© CrownHeights.info
No, we really aren't joking. Not an Israeli replica of 770 in Eretz Yisroel [SOTT Editor: "Land of Israel]. 770 Eastern Parkway, the Headquarters of Lubavitch [SOTT Editor: Lubavitch is another name for Chabad, alternatively Chabad-Lubavitch, an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Source: Wiki] in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, United States.
The accidental discovery happened nearly three weeks ago after a series of incidents rang alarm bells with the Gabboim [SOTT Editor: "Synagogue wardens"] of 770.
A Union Street homeowner who spoke with CrownHeights.info said that they had been hearing suspicious noises at night in their home for a period of time. As the noise continued, the concerned homeowner notified someone of the sounds and their suspicion.
Around the same time, construction work was underway placing new plumbing near 770. As the work neared completion, a trench was dug to lay a waterline and the surprised workers were shocked to find what appeared to be a tunnel underground, according to a source familiar with the incident.
Putting the pieces together, one of the workers in 770 investigated and got the shock of his life when he discovered the tunnel, burrowed from the Mikvah on the corner of Union Street and Kingston Ave. The tunnel allegedly extended from the Mikvah [SOTT Editor: "Ritual bath"] under the Kingston Ave women's section of 770, where it exited into the building.
While details on the tunnel remain scarce, and with some rumors spreading, it appears that a group of bochurim began digging around six months ago in an attempt to "expand 770".
Working at night for an extended period of time, the bochurim [SOTT Editor: "Group of young men", see details in the comment below] began digging from the Mikvah building and hollowed out a tunnel that sounds eerily similar to those used by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The tunnel, while "amateurish" managed to extend all the way to 770 where it burrowed under the Kingston Ave women's section, possibly destabilizing it.
Comment: 'Bochurim is a Hebrew word that is derived from the root word "bachur," which means "young man." Bochurim is the plural form of bachur, and it is used to describe a group of young men who are typically between the ages of 18 and 25.' - Source: Word Wiki
Shocked and horrified at what was found, the 770 Gabboim made the decision to close off the now possibly unsafe women's section to the public as decisions are made on how to secure the building.
With the tunnel discovered, the parties involved will now have to grapple with some difficult questions such as who will be responsible for the damage caused by the tunnel? Will criminal charges have to be brought against the bochurim? With the 770 building still under dispute, those questions will become exponentially more complicated.
Calls made by CrownHeights.info to the Gabboim of 770 with a request for comment went unanswered.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article included an assumption that work on the tunnel began during COVID, an assumption that has proven to be wrong. CrownHeights.info has confirmed through a neighbor who had access to the Mikvah that as of six months ago no work on the tunnel had begun. The article has been corrected to show the accurate information.
If you want the full, well-researched story that lines up with the facts (whodunnit, when, and where the tunnel went) and the seemingly absurd claim that it was to "expand the shul," then read this thread. [Link]
The TL;DR is that this is in-fact a turf war between young Israeli fanatic followers of this Hasidic branch (aka cult) and the adult leaders of the movement, which is actually leader-less since the late 90s when their leader died.