New Square, NY – Letter: Spitzer Sought Mischief, Not Murder, in Rottenberg Attack

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    New Square, NY – A community group has circulated a letter claiming Shaul Spitzer just wanted to make mischief on the early May morning that he’s accused of trying to kill a dissident resident and burn down the man’s house with his family inside.

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    Spitzer, 18, is charged with trying to kill Aron Rottenberg, 43, who defied Skver Grand Rebbe David Twersky by not praying at the rabbi’s synagogue in the village.

    Three board members of the New Square Kehila issued a “special letter for Skver followers and friends.” The Kehila deals with charity and other communal affairs.

    The letter-writers state that after gathering the facts, “the most important thing we have learned is that the teenage boy did not intend to harm anyone.”

    They argue that the incendiary device went off when Rottenberg went after Spitzer, who is accused of tossing one device on the back porch.

    “He never wanted to burn a house with five people inside,” the letter says. “His design was mischief on Lag Be’omer night, not arson.”

    The Lag Be’omer holiday involves lighting bonfires to honor the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is linked to a Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire. In Israel, the holiday is celebrated as a symbol of the fighting Jewish spirit.

    The letter condemns violence, says Rottenberg was unjustly attacked, calls for community peace and says “disagreements in a community have to be solved by adults with reason, not by teenage boys with mischief.”

    The letter staunchly defends Twersky and the New Square Hasidic Jewish community against criticism and ridicule.

    Read full article at The Journal News. The letter here


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    38 Comments
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    Track5
    Track5
    12 years ago

    We don’t know what indented To do, we know what he did,and his act is not acceptable no difference what his intention were,And there were a couple houses that burned down prior to the lag homer incident,and the skever rebbi is the commander of chief of skver,so he supposed To condemn this attacks,and he didn’t, so he has to take the full responsibility.

    VeyIzMir
    VeyIzMir
    12 years ago

    Mischief with gasoline and matches? Ummmmmm…….. Not!

    think
    think
    12 years ago

    Yea yea… Blah blah…
    Shame on u so called rabbis and shame on u new square,
    Isn’t the halacha that u have to hear both sides before u give out a letter (psak halcha), was Mr Rotenberg there??

    shtill
    shtill
    12 years ago

    The fact that Spitzer had no muderous intentions are probably true and very believable. I just fail to see how this letter changes anything. It does not address the alleged terrorization of a family for months. It also does not address how a teenager learning in yeshiva can stoop so low and what will be done to avoid such acts in the future.

    Flgroup
    Flgroup
    12 years ago

    Not even one person even in New Square believe this letter,

    newtransplant
    newtransplant
    12 years ago

    You sure that shouldn’t read ‘three ‘bored’ members……

    12 years ago

    “The letter staunchly defends Twersky and the New Square Hasidic Jewish community against criticism and ridicule.”

    Of course. Blame the victim as usual. Unfortunately, the Feds were advised to stay away and they listened due to political pressure from above.

    shosh
    shosh
    12 years ago

    Regardless of the intent he has to accept the consequence of his actions.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    12 years ago

    “His design was mischief on Lag Be’omer night, not arson.”
    How stupid do these Skvere think people are to believe this lame attempt to excuse what was clearly an intent by Spitzer to intimidiate Rottenberg and possibly inflict fatal harm. Fortunately, the prosecutor has indicated he will vigorously prosecute the case and seek the maximum sentence. Hopefully, spitzer will spend much of the rest of his life in prison for what he has done and so that none of Twersky’s other followers ever again engages in such “mischief”.

    Ari48
    Ari48
    12 years ago

    Being that I am in the New Square mailing list , I received the letter this week , the fact that there are many spelling and grammar mistakes in the letter makes me believe that the letter was not sent out by New Square , they would never send out a letter like this that is doing more harm them good !! The Lag Bomer mischief story is a farce that no one would believe anyway !!

    Sherree
    Sherree
    12 years ago

    The question should be asked, if mischief was his intent then why Rottenberg’s house? And had he done it to someone else’s house or to the shul, would they still come to the same conclusion and write the same letter?

    SHOU-B
    SHOU-B
    12 years ago

    Is the next ploy is to claim insanity ? This is NOT a game of cat and mouse, you disobey the law you suffer the consequenses
    regardless of nationality or religion.
    Mischief ?? more appropriately described as “hooliganism”
    uneducated teenagers going wild.

    DB_from_LI
    DB_from_LI
    12 years ago

    He went there with an incendiary device but only wanted to cause/make some mischief? Even toddlers know “play with fire……. get burned”! What did he think was gonna happen?

    Vozizalt
    Vozizalt
    12 years ago

    Dear Skvere,

    Get with the program! You may be absolutely correct regarding his intentions, maybe they were pure mischief.
    What you and the Rebbe fail to get, is in your “letter” you describe a “YID”.
    The Rebbe nor the board, NONE of you, have said his NAME. He is not just a YID, he is a person. Until you ask Mechilla as a community to the YID, you will only continue to see tzorris. SAY HIS NAME. Call him up, ask him if he needs some help. Tell him you all amde a mistake, say your sorry. Ask him to return his daughter to Yeshiva. Give him an Aliyah, maybe the community wounds will begin to heal.
    The “boy” Spitzer is a side show, not the underlying issue!

    12 years ago

    The feds? Where were they by kletzky when we needed them??? I know for fact they came down one night had a meeting with shomrim for half hour and never came back or followed up

    onlyTruth
    onlyTruth
    12 years ago

    I quote from the letter “indeed the device he put on the man’s back porch was too primitive to do any real damage”

    Molotov cocktails do burn down houses. Do a search on Google. Here is a quote from one article. “OKLAHOMA CITY – Molotov cocktails were found at the scene of a fire that burned down a duplex in northeast Oklahoma City Wednesday, authorities said.”

    As far as I know fire is “very primitive”.
    It was created on Motzai Shabbos over 5,000 years ago. Still In 2006, 412,500 houses burned down and 2,620 people died in those house fires.

    So indeed the device (as they call it) could have burnt down the house with its occupants. The victim actually prevented the death of his family members.
    Then they have a chutzpa to put the blame on the victim using his own words.

    “The Lag Be’omer holiday involves lighting bonfires to honor the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.”

    What a “honer” for Rabbi Shimon it would have been to burn 5 people.

    Blicker
    Blicker
    12 years ago

    What a disgrace of a letter. They totally miss the point. The whole world believes this was a botched hit on a dissident with the shots called from the top. This letter will only reinforce that belief. No letter no sense of outrage that a Jew was nearly burned alive for practicing his religion as he saw fit. No the umbrage is about the ridicule their community is receiving – all very deservedly so!

    jnuss
    jnuss
    12 years ago

    Soon the headlines will read as follows:
    Hamas sought Mischief, Not Murder, in Israel Attack

    lazerx
    lazerx
    12 years ago

    mischief? trying to burn down a house in the middle of the night with a family sleeping inside? if you belief that this is mischief than you will believe anything. This is attempted murder and Spitzer deserves the penalty, and the Rebbe should be investigated as to why he let things get out of hand by his chassidim. The Rebbe, as a communal leader, bears indirect responsibility for such a terrible thing to happen.

    yosher
    yosher
    12 years ago

    We do not hear from Squer Rebbe nor from gedolai Yisrael anywhere… she-hoya bee-yedayhem limchos ve-lo mochu!

    Extremewx
    Extremewx
    12 years ago

    The New Square community shares the blame and I wish the same on them as I do Muslim extremists

    12 years ago

    This ugly incident has left an ugly scar on the New Square community that will never ever heal.

    Shaul in Monsey
    Shaul in Monsey
    12 years ago

    I’m not sure what the goal of sending out the letter was other than to make me sure that Spitzer deserves a good 20 years in jail. Maybe we’ll get lucky while he’s away and he’ll go off the derech and convert to another religion, oh, wait, he’s already done that.

    12 years ago

    18 years old! what was he doing   4:00 A.M. in the street’s ???

    Paulie123
    Paulie123
    12 years ago

    What a gelechter. Soon the rabbis of New Square will insist that Levi Aron was also only up to mischief and did not intend any harm on poor leiby kletzky ah. What an upside world we are living in

    Homeowner
    Homeowner
    12 years ago

    This letter is an an Al Sharpton-style apology. Remember Tawana Brawley? That was the same kind of “misunderstanding.”

    ilovehashem
    ilovehashem
    12 years ago

    I do not put the blame on the 18 yar old teen but on his parents and community , Its the terrible upbringing and not giving your children the right chinuch.
    A child who is born into such a community that shuns anybody who does not look like them or stick to thier ridiculess rules of not dovening in any other shuls but thier own. A community who does not teach ahavas Yisrael then it is not suprizing to me that a child is able to do what he did , they teach thier children that it is ok to hate jews that are not like them , they have a holier the though attitude.
    Wake up new square community wake up new square rebbi and preach to your people that the torah is not about wearing shtriemels and peyos but about ve ahavta le reecha kamocha no matter what type of a jew you are and where you doven. Teach your children that violence in not ok that they should respect every jew .

    josebar
    josebar
    12 years ago

    Criminal neglegence———–is called shogeg karov lemazid you go to the aray miklot for the rest of your life b/c H picked you to punish you b/c your not a good person -sim0n min hashamayim .American law attempted murder-u didnt mean it ?????????? your an adult and therefore chayav . Why didnt the Rebbi cherem them ziddle them out ????? He didnt visit the choleh right away—– bezayon .Show the world we punish criminals.

    BPHocker
    BPHocker
    12 years ago

    If all he was looking for was mischief why didn’t he go to the mikva where most of the skvere mischief occurs?

    josebar
    josebar
    12 years ago

    Looking for mischief??? A frum yid?? A Chasid?????????? dos iz a rosho oiusvurf Shygatz. Send him to jail this chilul Hashemnick. Show the world we dont tolerate shlecte yidden,who burn other people ,a roitzaach

    ChaimAron
    ChaimAron
    12 years ago

    What a bunch of immature, dumb, and senseless comments