A group of Jewish men were arrested Monday following a dispute over an illegal tunnel secretly dug into the side of a historic synagogue in Brooklyn, New York.
At the time of the incident, a scuffle broke out between police and the men who had created a passageway and wanted it to continue.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman for Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, called those who tried to build the tunnel “a group of extremist students.”
According to reports guardianHe said the students “clandestinely broke through the walls of a vacant building behind the headquarters and built an underground passageway beneath the rows of office buildings and lecture halls that eventually led to the synagogue.”
Construction crews arrived on Monday to repair the damaged wall, but were met with protests from the students who built the tunnel.
“These efforts were thwarted by extremists who breached the walls of the synagogue and destroyed the sanctuary to prevent unauthorized access,” Seligson said.
by Associated PressThe students claimed that the underground tunnels were part of an “expansion” plan by former Chabad movement leader Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schnierson, who led Chabad-Lubavitch for more than 40 years until his death in 1994. .
“That's what the rabbi wants, that's what everyone wants,” said Zalmy Grossman, 21, of Brooklyn. He added that students began a tunnel project late last year that would connect the synagogue to “the entire vacant lot” behind it.
Meanwhile, Chabad leaders declined to comment upon discovering the underground connection. But several admirers said talk of the tunnel's existence had been going on for weeks.
Protests broke out on Monday when cement trucks arrived to block the opening. Students in favor of the tunnel organized a protest and tore off the synagogue's wooden side walls.
Witnesses said that when police arrived that afternoon, students were asked to exit through the entrance to the tunnel. But when the students refused, police covered the area with white curtains and entered a tunnel with zip ties to restrain the protesters.
“When they took the first person out with zip ties, there was a riot,” said Baruch Dahan, a 21-year-old synagogue-goer who filmed the dispute. “Almost everyone was against their actions, but as soon as people saw the handcuffs, confusion and pressure arose.”
Police said about nine people, ranging in age from 19 to 22, were arrested on charges including criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and obstruction of public administration. Meanwhile, three others received citations for disorderly conduct.
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary.
Listen: How should the global church unite?
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
WATCH: 5 Signs Your Church May Be Moving toward Progressive Christianity
Stock footage and music courtesy of Sound Stripe.com Thumbnail by Getty Images
