Jack Hakim is a member of the tight-knit Syrian Jewish community centered in Deal, New Jersey, where he engaged in local business activities during the mid-2000s. As an investor and creditor in Solomon Dwek's real estate schemes, his involvement in real estate lending placed him at the center of financial disputes within the community, including an adversarial dynamic with Isaac Franco involving coordinated opposition. His role emerged prominently amid the fallout from these fraudulent schemes affecting numerous community members.