A New York judge has harshly condemned four Hasidic students charged in connection with digging an illegal tunnel under Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, according to a report from the New York Post.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter delivered the scathing remarks after the students rejected plea deals and opted to face trial. "If these young gentlemen, if these kids think they’re exercising power over this court, they are sadly mistaken," said Perlmutter. Addressing the defendants directly, he added, "You’re a shame to your family. You’re a shame to the worldwide Chabad movement."
The case involves 13 defendants who were charged after the clandestine tunnel project was discovered beneath the iconic Chabad building. Seven defendants agreed to plea deals, admitting to lesser charges of criminal mischief, paying $200 in restitution, and committing to avoid any "destructive activity" at Chabad headquarters for the next three years.
Two others had their charges conditionally dismissed on the grounds that they avoid further tunneling activity and stay out of legal trouble for six months.
However, four defendants refused plea agreements. One of them, speaking to the Post in October, remarked that being banned from the Chabad headquarters for three years would be "worse than jail." The case has drawn widespread attention due to the unusual circumstances and the judge's pointed criticism of the students’ actions.
In December 2024, authorities uncovered an illegal tunnel beneath the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, New York, raising eyebrows within the local community.
A month later, The New York Times reported that the tunnel had been secretly initiated by a group of Jewish “extremist” students from the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. The students intended the tunnel to serve as an "expansion" of the iconic headquarters and went to extraordinary lengths to keep the project hidden.
The students reportedly started the work themselves, using basic tools and even concealing excavated dirt in their pockets to avoid detection by other members of the congregation. Eitan Kalmovich, a member of the congregation, claimed that, "Six men in their teens and twenties gathered money and hired a group of Mexican migrants to complete the work."
To maintain secrecy, the hired workers lived in an abandoned building connected to the headquarters, which included a ritual bath for men. They resided there for three months, ensuring the project was completed meticulously, even going so far as to install support beams to fortify the tunnel.
An anonymous congregation member expressed surprise at the level of discretion involved, saying, “I think it’s impressive how they kept it under wraps. Yeshiva students are highly extremist and idealistic. Some of the students are here on residency permits and come from Tzfat, a holy city in Israel considered the birthplace of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).”
* Arutz 7 contributed to this article.
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