Riots broke out at a historic Brooklyn synagogue when a group of rebellious Orthodox men tried to prevent police and construction crews from filling a secret tunnel they had illegally dug to reach a closed women’s bath.
The angry men, mostly in their teens and early 20s, were filmed tearing down wooden panels and wooden support beams on Monday at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights.
Another footage from the temple on Eastern Parkway shows police tried to detain dozens of Hasidic Jewish men as they pushed their way into the 20-foot-wide enclosure below the women’s section, knocking over wooden benches in their rage.
Synagogue leader Rabbi Yosef Braun condemned those involved, saying they arrived “prepared to destroy and deface the Holy Wall” – calling it “bewildering.”
Members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement have reportedly been digging tunnels under the Crown Heights synagogue for nearly a year.
It appears to be designed to reach the abandoned women’s mikvah — or ritual bath — around the corner and “expand” the synagogue, according to the Jewish outlet Forward, but it’s unclear what prompted members of the Chabad-Lubavitch community to begin digging the path.
A riot broke out at a Brooklyn synagogue on Monday when police tried to detain a group of Orthodox Jewish men who refused to enter an illegal tunnel they had built. @FrumTikTok / X Members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement have reportedly been digging tunnels under a Crown Heights synagogue for nearly a year.
The tunnel was finally discovered last month when neighbors reported suspicious noises coming from under their house, Israel National News reported.
A video posted on CrownHeights.Info’s Instagram in December shows a dark, dirt-walled space in the niche of a nearby closed women’s mikvah.
Following the discovery, the synagogue’s leadership called in a structural engineer to assess the damage, and on Monday a cement mixer arrived to fill it – sparking a riot.
A group of young Orthodox Jewish men clamored to enter the tunnel to prevent the crew from filling it with cement. @FrumTikTok / X Some of the rioters were also seen taunting the police and filming their efforts to enter the tunnel. @FrumTikTok / X The tunnel was apparently designed to reach an abandoned women’s mikvah — or ritual bath — nearby.
Hasidic men are seen using hammers to break through the synagogue’s brick walls.
Some people even managed to get into the tunnel in the meantime, with video showing at least one man bravely drinking a can inside the tunnel as police tried to detain others trying to get inside.
Some rioters were also seen taunting the police and filmed their efforts to enter the tunnel, according to the Forward.
Protesters knocked over wooden benches as they tried to enter the tunnel. @FrumTikTok / X The riots come amid an ongoing dispute between the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and synagogue leadership over who legally owns the property. @FrumTikTok / X
Officers were also seen detaining men outside the 100-year-old synagogue, headquarters of one of the world’s largest Hasidic Jewish groups.
After a few hours, recording is shown officers led men out of the tunnel in handcuffs.
At least a dozen men have been arrested, sources told The Post. Ten received criminal misdemeanor charges, another was charged with obstructing government administration and another received a summons for disorderly conduct, sources said.
Hasidic men are seen using hammers to break through the synagogue’s brick walls. After several hours, footage showed officers leading the man out of the tunnel in handcuffs. Instagram / @chinfo.official
?#SPLIT: Riots Break Out as NYPD Responds to Discovery of Underground Tunnel at Brooklyn Temple ⁰?#CrownHeights | #Brooklyn
Currently, many law enforcement officers are at the scene of the riot at the Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where individuals tore up wood… pic.twitter.com/U4oSYL0Fkb
— RAWSALERTS (@rawsalerts) January 9, 2024
No injuries were reported in the fight.
Rabbi Braun urged other members of the Jewish community “to call them in all possible ways and strong terms.”
Braun was horrified that they were destroying a “shul,” or synagogue, saying to “tear down and destroy a shul — no matter the dangerous aspect, no matter the religious aspect — it’s mind-boggling.
The group has reportedly been digging the tunnel for about a year. @FrumTikTok / X It seems to have been dug to reach a nearby abandoned women’s mikvah, or ritual bath. @FrumTikTok / X
“They need to be put in their place, put in their place in many senses of the word,” he said.
The unrest comes amid an ongoing dispute over who legally owns the property.
In a statement following the altercation, Chabad-Lubavitcher Rabbi Motti Seligson stated that the movement had “attempted to gain proper control of the premises through the New York State court system.”
A policeman was recorded telling Chabad-Lubavitch members that the synagogue’s leadership wanted to “fix this tonight.” @FrumTikTok / X
“Unfortunately, despite being consistent in court, the process has dragged on for years.”
However, he also condemned the actions of the young men who fought with police, branding them “extremists” and saying their actions had forced the city to temporarily close the building pending a structural safety review.
“This, obviously, is very difficult for the Lubavitch movement and the Jewish community around the world,” he said. write on X.
“We hope and pray that we can restore the sanctity and decency of this holy place soon.”
The unrest comes amid an ongoing dispute over who legally owns the property. A dozen men were arrested. @FrumTikTok / X
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Chabad-Lubavitch, also issued a statement thanking the NYPD for its assistance.
“The Chabad-Lubavitch community is saddened by the vandalism of a group of young troublemakers who damaged the synagogue below the Chabad Headquarters,” he said.
“This heinous act will be investigated and the sanctity of the synagogue will be restored.
“Our thanks to the NYPD for their professionalism and sensitivity,” he continued. “We are grateful for the outpouring of concern, and for our Chabad Lubavitch institutions around the world.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
