Brooklyn, NY – Over 100 Chassidic Lubavitch Jews from Israel who are visiting their rabbi in Crown Heights during the High Holy Day period have found themselves without a place to stay after the New York City Department of Buildings evicted them from an illegally converted basement at 899 Montgomery Street, according to a report by NY1 News (http://bit.ly/SpiRS1).
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The Buildings Department padlocked the premises and told the Chassidim to vacate after learning that the building’s owner, Clean Realty, had converted the basement into a makeshift hotel containing foam mattresses, wooden beds, and luggage.
Neighborhood residents were shocked that there were people living there, even on a temporary basis. “That’s putting people at risk,” said one resident. “And what kind of people [are] they putting in there?” Another neighbor said, “You see how things happen in front of your face, you don’t know what’s going on. I knew something was fishy though.”
An employee of Clean Realty said the owner unlocks the basement door each year during this time to accommodate overseas visitors. The Chassidim said they had no qualms about sleeping in a basement with no egress in case of a fire. “God should help,” explained one man. “Once the Messiah will come, we’ll have this whole building.”
The visitors said they were certain they will find another place to reside, but declined to say where.
“who are visiting their rabbi in Crown Heights” I didn’t know channel 1 is also Meshichist.
Whoever is responsible for this should go to jail. What if they were all killed or there were a gas leak? How do we let this happen to our kinder??? This happens in my neighborhood too where dozens of boys sleep in the basement in sleeping bags and there is only one exit. They would all perish, yet the town does nothing.
Oneo f them said they had no qualms about sleeping in a basement with no egress in case of fire. “God will help.” Don’t these people know that halacha forbids placing oneself in danger? Kudos to the City of New York for enforcing the law. Chabad should ber more responsible and not allow this dangerous, illegal chillul Hashem to happen in the first place.
Makeshift hotel???? This is pure hachnosas orchim. The owner let’s bochrim crash for tishrei taking away their place to stay means that that will be homeless (ie sleeping on shul benches) until after succos
The Chassidim said they had no qualms about sleeping in a basement with no egress in case of a fire. “God should help,” explained one man.
show the world your ignorance god does not say put yourself in danger don’t worry i will save you
Relax, people! What is the big deal. People always put up others in their basement which is a legal cellar. This all stems from neighbors who don’t want this element nearby.
“Once the Messiah will come, we’ll have this whole building.”
ok… fine. We will be in E’Y and you will be sleeping on a piece of foam in Crown Heights. have fun.
It is dangerous.
And when has Crown Heights become E”Y>?? “When Moshiach comes we’ll have the whole building?” Um, I don’t know about you but when I read about the ingathering of the exiles I dont mean to NY>
It’s a good thing the NYC Building Dept wasn’t in Uman a couple of weeks ago!! 🙂
Git Yom Tov!!
I am not in favor of ignoring any dangerous code violations.
Now, after this start by NYC, let us see DOB enforce against the tens of thousands of illegally split up 1, 2 and 3 family homes that have as many as ten seperate units. These conversions are just as dangerous and NYC is very aware of them. Look at any home in Bed-Stuy or Canarsie and it is obvious.
“Once the Messiah will come, we’ll have this whole building.” This is the mentality that generations of frum men are nurtured with. How can you expect them to respect rule of law, follow building and financial laws when they’re taught to believe that the world is theirs and they can do anything because Moshiach will give everything to them. And then people start scratching their heads when so much illegal and criminal activity happens in these God fearing communities. We focus too much on ritual practice and loopholes to evade them but we spend less time on moral and ethical education in yeshivos.
Messiah is going to come so you get the whole building? Wow. What a messiah! The building code for your aperature of need messiah.
There is more danger walking accross the street. Cudos to the owner for allowing hachnosas orchim which many seem to forget is our main mitzvah of our first patriach Avrohom. You can tell a Yid by Bishonim, Rachmonim and Gomlai Chasodim…. Do you realy tell your gests, if you can’t afford a hotel, stay home?
Now VIN readers and the rest of the frum world sees what normal Lubavitchers have to deal with.