A Queens rabbi held afternoon prayers in defiance of disturbances at a historic synagogue until “radical students” destroyed an interior wall that led to the discovery of an underground tunnel.
The underground space was reportedly created by a small group of Orthodox Hasidic students who believed they were carrying out a religious mission to expand the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.
However, there were no permits for the excavation, so tensions escalated when cement trucks came to fill the land. The crowd of agitators grew larger and more noisy. The chants got louder.
The NYPD was called to restore order, but rioters and responding officers clashed in a video that went viral. A total of nine students were arrested.
Violent clash between NYPD and agitators over underground synagogue tunnels caught on camera and shared online
NYPD officers arrested the student after he was removed from a crack in the synagogue wall that led to a tunnel the students had dug. (Bruce Schaff/Associated Press)
Queen's Rabbi Shor Wertheimer, who was in a side prayer room when the situation escalated, said police could no longer ignore the maelstrom and flooded the synagogue with police.
“Again, I had no idea what was going on, but I looked to the side and saw that part of the wall was missing and there was a cavity underneath what was ostensibly part of the women's section. It seemed like there was,” Rabbi Wertheimer said. Fox News Digital.
“The situation escalated. A few police officers came in, then a few more police officers came in. And I could see something wrong over there…in that cavity. I saw a few young students sitting there.”
New York City Mayor Adams rescinds planned NYPD budget cuts as the city's immigration crisis worsens
Officers pulled the students out of the opening Wertheimer described, tied their wrists with zip ties and sat them on benches, while other officers held the area around them to prevent the crowd from rushing toward the center. is.
A total of nine Orthodox Hasidic students, all in their late teens to early 20s, were arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and three others received summonses, according to a New York City Police Department spokesperson. It was said that it was served.
Jewish students sit behind a breach in a synagogue wall that leads to a tunnel dug by students in New York. (Bruce Schaff/Associated Press)
Dubbed “radical students” by Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson, they believe they are carrying out a decades-old vision by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schnierson, the Chabad movement's former leader. It seemed like it was.
According to Wertheimer, the idea of expanding the building is a good cause and a great need, and the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters (commonly known as “770”) at 770 Eastern Parkway is a worldwide He said he is a lighthouse for the church community.
Biden says he's “quietly working” to get Israel out of Gaza, sparking furious reaction
said Zalmy Grossman, a 21-year-old Brooklyn resident. Norman manuscripts, “That’s what the rabbi wants, that’s what everyone wants.”
He said the tunnel project began late last year as a way to connect the synagogue and “the entire vacant lot” behind it, the news agency reported.
Jewish students rioted against New York City police officers who were called to inspect a secret tunnel dug under a synagogue by students in New York. (Bruce Schaff/Associated Press)
But many rabbis and community leaders said the “extremists” took matters into their own hands and began digging tunnels with “crude equipment and their own hands.” The New York Post reported.
“Have you seen the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption?'” “That's the first thing these young people did. They dug in the dirt and put it in their pockets,” said a member of the Lubavitcher community. , Eitan Kalmowicz told The New Yorker.
A small group of agitators then reportedly hired migrant workers to finish the job, Kalmowicz told the Post, claiming that the migrant workers had been sleeping there for “several weeks.”
It's unclear when the illegal excavation began, but the tunnels, or what some community members refer to as underground spaces, were first reported. crown heights.info In late December.
outlet I posted a video The tunnel is posted on the Instagram page.
Israeli-American rapper Kosher Dills fearlessly embraces tradition and skewers anti-Semitism in viral video
Chabad spokesperson Seligson did not respond to Fox News Digital's email request to confirm the Post's reporting or other questions.
His latest public statement was made on Wednesday around 1pm on X, where he said, “This event has been extremely painful for us and the entire Jewish community.”
“On Monday night, we alerted authorities to the destruction and vandalism on the synagogue grounds,” Seligson said. “With assistance from the New York City Police Department, the building was vacated later that evening to stop the vandalism and assess the safety of the building.”
New York City Department of Buildings Survey Results
In a survey Tuesday, the New York City Department of Buildings “discovered a single linear underground tunnel approximately 60 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 5 feet high with a ceiling.”
The Department of Construction said there was nothing in the tunnel except for dirt, tools and debris from workers, and that the work had no permits or approvals, resulting in two violations.
“It was found that the basic shoring was not properly installed in the tunnel, and wall openings had been created in several areas of the basement floors of adjacent buildings,” the Department of Buildings said in an emailed statement. he told Fox News Digital.
The world headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement is located on Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. (Google Street View)
The illegal construction “compromised the structural stability” of the 770, which was temporarily closed, and an adjacent building, where the basement and ground floor fire walls were removed.
The Department of Buildings issued an emergency work order to immediately stabilize the illegal excavation and ordered the owner to seal the opening behind 784-786 Eastern Parkway.
Andrew Rudanski, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Buildings, said the agency has been on site since Tuesday and continues to monitor the situation and is “ready to take additional action” if necessary.
Jewish students rioted against New York City police officers who were called to inspect a secret tunnel dug under a synagogue by students in New York. (Bruce Schaff/Associated Press)
Rabbis condemn extremist activities
Many rabbis, including Wertheimer, condemned the students' actions and said they hope they get the help they need.
“I'm not condoning their actions,” the Queens rabbi said. “But if there are people who vandalize, vandalize, desecrate synagogues, they are also their own synagogues. I think they need a little help, and I hope they get that help.” I hope you can.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Wertheimer was speechless as he watched the sacred walls of Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters come down.
“It's very sad. It's very sad. I don't understand. It's hard to explain,” he said. “The building itself is very significant, but to say that is an understatement.
“The spirituality of this place and the Lubavitch Rebbe (leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty) and his leadership and vision for changing the world for the better all emanates from that building…that building is literally desecrated. It's heartbreaking to see it destroyed.”
