(Lakewood Staff Writer – YWN) The Lakewood Jewish community is shocked after learning that a “Frum” man living in the heart of Lakewood, was anything but Frum.
A source tells YWN, that a family has been living in the Forest Park area of Lakewood, NJ for the past few years, sent their kid to a Frum Yeshiva, Davened (prayed) three times a day, and was not even Jewish!
Apparently, a man posing as Mr. Natan Levi contacted “Partners In Torah” a few years back, and was interested in learning more about his “Jewish roots”. Naturally, the fabulous organization set him up with Chavrusas (study partners) to teach him all he wanted to know. The man seemed sincere that he wanted to become Frum (religious).
Eventually, the man was “Frum enough”, that he moved with his wife and kids from Kansas, and purchased a home in a prominent Development in the southern part of Lakewood, NJ. He enrolled one of his children in a Lakewood Yeshiva, and could be seen in Shul three times a day.
His charade came to a screeching halt last week – when the FBI suddenly arrived and whisked him away in handcuffs.
The charges?
Mr. Ted Larry Floyd, a Christian, had stolen the identity of a dead person by the name “Natan Levi”.
Mr. Floyd’s wife had apparently undergone some type of Geyrus (conversion process), although it is unclear who performed it, and if it is totally Kosher. His oldest child is 6-years-old.
YWN has not been able to confirm where the man is currently being held, although sources tell us he has been transferred to Kansas.
I heard this story: Once the imposter was exposed, the rebbe the imposter learned with asked the imposter how he could keep shabbos every week in Lakewood after learning that a gentile gets the death penalty under halacha for keeping shabbos. The imposter said he always kept a key in his pocket on shabbos so as to be breaking it. The rebbe responded that he wasn’t breaking shabbos because Lakewood has an eruv, so a key in the pocket was OK. The imposter responded "You may hold by the eruv, but I don’t!"
Pashuteh Yid writes: "The worst part of it is that he actually wrote many volumes of shailos and teshuvos and was well on his way to becoming a renowned posek. He was even giving semicha to others."
Another comment: "Here you have a guy, a professional crook, and he feels perfectly comfortable moving to Lakewood…"
The Lakewooder writes: "I ALSO KNEW THEM PERSANALY AND THEY WERE REALLY WEIRD BUT THAT’S WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM KANSAS HICKS. EVERONE AROUND HERE DID EVERY THING FOR THEM SENT THEM FOOD GAVE THEM OUR OLD CLOTHES WE FELT REALLY BAD FOR THEM AND THE WIFE SHE MADE UP A REALLY BIG STORY ON HOW HER HUSBAND WAS IN THE ARMY AND WAS THE ONLY ONE TO SURVIVE IN HIS UNIT SO HE SAID THERE MUST BE A GOD AND STARTED LOOKING FOR HIS JEWISH ROOTS HE NEVER EVEN WENT TO THE ARMY THE WHOLE STORY IS JUST SICK AND US PEOPLE THAT KNEW THEM ARE REALLY SHOCKED HER KIDS WENT TO PLAYGROUP WITH OUT KIDS ITS REALLY GROSS."
