Like many of you, I watched the recent video by YouTuber Tyler Oliveira with a heavy heart. It is deeply painful to see our beautiful town (Lakewood) and our way of life portrayed through such a distorted, negative lens. It’s natural to feel defensive when someone enters our neighborhoods looking for a “scandal,” but as the dust settles, I think we need to have an honest conversation as a community: Did we accidentally give him exactly what he wanted?

When these influencers come to Lakewood, they aren’t looking for the truth; they are looking for a “reaction.” They want to see us turning away, closing doors, and refusing to speak. To their millions of viewers, that doesn’t look like “privacy”—it looks like we have something to hide. By being defensive, we unintentionally helped him paint the very picture he came here to create.

What if we had changed the script?

Imagine if, instead of silence and suspicion, Tyler had been met with overwhelming, “annoying” kindness. Imagine if every person he approached on Clifton Avenue or in our local stores had offered him a cold water, a smile, or a genuine invitation to learn about our community.

A “Villain” is hard to edit: It is nearly impossible to turn someone into a “bad guy” on camera when they are busy being incredibly nice to you.

The Power of Kiddush Hashem: Our greatest defense against antisemitism isn’t a wall; it’s our Middos. If he had left Lakewood with ten hours of footage of people being hospitable and warm, he wouldn’t have had a video to post. The “story” would have died because there was no “villain” to be found.

We have to realize that in the age of social media, we are always on a global stage. Every one of us is an ambassador for the Jewish people. When a person like Tyler comes looking for a fight, let’s give them a Kiddush Hashem instead. Let’s make them leave thinking, “I came here to find something wrong, but I only found the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

We missed a massive opportunity this time, but we can’t let it happen again. Let’s use this as a wake-up call to be more proactive, more welcoming, and more confident in who we are. Let’s show the world that our light is much stronger than their cameras.

Signed,

S.G.

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.