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Pandemonium overtook a historic New York City synagogue when agitators battled with cops over a bizarre, illegally dug tunnel under the holy building.
Viral videos show responding officers pulling young men from the tunnel, as dozens of other agitators shouted, clapped and, at one point, appeared to bull rush through police and climb over destroyed wooden furniture.
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But the cops stood their ground and kept the large crowd at bay as their fellow officers continued to pull rabble-rousers from the tunnels and take them into custody, as they appeared to laugh and sing along.
In one video, posted on X by @FrumTikTok, which has since been deleted, Monday evening’s wild night started when several men blasted wooden panels with sledgehammers and ripped the coverings that hid the underground pathway, as construction crews prepped to fill it in.
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Jewish students riot against NYPD officers, who were called to inspect a secret tunnel dug under the synagogue by students in New York.(Bruce Schaff/AP)
One officer is heard telling members of the antagonistic group that they need to clear the synagogue out tonight.
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“They want to fix this tonight,” the officer said in a video originally posted by @FrumTikTok.
The account user has since deleted the videos and lengthy thread after it was raided by antisemitic conspiracies and remarks.
“I will NOT allow my account to be used by antisemitic Jew haters to promote their pathetic hatred of religious Jews,” the user posted on X.
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The chaos started with a 3:30 p.m. call about a “disorderly group outside of 770 Eastern Parkway” in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, an NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
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“Officers were informed that a group of individuals unlawfully entered 770 Eastern Parkway by damaging a wall,” the NYPD said in an emailed statement Tuesday morning.
“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.”
NYPD officers arrest a student after he was removed from a breach in the wall of the synagogue that led to a tunnel dug by students.(Bruce Schaff/AP)
Hasidic Jewish students observe as law enforcement establishes a perimeter around a breached wall in the synagogue that led to a tunnel dug by students. (Bruce Schaff/AP)
What are the tunnels for and where do they lead?
CrownHeights.info first reported the shocking discovery under the Headquarters of Lubavitch in New York City in late December.
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Workers reportedly stumbled upon the bizarre underground pathway while they were working on the plumbing near the site, according to CrownHeights.info.
It reportedly was designed to reach an abandoned women’s mikvah — or ritual bath — around the corner and exited the building, the Jewish outlet Forward reported.
The small crew who dug the tunnel had been working on it for months to a year, according to the news outlet, but what purpose it serves or what motivated anyone to dig the tunnel remains a head-scratching enigma.
The inside of the dirt-walled tunnel was posted in a video by CrownHeights.info on its Instagram account in December.
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Jewish students sit behind a breach in the wall of a synagogue that led to a tunnel dug by the students in New York.(Bruce Schaff/AP)
After the inadvertent discovery, structural engineers assessed the damage, and the synagogue’s leadership prepared to fill in the tunnel.
As the cement mixers rolled into the area, the riot began, and the chaos ensued.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, spokesperson for Chabad.org, said efforts to repair the walls “were disrupted by the extremists who broke through the wall to the synagogue, vandalizing the sanctuary, in an effort to preserve their unauthorized access.”
“They have since been arrested and the building closed pending a structural safety review,” he said in a statement on X. “Lubavitch officials have attempted to gain proper control of the premises through the New York State court system; unfortunately, despite consistently prevailing in court, the process has dragged on for years.
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“This is, obviously, deeply distressing to the Lubavitch movement, and the Jewish community worldwide. We hope and pray to be able to expeditiously restore the sanctity and decorum of this holy place.”
Rabbis condemn actions of ‘agitators’
Rabbi Yosef Braun, Rov of the Crown Heights Beis Din, said in a recorded statement that a group of people “who were not appointed by anyone, have taken reign and control of the holy Shul (synagogue) of 770 (East Parkway), and decided to do as they wish.”
“Things came to a head today where people saw in the open where they’re ready to destroy and deface the Holy Walls … whose hand did not shake and tremble when they went and touched those walls, when they took a hammer to those walls?”
World Headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, located on Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York.(Google Street View)
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky said they’re “pained by the vandalism of a group of young agitators” in a statement on behalf of the Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters. (Chabad Lubavitch HQ/X)
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Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky said they’re “pained by the vandalism of a group of young agitators” in a statement on behalf of the Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters.
“These odious actions will be investigated, and the sanctity of the synagogue will be restored,” Rabbi Krinsky said. “Our thanks to the NYPD for their professionalism and sensitivity.”
The AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut is now available in a new vitola, one that also comes in a metal tube.
It’s the second different toro for the line, though it will be difficult to confuse the two cigars. The AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut Toro, the existing cigar, is a 6 1/4 x 52 box-pressed toro. The new AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut Tubo is a 6 x 52 round toro. Blend-wise, the line uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut-seed wrapper over Nicaraguan tobaccos grown by AGANORSA. The line is made at the company’s factory in Nicaragua.
The AGANORSA Leaf Aniversario Connecticut Tubo has an MSRP of $19.99 and comes in boxes of 10 cigars.
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“The Aniversario Connecticut Tubo offers a perfect combination of elegance, convenience, and flavor,” said Terence Reilly, vp of sales & marketing for AGANORSA Leaf, in a press release when the cigar was announced in March. “It’s an ideal cigar for both longtime fans of the brand and smokers discovering Aganorsa for the first time.”
Charlie Minato
I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. Previously, I started TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors blogs of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry since 2010, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. Beyond writing, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff from weighing cigars to coordinating the tech. Outside of work, I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.
I am amazed by the beauty and rich history of Maine. There is so much to be shared with all the people from away. The citizens of our special state work hard and know how to play hard in all the beautiful seasons: snow sports, camping, hiking, our immense wilderness, all of this must be shared with the world.
Think of Maine’s abundant natural resources, from blueberries, apples, potatoes, lobsters and wood products to the great shipbuilding legacy. Every Mainer, regardless of party affiliation, can agree on the things that set our state apart from others.
That’s why I was so dismayed that Maine was one of a few other states opting out of the Great American Fair, the event celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary on the National Mall.
As the only true political peers of Gov. Janet Mills, Sens. Collins and King and Reps. Pingree and Golden need to let Mills know that this was not a good thing to do to our state, our industries and our people.
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This arbitrary decision was shameful. There are times in life when we have to rise above the fray, take the high and right road and not let negative emotions drive our actions. This was a doable project if delegated to groups with interests on the line to plan, organize and secure funds for exhibition costs. What a missed opportunity for us here in Maine.
Lifeguards rescued a swimmer from the water at Houghton’s Pond in Milton, Massachusetts on Friday.
Massachusetts State Police confirmed they were called to the pond at 1 p.m. When they arrived, they found that lifeguards had pulled a swimmer from the water. The victim, who was conscious and alert, was taken to the hospital for further treatment.
This is the same place an 18-year-old swimmer died after he was pulled from the water last month.
