Nine Orthodox Jews were arrested after a fight over a secret tunnel in a New York synagogue

Nine people face charges after police were called to a New York synagogue, where officials say a dispute broke out over attempts to block off a secret tunnel leading to the synagogue building. Headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Authorities responded to reports of a “disorderly group” outside a Brooklyn synagogue Monday afternoon. Dozens of people showed up to protest the arrival of a cement truck that Chabad spokesman Rabbi Motti Seligson said was there to repair a wall after an unauthorized road connecting the sanctuary to the building where the Hasidic movement is headquartered.

A video posted on social media shows that Chaotic scene As police tried to keep the group away from the synagogue’s damaged wall that leads to a hallway, people shouted and some hurled wooden benches at the officers. Yellow caution tape was posted inside the synagogue on Monday and a white cloth was placed against a damaged wall, which people used to “illegally enter” the building, police said.

According to the police, Nine people between the ages of 19 and 22 face charges in the incident, including criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.

Seligan said The hall was created by an “extremist student group” not formally affiliated with the Chabad movement.. The building has since been closed while it undergoes a structural safety review, he said.

“This is obviously very troubling for the Lubavitch movement and the Jewish community around the world,” Seligson said. “We hope and pray that we can quickly restore the sanctity and decorum of this holy place.”

Police did not give details about when and why the tunnel was built. The clash reflects a long-standing split in the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, said Rabbi David Bashevkin, host of the “18Forty” podcast on the Jewish faith. The Chabad-Lubavitch movement is one of the fastest growing Jewish organizations in the United States.

Menachem Mendel SnersonThe leader of the movement, considered by some to be the most influential rabbi in modern history, worked at the Brooklyn Synagogue located at 770 Eastern Parkway and “770”. His death in 1994 led to a period of deep mourning for the movement, Bashevkin said. But that led to disagreements over his future as there was no successor, he added.

While many in the Chabad movement focus on Schneerson’s work to make Judaism more accessible, Bashevkin said a much smaller group is using disruptive tactics in an effort to expand the 770 building.

Supporters of the expansion said the building is done the crowd For a long time, according to the Associated Press, which reports that some in the community felt plans to build additional space were taking too long.

Seligson told The Washington Post that the national Chabad movement became aware of the passageway’s existence in recent weeks after local reports appeared online. When repairs were attempted on Monday, “extremists” attacked the synagogue, “vandalizing the sanctuary in an attempt to maintain unauthorized access,” according to Seligson’s statement.

A New York City Department of Buildings official told the AP that as of Tuesday night, the results of the synagogue’s inspection were still pending.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, president of the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters, said in a statement Monday that while the movement’s community was hurt by the damage to the building, it was also touched by the outpouring of support.

“The sanctity of the synagogue will be restored”Krinsky said.

(c) Washington Post 2024