NEW YORK (RNS) — Nine rabbinical students were arrested Monday (Jan. 8) for thwarting the filling of a tunnel illegally dug through the walls of a synagogue below the Brooklyn headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement International’s headquarters into an adjacent building. Videos shared on social media show clashes between the students and New York police officers as they force some individuals wearing traditional Hasidic garb out of a breach in the wall. Another clip shows a man coming out of a sidewalk sewer drain said to be connected to the underground passage.
The tussles were reportedly prompted by the arrival of a cement truck sent to repair the breach in the synagogue walls.
The building, at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood, is the former home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who led the Chabad-Lubavitch movement until his death in 1994. Since Schneerson’s death, the building has served as the offices of the movement, an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty established in Russia in the late 18th century. Its leaders relocated to the U.S. after the Holocaust.
According to the Haredi news outlet collive.com, the students who attempted to dig the tunnel were part of the movement’s messianic branch, whose members believe Schneerson is the Jewish Messiah. As they attempted to obstruct the cement workers, some students wore “Meshichist” yarmulkes bearin …
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The tussles were reportedly prompted by the arrival of a cement truck sent to repair the breach in the synagogue walls.
The building, at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood, is the former home of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who led the Chabad-Lubavitch movement until his death in 1994. Since Schneerson’s death, the building has served as the offices of the movement, an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty established in Russia in the late 18th century. Its leaders relocated to the U.S. after the Holocaust.
According to the Haredi news outlet collive.com, the students who attempted to dig the tunnel were part of the movement’s messianic branch, whose members believe Schneerson is the Jewish Messiah. As they attempted to obstruct the cement workers, some students wore “Meshichist” yarmulkes bearin …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]