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Secret tunnel unearthed at Brooklyn synagogue, 10 arrested after chaos over filling
The chaos ensued after a cement truck tried to fill up the tunnel, with many present at the scene protesting by tearing down the main synagogue’s wooden panels
Chaos broke out at a synagogue in Brooklyn on Monday, January 8, after Orthodox Jewish men tried to stop construction workers who had come to fill in a tunnel that was illegally dug. The New York Police Department arrived and arrested at least 10 people.
The tunnels were discovered beneath the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, which is a well-known building in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights. The construction is said to threaten the landmark’s foundation. Investigators found that several Yeshiva men had been carrying out the construction for the last six months.
What caused the chaos?
The chaos ensued after a cement truck tried to fill up the tunnels. Many present at the scene protested, tearing down the main synagogue’s wooden panels. Clashes with the NYPD thus began.
The NYPD made way for the cement truck, quickly removing the wooden panels. As multiple protestors refused to leave the tunnel, and were put in handcuffs and taken away.
Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media.
Why was the tunnel dug?
The Chabad community is now enraged and is calling for action. The structural integrity of the surrounding buildings are also being investigated by officials in the city. There is already a legal dispute in place over the ownership of the complex.
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement against the synagogue leadership involves the two sides disagreeing over who owns the hundred-year-old house legally. The Chabad is one of the largest groups of Hasidic Jews in the world. The reason why the tunnel was being dug is unclear.
However, the website Forward.comreported that the tunnel was meant to be used to reach an abandoned men's mikvah, or ritual baths. It added that the tunnel was meant to “expand” the synagogue, but it is unclear how that could be done.
After the incident, an NYPD spokesperson told the Daily Mail, “On Monday, January 8, 2024, at approximately 1530 hours, police responded to 911 calls of a disorderly group outside of 770 Eastern Parkway, within the confines of the 71 Precinct.”
“Upon arrival, officers were informed that a group of individuals unlawfully entered 770 Eastern Parkway by damaging a wall. At this time, it is known that a number of individuals were taken into custody. Charges are pending. No injuries were reported as a result of this incident,” the spokesperson added.
‘It's mind-boggling’
Yosef Braun, the rabbi who runs the synagogue, called the actions of the young men “horrid,” according to the Daily Mail. Barun added that to “demolish and destroy a Shul - never mind the dangerous aspect, never mind the religious aspect - it's mind-boggling.”
“They need to be put in their place, put in their place, in so many meanings of the word,” he said, referring to the young men whose actions he said were “painful” for his community.
