broader Englewood/Bergen County area, and have no knowledge of any racism, sexism or religious discrimination.
Englewood is a very classy and modern/liberal neighborhood. “Undesirable elements” probably meant nothing more than people who don’t “fit in” with this classy neighborhood. It it entirely possible that there were no discriminatory elements at play here.
Once again, I cannot speak for this businessman, but I can speak first-hand to the occasional cultural divide between the secular modern world and certain modest, respectful, and at times “different” communities within the diverse world that is Judaism.
If anyone has any further questions or comments, it would be much appreciated if we could please view this story with this added perspective.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.
8 Chris // May 29, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Jon,
With respect to the housing industry there is strict regulation in the US. This regulation is designed specifically to prevent bias and was created in response to terrible abuses by both Realtors and Lenders. Abuses that continue to this day, and have contributed in a major way to the financial crisis we are experiencing today.
Realtors in NJ are put through a great deal of mandatory training to educate them on the bias laws and the intentions of these laws. I find it hard to believe that Mortgage Brokers facing similar strict regulations don’t receive similar training.
If this incident had happened in any other industry I would find your explanation of a simple miscommunication adequate. However, given these circumstances I find it implausible.
I would love to hear from a NY based Mortgage Broker about the training on this subject.
Thank you for reading.
Chris
9 Alan Wolk // May 29, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Chris:
I’m sorry, but your argument is making less sense than ever.
I live in New Jersey in a town that’s economically similar to Englewood. I know I would not want a speculator buying the house next door, not would I want it to be sold at an auction. Both would seemingly have a negative effect versus the house being sold to individuals who were planning on living there.
But that’s a diversion: you have yet to explain why you thought this man was trying to exclude gentiles from a neighborhood that, by your own explanation is “mostly” but not exclusively Jewish. Has the make-up of the neighborhood changed dramatically in the past several years?
Now this is even more curious. According to the Wikipedia article on Englewood:
The racial makeup of the city was 42.49% White, 38.98% African American, 0.27% Native American, 5.21% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 8.50% from other races, and 4.50% from two or more races. 21.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
With such a large Hispanic and African-American community already in town, why would you immediately assume religious- rather than racial– bigotry?
To clarify, I’m not accusing you of anything- just trying to understand why this has you so riled up.
And Jon Burg’s explanation sounds very valid- an outsider not understanding the community. Do you have proof any of the neighbors were receptive to this? How did the non-Jewish neighbors perceive his postcard?
10 Chris // May 30, 2008 at 9:16 am
Alan,
The point of this post is that this is a despicable marketing tactic which plays upon people’s most destructive fears, and that it is most likely illegal.
I’ve talked with several of my neighbors and associates in a non-scientific poll. Over 90% agreed that the postcard is based upon religion. These conversations and my 15 years of living in the community are what I based my opinions in this post upon.
As I examine my feelings about the issue I find that I didn’t give serious thought to the likelihood of minorities purchasing a $2+M home. That is a bias that I am saddened to uncover in myself. And I am thankful to you for helping me to discover this about myself. I am going to make a conscious effort to improve myself in this area.
I do feel that as you have pointed out this could have a strong racial bias component. Which I find to be just as repugnant.
Regardless if this is poor choice of words, or if it is racially or religiously based, the basic facts remain: Mr. Lefkowitz is trying to influence the sale of a house based upon ethnic, skin color or the religious background of the home purchaser. And that is illegal.
“BEWARE!” Look at that postcard again Alan- Because it is quite likely that others of it’s kind are being sent today elsewhere in this country and the undesirable elements being targeted are those of the Jewish faith.
As the Supreme Court said in referring to pornography, “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it. ”
I can’t entirely explain why I know this is what it is, but I know it when I see it.
Thanks,
Chris
11 agentgenius.com- national real estate opinion column » Blog Archive » Buying Your Type of Neighbors? // May 30, 2008 at 10:18 am
[...] religion, or any other issues in relation to fair housing. But apparently one Mortgage Broker has allegedly attempted to do just that in an upper income New Jersey neighborhood. Jack [...]
12 jburg // May 30, 2008 at 11:11 am
Dear Chris,
I’m sorry, but “I know it when I see it” feels an awful lot like personal sentiment rather than a statement of fact. I would be careful when leveling sever accusations against someone based on personal sentiment, or even sentiment within a closed social circle.
And even if there were isolated incidents of discriminatory practice, I would hope that we as a society have advanced past the point of mass judgment and general assumption of a large group based on the actions of an individual.
Regardless of the law (in this case, it seems the party in discussion is not a Realtor and the legality of this “offering” may present a legal gray area) – I would hesitate to consider this a racist or biased offer.
Rather, this was a businessman looking to generate organic interest in a sale by inviting neighbors to recommend a property or home to their friends. This appears to be a sensationalist businessman speaking appealing to the local neighborhood, inviting them to socially spread the word – bypassing the Realtor.
I sincerely hope that we can all look past this incident, recognize the vast social divide between the subject community and the businessman in question, and appreciate that sensationalism is still an acceptable norm in certain sales circles – and no harm or racism was meant in any way.
If Allen and my own voices are any indicator, I would hesitate to suggest that the religious affiliation of the individual in question suggests any discriminatory sentiment within the broader social group (Jews).
If anything, we have been at the forefront of social equality, cultural progression and individual freedom.
I cannot speak for the actions of this individual, but I can relate that the Jewish Law requires that we follow the secular law (unless the latter directly forbids practicing the former, which is not the case in the US).
Discrimination is far from the norm within the community in question (in my experience) and I appreciate your understanding and perspective.
13 Sarah Stelmok Fair Housing Instructor, Virginia // May 30, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Lenders have the same Fair Housing laws that Realtors do. Fair Housing laws apply to residential housing. The lender should be reported to the state board. The state Fair Housing Board can handle the complaint.
14 Bill Lublin // May 30, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Chris;
I find myself really upset and yet confused by my own emotions in reading your post and the responses.
That the postcard was inappropriate and possibly a violation of fair housing laws which prohibit discrimination, is beyond question.
The question I have is “Does it matter whether the discrimination is religious or racial?” Aren’t they both as reprehensible?
I think by typifying the discrimination in that manner, there is an implication that the fool who sent this postcard out is somehow a fool because of his religious background. Discrimination is wrong, and encouraging people to discriminate is wrong, plain and simple. The ethnicity, race or faith or the bigot notwithstanding.
15 Chris // May 30, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Jon & Bill,
I have not at any time in this post or the subsequent comments made any suggestion that anyone other than the person who sent the postcards is at fault here.
I’ve made no accusation against the Jewish community. I’ve made a specific accusation against a single person. To assume that my accusations against this person extend to the entire community is simply false.
As for a businessman looking to generate organic interest, I think that is a poor characterization of the circumstance. This is a case of a businessman trying to generate fear in a manner which Federal Law and social norms have deemed unacceptable. I would recommend you refer to this post http://agentgenius.com/?p=2028 and read the 18+ comments there to understand the reactions of the professionals in the industry.
Please reread what I’ve said here, there are no generalizations. And then pick up the phone and call Mr. Lefkowitz and speak to him yourself. See if you come away from that conversation with a different impression than I did.
16 macthecuchillo // May 30, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Chris –
Not trying to stir things up here further, just an observation that perhaps readers are confused by your choice to describe the area as “largely Jewish”, “conservative”, and “wealthy”, and then giving the name and photo of Mr. Lefkowitz who, it appears, is himself Jewish.
All of that seems to have little to do with the issue about which you are complaining (rightly), so it is curious to some readers that you would choose to include it.
I think that set the tone for the rest of your post and left some of your readers wondering if you, yourself, are not a bit guilty of some bias.
17 Bill Lublin // May 31, 2008 at 5:42 am
Chris;
I am a real estate professinal, and one of the agent genius writers. I think what Mr. Lefkowits did was reprehensible , inappropriate and without excuse.
I merely pointed out that in reporting on his actions, you may have unintentionally framed the story so that his background seems a contributory factor in his bad behavior, when it is in fact, irrelevant. Bad behavior is bad behavior, regardless of background.
I don’t think you meant anything bad by it, it just shows what a slipperly slope that type of comment is
18 Chris // May 31, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Bill & Mac,
Thank you for your comments. I’ll try to be more conscious of the impressions and feelings the posts portray in the future.
Chris
19 Jewneric: A New Platform for the Jewish Voice » Real Estate, Real Problem // Jun 30, 2008 at 2:17 pm
[...] the bizarre example posted at the top of this article. Apparently, a realtor or mortgage broker (there seems to be some debate) seems to want the neighbors of the area to band together, influencing the type of people who move [...]
20 Jews & Real Estate // Jul 1, 2008 at 1:41 pm
[...] the bizarre example posted at the top of this article. Apparently, a realtor or mortgage broker (there seems to be some debate) seems to want the neighbors of the area to band together, influencing the type of people who move [...]
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