Nothing to see here, folks!
Chaos broke out at Chabad-Lubavitch’s headquarters in Crown Heights on Monday after the NYPD moved to seal a newly discovered tunnel the Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty built in secret under the synagogue.
DEVELOPING STORY:
Chaos At 770: A chaotic scene at the Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, after Bochurim ripped wooden panels to prevent a cement truck from sealing off the recently discovered tunnels.
The NYPD are on scene, and 770 will be closed shortly to regain control. pic.twitter.com/ETvEYqtqNI
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2024
Here’s how it all started.
Bochurim ripped wooden panels to prevent a cement truck from sealing off the recently discovered tunnels.
They then went inside the tunnel and started to learn.
The NYPD was immediately called. pic.twitter.com/e5KFCPRDIC
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2024
The Bochurim refused to leave the tunnels.
Community leaders were called in to help defuse the tense situation. pic.twitter.com/Mokpaotwca
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2024
“I want to clear the whole Shul (Synagogue) out, they want to fix this tonight.”
-NYPD officer. pic.twitter.com/uqNvCqAOHu
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2024
There was pushing and shoving, and definitely a tense situation, but no arrests have been made as of now. pic.twitter.com/EiNEE4qo6f
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2024
#BREAKING
Ten people arrested after a scuffle with the NYPD took place inside 770. pic.twitter.com/ouEIrUhbsE
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 9, 2024
Update: The doors to 770 are now locked. Anyone still inside should leave immediately.
Arrests continue inside 770 as NYPD officers continue to pull Bochurim from inside the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/ui5fLdXyed
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 9, 2024
A secret entrance to the tunnels. pic.twitter.com/X88381QkHj
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 9, 2024
The scene outside 770 in Crown Heights. pic.twitter.com/Tnv5TG8Of6
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 9, 2024
Who is being forced to sleep on these child-sized soiled mattress hidden in illegal tunnels connected to a NYC Jewish temple? pic.twitter.com/SEGFWZWNHu
— Stew Peters (@realstewpeters) January 9, 2024
This image will haunt me for the rest of my life pic.twitter.com/YeIq7rOPME
— Garbage Human (@GarbageHuman23) January 9, 2024
Why is this book covered in blood? pic.twitter.com/oLNtxMILfV
— Haydos PhD🇦🇺🇮🇹🇩🇪 (@Haydos423) January 9, 2024
📺 The synagogue w/the tunnels & dirty mattress hidden in the wall was headed by Menachem Mendel Schneerson–the Rabbi who blessed Netanyahu back in the 1990s, & asked him to hasten the process for the Messiah to arrive faster.
h/t: @AljoschaViragpic.twitter.com/sPU8ieZqZS https://t.co/aGbNEamXaa
— Sam Parker 🇺🇲 (@SamParkerSenate) January 9, 2024
More footage of the underground tunnels discovered under Synagogues in New York City.
What was going on under here? https://t.co/vaTlZEhVm4 pic.twitter.com/CkO9cOpLxs
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) January 9, 2024
A Union Street homeowner who spoke with CrownHeights.info said that they had been hearing suspicious noises at night in their home for a period of time. As the noise continued, the concerned homeowner notified someone of the sounds and their suspicion.
Around the same time, construction work was underway placing new plumbing near 770. As the work neared completion, a trench was dug to lay a waterline and the surprised workers were shocked to find what appeared to be a tunnel underground, according to a source familiar with the incident.
Putting the pieces together, one of the workers in 770 investigated and got the shock of his life when he discovered the tunnel, burrowed from the Mikvah on the corner of Union Street and Kingston Ave. The tunnel allegedly extended from the Mikvah under the Kingston Ave women’s section of 770, where it exited into the building.
While details on the tunnel remain scarce, and with some rumors spreading, it appears that a group of bochurim began digging around six months ago in an attempt to “expand 770”.
Working at night for an extended period of time, the bochurim began digging from the Mikvah building and hollowed out a tunnel that sounds eerily similar to those used by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel, while “amateurish” managed to extend all the way to 770 where it burrowed under the Kingston Ave women’s section, possibly destabilizing it.
Shocked and horrified at what was found, the 770 Gabboim made the decision to close off the now possibly unsafe women’s section to the public as decisions are made on how to secure the building.
From Monday in CrownHeights.info, “Chaos In 770 After Attempt Made To Close The Tunnel Under 770”:
Chaos is reigning in 770 after the powers that be attempted to seal the tunnel under 770, leading to widespread vandalism inside the building.
The incident began this afternoon as the powers that be arranged for cement trucks to come to 770 and begin filling in the tunnel. Based on Union Street, the trucks began pumping the cement to the tunnel, but were forced to stop as the bochurim began disconnecting the hosing and vandalizing the trucks. The chaos spread from there.
The police were called to the scene to protect the work, so the bochurim took their vandalism inside and began ripping off the walls of downstairs 770, exposing the tunnel and showing the extent of the illegal and dangerous work done.
Update 10:20pm: At present, the scene outside 770 remains active and chaotic with news vans arriving to cover the story. Inside the Shul of 770 has been cleared of all non-emergency personnel and efforts are underway to repair some of the damage done.
As of now, the 770 downstairs shul will remain closed and off limits until an announcement is made otherwise by the Shul.
Nothing to see here, folks!
This is all perfectly normal!
