13 Young Men Charged in Brooklyn Synagogue ‘Tunnel’ Melee
New York TimesMar 29
13 Charged in Brooklyn Synagogue Tunnel Scuffle
story
Image copyright: Spencer Platt/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Thirteen men, all aged between 18 and 21, were indicted on Wednesday for their roles in a January incident connected to an illegally dug tunnel underneath an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Brooklyn.
The defendants, a group of Hasidic Jews, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including criminal mischief and obstructing governmental administration. Some of the defendants are currently in Israel.
The Spin
Narrative A
The tunnels dug under 770 and the subsequent damage caused by the attempt to connect them to the main synagogue building were rogue acts of vandalism committed by an overzealous group of youngsters. These were undoubtedly criminal actions, but they in no way represent the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Narrative B
This whole situation has been blown massively out of proportion. The students behind this simply wanted to fulfill what they believed were the Rebbe's wishes — they were misinterpreting the fact that most of the community would likely favor an expansion of the synagogue. These young men are naive, but they are far from criminals.
