Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Machne Yisroel at Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters, Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters has issued a statement regarding the vandalism of 770 Eastern Parkway which occurred on Monday.
Footage of the breached Shul wall as well as the subsequent closure of the shul by police, has been widely shared.
The full statement appears below:
STATEMENT BY CHABAD-LUBAVITCH HEADQUARTERS
The Chabad-Lubavitch community is pained by the vandalism of a group of young agitators who damaged the synagogue below Chabad Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway Monday night.
These odious actions will be investigated, and the sanctity of the synagogue will be restored. Our thanks to the NYPD for their professionalism and sensitivity.
We are grateful for the outpouring of concern, and for the support of our Chabad-Lubavitch institutions around the world.
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky
Chairman
More of the same, nothing being done. Send these guys back home. What stopping them from doing it again??
These agitators have been agitating for many years. There should’ve been an order in place long ago. Rabbi Krinsky and company please restore order. If you would like to import kvutza groups please install proper guidelines for them to qualify and maintain their benefits. Proper testing and proper participation of sedarim should be mandatory with zero exceptions. Anybody unable to qualify for these guidelines should not be allowed to participate in anyway. There should be a proper ID system in place for the dormitories and the food halls. If you do not do this you are welcoming this type of… Read more »
As a devoted Mishichist, I firmly believe that our actions in expanding 770 are not only justified but are a crucial step in preparing for the imminent arrival of Moshiach. The Rebbe, our dear leader and the Moshiach himself, initiated the groundbreaking for this expansion in 1988, laying down a clear path for us to follow. This was not merely a physical expansion; it was a divine directive, a preparation for the era of Moshiach. For too long, the stagnation and inaction surrounding 770, caused by endless political and legal battles, have hindered our spiritual progress and readiness. Our community’s… Read more »
You are using Torah and Chassidus to justify vandalism of holy property that does not belong to you. You are making a chilul Hashem, and a chilul Lubavitch, Instead of learning, saying tehillim, or doing mivtzoyim, you are destroying the Rebbe’s holy place. It’s disgraceful, and you can see that the terrible result is in exact proportion to your abuse of this makom kadosh. For shame!!!!
Try to justify being violent and destructive as being in line with the Rebbe’s vision. The Rebbe never condoned violence and destruction. Go to satmar and you’ll b at home with this behavior. NOT in Chabad.
Satmar would not tolerate such behavior
You’ve got to be either delusional or a hypocrite to state that this is what the Rebbe has in mind.
….But for havaye’s sake, don’t you dare damage the house of our holy Rebbe – king moshiach.
As a devoted chosid of the rebbe I firmly believe what the rebbe said about building and expanding private houses especially in CH therefore beware my friend I will be digging under your house and expanding it if I come through in middle of the night don’t be scared it’s just me following the rebbe’s horaos.
What is this drivel? A parody? Or an intellectual excercise of playing devils advocate? Because this is not the time and place. The Rebbes shul and the Rebbe himself have been dishonored. Our spiritual center has been violated and vandalised. Holy walls and holy texts have been destroyed. These actions are not new to us as a people, but they are usually done to us by our worst enemies. We have learned to pick ourselves up, move forward and rebuild in the face of our enemies. But can we do the same in the face of ourselves? The chillul Hashem… Read more »
He also said that we will get the land if the Kini, Kenizi and Kadmoni. No one is going thrre and building houses. Why? They don’t have permission ( and it may be dangerous).
the rebbe said those would be given to us – now let the ‘powers that be’ give us the expansion versus filling it with cement!
770 should be expanded, but this is NOT the way to do things.
B”H
While it’s not ideal, you have to admit that nothing was being done about it before this point!
You don’t bring the geula with vandalism.
we expanded the shul. the paneling alone is 2ft wasted along the length. this is hundreds of people during tishrei!!
The expansion and modernisation of 770 is a long overdue project which is supported by all in Lubavitch.
The violent destruction of the walls in a totally unauthorised manners by young men acting like hooligans is an outrage and cannot be justified.
Invoking the name of the Rebbe, may his merit protect us, to justify these actions is blasphemy, odious and repugnant.
Chabad Lubavitch as movement has been dealt a severe blow of credibility, we will need to find a path through the darkness back to the light.
May HaShem Bless all those undertaking this process.
We need Moshiach now.
B”H
It’s my ai different than the other expansion of the new room they added in the women’s section, no city permits were acquired, just some young adults got together and hired a crew to do it.
This is very similar, but with a lower budget.
I agree ideally it should all be official, legal and under merkos, but what was being done about it until now?
The Rebbe wanted projects done properly and beautiful. This is not proper or beautiful.
B”H
Better than not doing it at all
Firstly cut the baloney can you picture the rebbe approving of such behavior? Secondly do you really believe that vandalism and Chilul Hashem are ways to bring Mosiach closer? If you are talking about the spiritual level do you have a clear Halachic basis for such behavior? Did you ask a rav first? To give you a piece of advice from the Rebbe Rayatz. He told someone I know as a bochur. (loosely translated from the way it was said in Yiddish to that person) “Chasidus can bring you very high, but you always need to keep yourself tied down… Read more »
The Rebbe laid the cornerstone in shnas habinyan, 5749. After that, there was construction at 770. For a long time, people had to pass through makeshift wooden areas to get into 770. This was probably done with the Rebbe’s approval for the shnas habinyan.
This is silly. Don’t cause needless division and agitation. How do you know, maybe in the future you will think it is necessary to bulldoze the whole synagogue? Your intentions are good but reckless.
A REFUAH SHLEIMA
please call a psychiatrist
Great Avoda!!!
I’m sorry, the Rebbe never said to turn around tables, brake walls and to do things without legal permission. Did you ask your Mashpia, you mentioned you have spiritual reasons, I understand that there is a reason to expand 779 and certainly to make it a little nicer, but causing a chilul Hashem is definitely not the way the Rebbe wanted things. Would you have done that in front of the Rebbe? Never! Our job as chassidim and for Jews in general is to make a kiddush Hashem, braking walls is a good example how not to do this. I… Read more »
B”H
The entire shul has been under illegal leadership for at least a decade.
The other expansion in the women’s section was also totally illegal with no city permits
This is a disaster, but people need to take this as a wake up call, showing us all what really has been happening this whole time.
Hopefully this will inspire change and legal leadership of 770
I am sure you have never seen the REBBE. Thats why you live in your imagination. You are totally off! Not by desecrating the REBBE’S shul
and endangering the safety of all who are inside are you paving the way
for the redemption. You need a healthy Mashpia to help you understand
what the REBBE wants from you. Refuah Shleimah Bekorov for you and
those who think like you!
An expansion that could cause harm to others if the whole thing collapses?! If it’s not safe it’s not holy work!! Throwing benches and walking on tables with gemaras on them is making mashiach come faster? I am 1 million percent sure that with this chilul haShem you pushed him away! Not to mention caused harm to the entire klal Israel. Because people are gonna use these peoples behavior as an excuse to be antisemitic. When are we gonna get every single one of us represents the entire Jewish people. That’s how people see us. That’s what I call sheep… Read more »
Did you ever see the Rebbe? Just because you have problems it doesn’t mean you should blame it on the Rebbe. Get help!
As soon as you call yourself a mishechist any bar daas stops reading, mishechism is for low iq lunatics, and mishechisten can never be taken seriously, arois fun Lubavitch
ChatGPT 🖐️
אוקיי. סליחה שאני כותב בעברית. באנגלית זה פשוט נהפך במחשב שלי ל’מחוק’. לא!! בשום אופן! אני כותב בגלל ahavas isroel. אתה חב”דניק??? יותר נכון לשאול קודם: אתה יהודי דתי? (חבד מבוססת ויושבת על מסורת של 3000 שנה, של עם ישראל לשבטיו.) מה זה הטירוף הזה?? אני מצטער, הדיבור הזה ספציפית הוא כמו של אדם מטורף. משיח זה לא להרוס את העולם! משיח מגיע לתקן את העולם. בעדינות אופיינית, בחמלה, בנחת, בדרכי נועם. הרבי מדגיש שוב ושוב שהגאולה מגיעה בצורה של לקחת את העולם הקיים ולהאיר את הטוב החבוי בו. אנחנו מוחים על הפיכת היהדות בכלל, ובכלל זה משיח, למשהו קיצוני… Read more »
I was also shocked when I heard this happened. But I was raised at home to always see the good in EVERY JEW!! I was taught NOT to JUDGE! Not just for non religious Jews, but even lubavitchers… and even tzfatim. After a little investigation… Do you know how 770 was expanded downstairs originally? Well the askanim were talking for years about expanding and expanding but never did anything So a bunch of bochurim went and knocked down walls and that’s how the renovations started. Bochurim have always been the crazy ones… also before 3 tammuz. Right now when there… Read more »
Stop calling them ‘bochurim’. They have not earned this name. They are lucky that the ezras nashim did not cave in and injure or hurt people. You have completely lost the thread.
The chilul they have caused cannot b looked at with a good eye. Their barbaric behavior has been going on for years and needs to be stopped ! We can’t afford one more person getting hurt cuz of them.
The chillul Hashem is also because of the strong reaction and hate against the bochurim.
You’ll get it once Aguch takes back 770…along with many other necessary changes
Were you also taught that one is not allowed to vandalize? There may be a dispute about who is in charge but were any of these people approached for permission? You don’t need to love evil behavior.
were never meant to be in 770. theyre meant to be in chovevei
The bochurim did it then with full coordination of the Gaboim. In fact the Gaboim themselves were working together with th Bochurim
This is wrong. The expansion didn’t happen because crazy kids broke down a wall. They broke to wall to connect the two spaces for Tishrei. This was after construction had been done.
and the crooked marketeers have twisted this into “destroying 770” im surprised people swallow this kind of blatant lying.
“The main shul of 770 has long been the subject of a legal dispute between Agudas Chassidei Chabad / Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and Cong. Lubavitch Inc. over who is the rightful owner of the 770-788 Eastern Parkway complex. Bochurim have long had free reign in the main shul, even violently barring some from entering.”
Sad that these organizations would rather fight each to the death rather than get together and agree how to manage 770 for the benefit of everyone.
There’s a story about this on the Arutz Sheva Hebrew site this morning, (inn). The comments are not as many as here, but very similar in tone. I thought I would add it in case people think there is a “machlokes” on either side of the ocean. There isn’t.
This sobering statement must be followed by substantial action.
Chabad Lubavitch World HQ needs to demonstrate that they are not only capable but are willing to implement fundamental change to how 770 is run and managed.
The recent wild and violent actions of the young hooligans are the outcome of a system out of control.Such aberrant behaviour does not occur in a vacuum.
The lawlessness witnessed of recent times can never be tolerated again
But the problem isn’t coming from just a bunch of young hooligans but rather those that brought them here in the first place.. and they are much more established
B”H
Not established enough
Put these guys in orange jumpsuits and make them fill the holes with their own hands. Then take away their visas and put them on a plane.
Make rules for those who want to come and make sure to keep an eye on those who come and one slight demeanor and they go back on the plane.
I firmly do believe this is not a case of mesira . These boys cause financial and emotional damage to ppl. They have already been released sadly. They should have been put in a plane in jfk
It’s high time for us to name who is really behind this outrage. There a group of people whom have been supporting these crazies. These guys need to be know to the entire lubavitch community. They should be thrown out together with these bums. These bums have no regard for halacha kedusha or the rebbes shul. Shame on everyone whom is silent!
The whole internet now believes there’s some criminal conspiracy happening at 770. Like there isn’t enough antisemitism right now already.
These animals (it’s too polite to call them bochurim) need to pay not just for the damage done to the building but to Chabad and klal yisroel as a whole.
How that will be taken care of is beyond me. Maybe now that 770s crazies went public something will get those “in charge” to actually act.
B”H
Yes I was hoping something would be done, hopefully this is a wake up call to get it all fixed and under normal control.
I e had several texts about this from Jews and non Jews. So embarrassing
More than the bochurim, what caused the antisemitism was the extreme reaction, publicizing the hate, calling the police, comments like yours. People outside have not context for what happened. When negative things are publicized, it’s out of our hands. Now things are much worse.
We don’t need more criminals in Crown Heights.
This is the fault of the Lubavitch Yeshiva management. They sign them up as students and give them student visa I21, so they can travel here for the year. The Yeshiva makes money.
I’m not going to get into all the details but the i20s aren’t coming from central lubavitch yeshivah
Kvhtuza itself should cease as institution. The Rebbe asked that this happen YEARS AGO.
How wonderful, as a Shlucha in a very secular community , to wake up to community members sending me videos of complete craziness in 770. How on earth do I answer them.
By telling them that these kids are misguided fools.
all you’re concerned with is how it’ll make you look, chabad look?
tell them to focus on achtus and ahavas yisroel and bringing Moshiach..
…on being shomer shabbos, kosher vs “just do a mitzvah”
change the conversation, would be my suggestion
That you are not responsible for every bit of craziness that happens in the world. Our shlichus and tafkid is to spread light. Not to make fancy parties and raise money, but to spread the light and warmth of Torah and Chassidus. Ana poalei d’yemama anan. If anyone asks you about the craziness at 770 you can tell them straightforward that you’re not familiar with all the details and you have no idea what their thought process was for breaking walls in the shul. But that your job and mission is to keep sharing the light of Torah which has… Read more »
It’s embarrassing and puts us regular normal Jews in a difficult place.
The problem is that they think that crown heights is a shtetl but it is not,
It is visited by untold people
Jews and non jews
I shudder to think what the Rebbe is feeling now 😢
You answer them by saying every Community have their crazies. Some are doing drugs, murdering I’m sure you community have issues too etc.
These guys are the crazy ppl of Chabad. How about you go focus on all the good Chabad ppl and not on the few mental people who need professional help.
Is that the crazies are brought in by the ones in charge of 770 and people think we’re the ones in charge
You must explain that they are trying to expand 770. When you say they are crazy, anti-semites took it to mean that they dug underground tunnels where they are smuggling and trafficking. The lack of context has made this so much worse :((((((
You don’t have to read collive for an answer. You ask your Mashpia.
My question also
These kids need the structure and training
Send them to the IDF, they do a good job giving structure to young men with lots of energy. At least it will go to the cause of protecting Jewish lives, instead of endangering them.
Yes. They should be sent back to Eretz Yisrael asap and channel fierce abilities to fight in the IDF.
There they can use their “understanding of tunnels” and breaking walls to help the heroic chayalim that are risking and giving their lives for us and for them. They will learn excellent structure and training and use it for a Kiddush Hashem. If they don’t want to join the IDF Israel will take the matter in their own hands, בית כלא. There they will learn structure and training and they can sit and learn and bring Kedusha there.
Then they’ll build more tunnels in gaza instead of fighting
“The synagogue below Chabad Headquarters”, that’s how you refer to the Rebbe’s shul?
Chabad-Lubavitch is “pained”, is it? How about showing a little outrage? Where is the leadership? This is outrageous!
“The sanctity of the synagogue will be restored” – tell us how?
For the outrageous Chillul Hashem . This story is being reported far and wide in the non Jewish world at a time when we are fighting for our lives in EY . We need security outside 770 with names and pictures on a DO NOT ADMIT list ! When I was at the Ohel security came to make sure we didnt say Mazal Tov too loud after an engagement… and on the flip side we have this in 770 . How shameful.
There is no context for vandalism to property that does not belong to you. This is Hamas language.
BEAT THESE PERPETRATORS TO A PULP AND SEND THEM BACK HOME. WE NEED THE FULL FORCE OF THE LAW TO RAIN DOWN ON THEM.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
AGUCH RABBONIM ASKONIM
TAKE BACK THE REBBES SHUL & BRING IN HEAVY ARMED 24/7 SECURITY.
“Maarbe tvuos bkoach Shor”
While their counterparts in Israel are busy battling for the safety of EY, these kids are endangering themselves and others.
What a mild statement. The identities of the “young agitators” are obviously already known — they’re thoroughly familiar with this building and part of one of the communities that uses it. And if not, there are ample photos and video footage showing them.
These would not be called “young agitators” if they were an outside group coming in and destroying a synagogue sanctuary! These were men, grown men with status as such in Judaism and under the law. Not youngsters. What a shanda.
But that’s why it’s so mild. They know are dealing with much bigger forces and dealing with them takes a huge amount of energy that could be used for helping others instead
What these crazy bochurim and the community of crown heights need to know is,
this piece of embarrassing news has reached the non Jewish news,
It’s a embarrassment and a scandal
The damage has been done now we have to repair it.
How can we bring moshiach like this ? Derech eretz comes first before anything else.
Extreme cult-like people do NOT represent Chabad and should not be running 770 with all their shenanigans. PERIOD. It’s time to give 770 back to the Rebbe and Lubavitch.
Unfortunately
Every Single Individual belonging in any way/shape/form to this insane/destructive group must be legally dealt with to the full extent of the law
Let them enroll in the IDF and put their energy in a productive/constructing channel
They clearly are not interested in learning or practicing what they supposed to be learning
They are mostly coming from EY where they have the option to learn or to serve and they’re doing neither here. So they should go back home and join the IDF.
Please make peace with gabboim and stop (both of you) on throwing millions of dollars on attorneys and legal fees to the garbage!!
The claim: There wasn’t much we could do last night except stand by in horror. Really? If a thug is breaking into your house or car, wouldn’t you grab a baseball bat and start swinging?? Because it is YOUR house and you wouldn’t “stand by in horror” doing nothing. Why didn’t 100 yungerleit storm into 770 with baseball bats and start swinging??? Because…it wasn’t our house. We felt no achrayus. Shame on us! And guess what? If these hooligans knew that 100 yungerleit are coming with baseball bats – they wouldn’t attack 770. But sadly they know that the community… Read more »
The gaboim and especially y y kratz, who makes million of dollars illegally off of running this shul, should be held accountable for this horrific chilul Hashem.
All this terror going on for years with their permission and compliance.
shame on them and shame on us as a community for not standing up for the Rebbe’s honor for decades.
Its a hate crime
Many comments here hint that the young hooligans were not American. There is a rumor that they are from Tzfat. Does anyone know for absolute certain that this is true or is it loshen hara?
Trespass them. Sooooo easy an answer. They put lives in danger.
בס”בס”ד a few points. i am old and remember several additions, consolidations to enlarge 770. there are several buildings as part of the structure. you should note the high steel columns have brackets about mid point in height. Thats where there were floors for the then apartment building. The floors also served as lateral support. there was some engineering adjustment to support the remaining floors, walls, roof, etc. what did these savage morons do to support the physical integratity of 770? nothing.they dont know anything, they just yell. enough. they should not be free from achrious because they are “students”.… Read more »
The only one responsible for the wild youngsters, is the ULY headquarters Rabbi Labkovsky who gives these non-US kids an Affidavit to get a Visa.
Non of these hoodlums would be in 770, without Rabbi Labkovsky’s Affidavit for their Visas.
The Blame falls squarely on Rabbi Labkovsky for not getting these hoodlums deported, to dig tunnels in Gaza, instead.
As a recently returned Jew with a foot in many worlds this is extremely disturbing and confusing. I have no idea of the reason for the conflict. I do know that I love Chabad, however this shakes my faith in this organization and tarnishes the Rebbes memory and legacy. I will always be a Jew. But there are lots of other Jewish organizations and it will be hard to bring others to Chabad for a period of time till this is forgotten. I am a big supporter of the United States and the NYC Police. It pains me to see… Read more »
I don’t agree at all with what the bochurim did. But we need to put on a united front for the public. The antisemitism that this situation caused is not just from the digging. It’s from the fighting, and from statements like this letter which publicize the discord. We need to resolve matters diplomatically, among yourselves. No need for public letters. How can they not understand how much worse this type of reaction makes it?