FACT FOCUS: Discovery of a tunnel at a Chabad synagogue spurs false claims and conspiracy theories

Earlier DU threads:
• A secret tunnel in a NYC synagogue leads to a brawl between police and worshippers
• So why were those yeshiva students digging a tunnel at Chabad headquarters?
• Hidden Passageway Beneath New York Chabad Building Drives Chaos and Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories

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Source: Associated Press

FACT FOCUS: Discovery of a tunnel at a Chabad synagogue spurs false claims and conspiracy theories

BY MELISSA GOLDIN
Updated 5:50 PM EST, January 10, 2024

News of a brawl between police and worshippers on Monday over a secret underground tunnel found connected to a historic Brooklyn synagogue was picked up quickly on social media, with posts spreading baseless claims about the passage, many laced with antisemitism.

The conflict at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City, which serves as the center of an influential Hasidic Jewish movement, began when a cement truck arrived to seal the tunnel’s opening. Proponents of the tunnel then staged a protest and ripped off the wooden siding of the synagogue. Police called to the scene ultimately arrested nine people.

Those supporting the tunnel said they were carrying out an “expansion” plan long envisioned by the former head of the movement, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. But that hasn’t stopped a proliferation of social media posts falsely suggesting the passage is proof of illicit activities such as child sex trafficking.

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CLAIM: The tunnel is connected to a local children’s museum.

THE FACTS: The tunnel does not connect to the Jewish Children’s Museum, which is located across the street from Chabad’s headquarters.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/synagogue-tunnel-fact-check-30dea243e1619716f8274ebc7f596f5c