NYC rabbi horrified watching 'extremist students' who reportedly hired migrants to dig tunnel under synagogue

A Queens rabbi ignored the commotion going on at a historic synagogue on his way to his afternoon prayers until "extremist students" broke down interior walls, revealing an underground tunnel.

This underground space was reportedly built by a small group of Orthodox Hasidic students who believed they were fulfilling a religious calling to expand the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.

But there was no permission to dig and tensions flared when a cement truck arrived to fill the site. The crowd of agitators increased and became more aggressive. The chanting of mantras became louder.

The NYPD was called in to restore order, but viral video shows rioters clashing with responding officers. A total of nine students were arrested. 

Queens Rabbi Shaul Wertheimer, who was in a side prayer room as the situation escalated, could no longer ignore the maelstrom and described police flooding the synagogue.

Rabbi Wertheimer explained, "Again, I had no idea what was happening, but I looked to the side and saw that a section of the wall was missing, and below what was apparently part of the women's section, there was a The crater was visible." Fox News Digital.

"Things were escalating. Some policemen came in, some more policemen came in, and I saw that something was not right there... I saw some young students sitting in that cavity."

Officers herded the students out of the opening pointed out by Wertheimer, tied their wrists with zip ties and made them sit on benches, while other policemen held the perimeter and prevented the crowd from escaping toward the middle.

In total, nine Orthodox Hasidic students – all in their late teens and early 20s – were arrested and charged with misdemeanors and disorderly conduct, an NYPD spokesperson said, and three others were issued summonses. Went.

The “extremist students,” as Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson called them, appeared to be carrying forward the decades-old approach of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the former head of the Chabad movement.

The idea of expanding the building is a good cause and much needed, according to Wertheimer, who said that the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway – commonly known as "770" – is a symbol of the Orthodox community around the world. There is a lighthouse for.

"This is what the rabbi wants, this is what everyone wants," 21-year-old Brooklyn resident Zalmi Grossman told the Norman Transcript.

He said the tunnel project began late last year as a way to connect the synagogue to “the entire empty space” behind it, the news outlet reported.

But according to several rabbis and community leaders, "extremists" took matters into their own hands and went too far, when they began digging a tunnel with "crude tools and their hands," the New York Post reported. .

"You've seen the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption'? That's the first thing these young people did. They dug up and put the dirt in their pockets," Eitan Kalmowitz, a member of the Lubavitcher community, told the NYC newspaper.

The small group of protesters then allegedly hired migrant workers to finish the job, Kalmowitz told the Post, claiming the migrant workers slept there for "weeks."

Chabad spokesperson Seligson did not respond to an email request from Fox News Digital to confirm the Post's reporting or answer other questions.

His latest public statement came at around 1 pm. on X on Wednesday, where he said, "This episode has been extremely painful for us and the entire Jewish community."

"On Monday evening, we alerted authorities to the destruction and vandalism of the synagogue complex," Seligson said. "With the assistance of the NYPD, the building was evacuated later that evening to prevent vandalism and allow the security of the building to be assessed."

The NYC Buildings Department "discovered a single linear underground tunnel, approximately 60 feet long, 8 feet wide, and with a ceiling height of 5 feet" during its investigation Tuesday.

The tunnel was empty except for dirt, tools and workers' debris, according to the Department of Buildings, which confirmed that there were no permits and approvals for the work, resulting in two violations.

"Inadequate rudimentary siding was found in place in the tunnel, and wall openings were created in several areas of adjacent buildings at the basement level," the Department of Buildings told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement.

The illegal work "weakened the structural stability" of 770, which was temporarily closed, as well as a neighboring building, where fire-resistant walls in the basement and first floor were removed.

The Department of Buildings issued emergency work orders to immediately stabilize the illegal excavations and ordered the owners to seal the openings at the rear of 784-786 Eastern Parkway.

NYC Buildings Department spokesperson Andrew Rudansky said they have been on site since Tuesday and will continue to monitor the situation "and stand ready to take additional action if needed".

Several rabbis, including Wertheimer, condemned the students' actions, and said they hoped the students would get any help they needed.

“I am not excusing his actions,” the Queens rabbi said. “But anyone who is willing to destroy, vandalize and deface a synagogue, their own synagogue, I have to imagine they need a little help, and I hope they're able to get that help.

Wertheimer was at a loss for words after watching the sacred walls of the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters collapse.

"It's very sad. Very sad. I don't know. It's hard to explain," he said. “The building, in itself, is of great importance, and that is an understatement.

"The spirituality of that place and the Lubavitch Rebbe (leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty), and his leadership and vision to change the world for good, everything emanates from that building... To see the structure literally defaced and destroyed, Heartbreaking."