770"  International Chabad Center in Brooklyn
770" International Chabad Center in BrooklynNati Shohat/Flash 90

A New York judge strongly criticized the Hasidic students who were charged for digging a tunnel under the Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, the New York Post reported.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter said after four of the 13 defendants demanded a trial instead of pleading guilty, “If these young gentlemen, if these kids think they’re exercising power over this court, they are sadly mistaken." He told the defendants, “You’re a shame to your family. You’re a shame to the worldwide Chabad movement.”

Two of the defendants will have their charges dismissed if they never again dig underneath the Chabad headquarters and are able to keep out of trouble for six months. Seven of the remaining defendants pleaded guilty to lower criminal mischief misdemeanor charges and agreed to pay a restitution of $200. They also agreed not to engage in any more "destructive activity" at the Chabad headquarters for the next three years.

However, four defendants refused to engage in plea deals. One of the defendants told the Post in October that being banned from the Chabad headquarters for three years would be "worse than jail."

In December 2024, an illegal tunnel was discovered underneath the Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, New York.

The following month, The New York Times reported that a group Jewish "extremist" students from the Chabad-Lubavitch movement began the work to build the tunnel, which was intended to "expand" the headquarters.

They used just simple tools and bare hands and put the dirt into their pockets to avoid other members of the congregation noticing the tunnel.

Eitan Kalmovich, a congregation member, commented that, "Six men in their teens and twenties gathered money and hired a group of Mexican migrants to finish the work."

The workers lived in an abandoned building that included a ritual bath for men in the Chabad world headquarters for the duration of the project to help ensure secrecy. They lived there for three months and ensured the work was completed correctly, even installing support beams.

Another member of the congregation, who requested to stay anonymous, commented, "I was surprised at the amount of secrecy involved. 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, thought to be the birthplace of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism)."