The truth behind the NYC Chabad tunnels sparking new waves of antisemitism - explainer

While the tunnels breathed new life into old antisemitic conspiracies, the reality was that a group of students had decided to take 770's expansion into their own hands.

By LUKE TRESS/JTA, DANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Updated: JANUARY 14, 2024 14:20
A tunnel shaft discovered in Shejaia, Gaza City, in a photo taken December 9, 2023 (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
A tunnel shaft discovered in Shejaia, Gaza City, in a photo taken December 9, 2023
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Footage of New York Jews appearing from tunnels surrounding Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, known as 770, quickly circulated online. Alongside the videos were countless antisemitic theories, many of which referenced “sewer Jews,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. So, why were the tunnels really there?

Some of the students at the Chabad had secretly constructed tunnels connecting 770 with adjacent buildings in an attempt to expand the center. After Chabad was made aware of the damage caused by the young men, the buildings administrators tried to repair the damage which was met with further damage by the young men, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported. 

As the dispute between the administrators and students continued, the NYPD was brought in. Nine people were arrested and three were cited for disorderly conduct during the commotion, JTA published.

The tunnel had been discovered a month before the commotion, with public attention only now being grabbed as a result of the violent reaction to repairing the damage.

Investigators uncovered “a single linear underground tunnel” approximately the length of a bowling alley that had been illegally excavated, the buildings department told the New York Jewish Weekly.

New York view from the Hudson and Statue of Liberty. (credit: INGIMAGE)
New York view from the Hudson and Statue of Liberty. (credit: INGIMAGE)

Those who dug the tunnel had created several openings in the basement walls of the single-story building. It wasn’t immediately clear how much of the tunnel had been excavated from the ground, and how much was formed by making openings in existing rooms.

The tunnel had rudimentary supports in place and was constructed without approval or permits. City engineers said the excavation had undermined the building above it, as well as another building on Kingston Avenue, causing structural stability issues. The Department of Buildings issued partial vacate orders for both buildings due to safety concerns.

The department said other neighboring structures were unaffected and could be reoccupied, apparently meaning that the synagogue itself was secure.

“The safety of our fellow New Yorkers is our highest priority,” the department said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the progress of this emergency stabilization work, and if necessary, we are ready to take additional actions that may be required in the interest of public safety.”

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Chabad Chairman Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky issued a statement on X on behalf of 770, stating “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.”

‘Sewer Jews,’ and old antisemitic tropes

While social media posts seem to have been made with only the intention of laughing at a somewhat bizarre occurrence, the footage seemed to breathe new life into old tropes that Jews traffic, abuse, and ritualistically kill children, the ADL said. Antisemitic online pages have peddled lies that items belonging to babies were found in the tunnels and that the attempts to fill in the tunnels were to hide evidence.

The ADL added that others used the tunnels as an excuse to claim that Jews had disproportionate power and that they could do whatever they wanted without permits.

Others connected the tunnels in New York to the terror tunnels dug by Hamas, some stating that the Hamas tunnels were for self-defense while the Jews had some kind of nefarious plan.

“Users on 4chan, Telegram and X used generative artificial intelligence tools, or GAI, to generate images of the incident. Some content was hyper-realistic, falsely depicting actual documentation of the tunnels,” the ADL wrote. “Other content manifested as grotesque antisemitic propaganda, portraying religious Jews in the form of antisemitic caricatures or rats, carrying bloodied children and mattresses.”

In one heavily disputed viral X post, a man had previously claimed to be hearing Yiddish under his floorboards.

Online users have said that the posts cannot be found on his profile and that screenshots of the posts are doctored. In addition, the account had never posted about living in Crown Heights before the story broke, and he has posted several antisemitic and racist content. 



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