NEW YORK — The illegal tunnel discovered beneath a historic synagogue in Brooklyn threatened the stability of several structures surrounding the religious complex, prompting an eviction order and fines against the owners, city officials said.
Inspectors from New York City’s Construction Safety Department discovered a tunnel 60 feet (18.3 meters) long and 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide beneath Chabad-Lubavitch’s global headquarters in Crown Heights. It connected four buildings owned by the Hasidic group through openings in the basement walls.
The excavation work was done without the approval of the Department of Buildings, spokesman Andrew Rudansky said in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday. He said the tunnel was empty except for dirt, tools and debris.
The findings came after a two-day investigation into the structural stability of the complex, an internationally revered Hasidic Jewish center that on Monday became the site of a brawl between police and worshipers trying to defend the tunnel.
The chaotic standoff drew public attention to a long-simmering division within the community tied to the dynasty’s longtime leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994. Those who supported the tunnel’s construction said they believe Schneerson is the Messiah, that he is still alive and that he supports an expansion of the synagogue. The messianic vision is rejected by Chabad administrators.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman for Chabad, said the underground passage was built by a group of “young agitators” who sought unauthorized access to the synagogue. When Chabad officials tried to seal the openings Monday, worshipers in the tunnel refused to leave until they were dragged out by police.
Nine people were arrested, including some who used crowbars to tear off the synagogue’s wood paneling, according to a police report.
Levi Huebner, a lawyer for five of the arrested men, said his clients may have suffered from a “little bit of naivete” but had no intention of structurally damaging the building.
“I am 100% certain that they would not come anywhere close and would not do anything to disturb the foundation of the synagogue in any way,” Huebner said.
City inspectors said the excavation had undermined the stability of two one-story buildings behind the synagogue. An adjacent two-story brick building containing offices and lecture halls used by Chabad was also evacuated due to the illegal removal of fire-resistant walls in the building’s basement. They said the synagogue building had not been destabilized. It remains closed to worshippers.
Rudansky said the department has cited the synagogue for the illegal digging that created the tunnel, but confirmed that the owners are taking the appropriate steps to repair the tunnel.
On Wednesday evening, construction crews began pouring concrete into the passageway, Seligson said.
“This episode has been very painful for us and the entire Jewish community,” he said. “We look forward to seeing the synagogue’s sanctity restored and its light continuing to radiate to the world.”
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Andrew Rudansky’s name, which in one instance was misspelled as “Rundansky.”