New Square, NY – Arson Suspect Pleads Guilty To Assault; Judge Says No Less Than Five Years In Jail

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    File - Spitzer with his lawyers and supporters Jan 24 2012New Square, NY – A Hasidic teenager pleaded guilty Tuesday to assault, averting a trial in an attempted murder case that brought unusual attention to a religious dispute in a Jewish enclave.

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    Shaul Spitzer, 18, accepted a plea bargain as jury selection was about to begin at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City, said defense attorney Deborah Lowenberg.

    Spitzer had been accused of severely burning neighbor Aron Rottenberg with a firebomb outside Rottenberg’s home in New Square, an insular Hasidic village of 7,000.

    Spitzer and Rottenberg were seriously injured on May 22 when the flammable liquid ignited. Rottenberg suffered third-degree burns on half his body. Spitzer had burns on his hands and arms.

    “We just both burst into flames,” Rottenberg said.

    Rottenberg claimed in a lawsuit that Spitzer was acting at the direction of the village’s chief rabbi, David Twersky. Spitzer occasionally worked for Twersky. Rottenberg alleged that Twersky was angered because Rottenberg had stopped praying at his synagogue.

    The rabbi denied involvement, criticized the attack and was not charged. Spitzer’s lawyers also said the rabbi was uninvolved.

    Rottenberg’s relatives said that they had endured broken windows and threats after Rottenberg began worshipping at a nearby nursing home and that they feared an attack.

    Under the plea bargain, a state Supreme Court judge promised a sentence of no more than 10 years, Lowenberg said.

    She said sect leaders didn’t pressure Spitzer to accept the plea bargain to avoid a trial.

    “Mr. Spitzer took counsel only from the defense team,” she said. “We understood the evidence was very strong against our client and explained to him that there was a significant risk of facing 25 years.

    “This way, he has the peace of mind of knowing the sentence won’t be more than 10 years,” she added. “We hope to show the judge that a less severe sentence would be appropriate.”

    Sentencing was set for April 17.

    New Square is about 30 miles north of Manhattan. Nearly all of its residents are members of the Skver Hasidic sect. The sect and the village are named for the Ukrainian village of Skver, where its members were killed during the Holocaust.


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    111 Comments
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    Dov77
    Dov77
    12 years ago

    So is he getting away with a slap on the wrist or he will be serving some time?

    12 years ago

    And so the truth comes out…he looks like a korbon for others…fallguy…

    12 years ago

    this animal should get 25 years, not 5

    cshia
    cshia
    12 years ago

    Nebech on the boy,,, the rabbi will go clean and this kid will go sit in jail,,,,,,,

    12 years ago

    Wonderful news although I was hoping for a longer sentence for such a horrible crime. I’m also concerned that there was no opportunity to determine whether there were others among the skver (hamayvin yavin) who had some role in this assault. Hopefully he will be sent to a hard core prison where his life will be made miserable and painful by the other inmates for at least 5 years and maybe 10.

    Mark Levin
    Mark Levin
    12 years ago

    If he is “on jail” as is stated in the headline, does that mean he gets the Penthouse Suite?

    12 years ago

    If you do the crime, you do the time. Case Closed!

    12 years ago

    Wow! We don’t get to see the trial and hear testimonies about all the sordid juicy secrets of NS. I feel cheated!!!

    Anon Ibid Opcit
    Anon Ibid Opcit
    12 years ago

    Spitzer was lucky. The prosecution had all the evidence it needed. He had turned down an earlier plea bargain. Jews who complain about how the goyishe justice system hates Jews and is out to get them need to shut up after this.

    musthavegum
    musthavegum
    12 years ago

    this is sad and good news at the same time i feel sorry for this bucher but on the same note this world is not hefker and i hope that other poeple will learn a good lessen from this remember when you sit you sit alone nobody is worth you should sit for

    qwertyuiop
    qwertyuiop
    12 years ago

    I can only imagine the shidduch he will get when he is released.
    Probably from the most chasuva gvir.

    Samckatz
    Samckatz
    12 years ago

    Nebech he will be in State Prison with all the killers and rapists hashem yrachem. After all he’s a Eidel Yiddishe neshomoh. I only hope while he’s in the slammer he reflects and does Tshuvah on his bad deeds.
    Bsorot

    MAYERFREUND
    MAYERFREUND
    12 years ago

    Nebech this boy is brainwashed and was not allowed to use his own brain like the saying goes in square “when you come here you leave brain somewhere else”. Now he is paying a big price for it. Nebech there are much more bucherem there that will become the next korbonos from this brainwashing.

    12 years ago

    Mr. Spitzer is a young man who behaved stupidly and criminally. A couple of years in prison should make him very regretful. However, I am not ready to throw away the key and I do not wish an extended prison term for him. Apparently, neither does his victim, Mr. Rotenberg.

    lazerx
    lazerx
    12 years ago

    He almost succeeded in killing an entire family. The killer of Lieby is not a bad as this fellow. How disgusting, since he did not succeed in actually killing the entire family he gets a slap on his wrists and the community from which he comes can rejoice? What does their rebbi say about this and why did he not speak out against the violence? This needs to be answered!

    noahz6
    noahz6
    12 years ago

    i feel sorry for this innocent kid. [i mean innocent of the outside world], this is worse than a death sentence for him.

    Mocher2011
    Mocher2011
    12 years ago

    But can someone tell me what’s the plea bargain here?

    12 years ago

    In any community or group, there are extremists.

    Sometimes the most farbrenter supporters go over the line.

    But if you’ve ever sat in the presence of the Skverer Rebbe and basked in his malchus you know this holy rebbe had nothing to do with it.

    He didn’t plan or advise this young man to do such a stupid thing. No way.

    Have you ever sat with the Rebbe and told him your problems? You can see he mammish takes them into his own heart.

    I’m sure the Rebbe is not happy with what happened in New Square.

    I for one trust a tzadik I’ve met and hold him in high regard.

    The young bocher is a fool and five years or more in prison may teach him some maturity.

    any38
    any38
    12 years ago

    This bochur is a big rachmonis! I don’t think he would’ve done it on his own! He was brainwashed into doing this! All of his friends were extremely shocked when they heard that he did it! He really is a good boy that had a bad judgemental moment! BTW he wasn’t working for the rabbi he was just sleeping in his basement!

    12 years ago

    For all the posters who claimed he didn’t do it, I hope you are satisfied. He will learn in jail, not be with goyim, will have Kosher meals and can meet others like himself. Meanwhile, Mr. Rottenberg will forever be scarred and need psychological help for himself and his family. And the Ruv can continue living on weekends in his 2.2 million dollar home in Nyack overlooking the TZ Bridge and qvell that he got away with it.

    Raizy23
    Raizy23
    12 years ago

    You guys who feel pity for this psychopath make me sick. Do you really think that most New Square raised kids have the capacity to burn people alive cuz they were ‘brainwashed’? Since when is being ‘brainwashed’ an excuse for committing murder?

    maxedout
    maxedout
    12 years ago

    what a shame, this kid was put up to it by higher ups and now he will sit for them too. I wonder how much arm twisting was involved. I really wish they would have gotten the real perpetrators of this crime. even if went all the way to the top.

    Mandel
    Mandel
    12 years ago

    Rabashkin gets 27 years vs this spitzer guy 5 years how is it work can somebody explain?

    PMOinFL
    PMOinFL
    12 years ago

    “This way, he has the peace of mind of knowing the sentence won’t be more than 10 years,” she added. “We hope to show the judge that a less severe sentence would be appropriate.”

    Are you kidding? This man deserves no “peace of mind” he attempted the mass murder of an entire family. The very idea that he will get less than 25 years is absurd and disgraceful. He is an animal who belongs in a cage. If he had any co-conspirators, they should be placed in the cage right next to him.

    Let’s be clear… we have a responsibility of pidyon shvuyim…. no doubt about it. However, a deal for serving the FULL sentence in a minimum security prison would have dealt with that. With minimum security, he will have access to kosher food, seforim, and people to come and learn with him and his life will not be in danger. This way we are not obligated to free him….at least according to the Rambam.

    We want non-Jewish terrorists locked up for life, but Jewish terrorists should get special treatment? No way. That is *NOT* what we should want in the medina shel chessed.

    anonymous23
    anonymous23
    12 years ago

    New square is not “Jew land”.

    12 years ago

    I can’t believe the picture caption up above, ” Spitzer with his lawyers and supporters…”. This guy tried to burn and murder a whole family and he has supporters…???? And these are heimishe yidden in that picture??? We are in big trouble!!!

    12 years ago

    First this bocher is mixed up mentally. No normal frum Jew could even attempt to kill another frum jew.I don’t believe he even do any reasoning to do such aveirah. It is prohibited from the Torah not to kill and if he is normal how can he even think to kill 1 person let alone 5. He must get psychological help immediately. and after 2 years to determine if he can be freed to live a normal life. I am totally sympathetic to the injured; but from his own craziness he too the bochur was injured.ten years in jail would not serve any good but he should work and make restitution to the one damage. In torah law a person is to make restitution

    oiber-chacham
    oiber-chacham
    12 years ago

    this is the second time that someone is the fall guy for the higher ups
    of that community,
    Spitzer was forced by the top honchos in new square to plead guilty and not face a trial,because they knew very well that in case there was a trial,the rebbe himself would have had to come and testify that he did not order the attempted murder.

    chachom
    chachom
    12 years ago

    Isn’t the District Attorney, the same guy who was put into office by the New Square block vote.

    mnbzxvc
    mnbzxvc
    12 years ago

    Shame on you all hatters with those nagiteve commments what would you say if would be your child or reletive that has to go sit in jail and eho knows if the reasson so many gedoilem passed away in the last year or two is not because the way ppl talk like this on gedoile yisroel!

    rothshol
    rothshol
    12 years ago

    The sad part is that this boy did not get the podium to share his side of the sory ,maybe he did not want to burn the house maybe he wanted to damage the property etc. & when he saw rottenberg he got lost & acted out……not justifying his act….i am trying to be dan a fellow jew lekaf zechus that his intent & motive was not as badas it seemes..btw there any where i can read a farenzic detailed story …..i am not a skvere & i dont know the boy ..i have a hard time believing that he wanted to burn the house god forbid with the people inside…..please yidden dont rush to judge a fellow yid like that….i know he pleaded guilty. He had no choice he was at the wrong place with the wrong object in his hand & not well prepared for this scenerio…please where are the jewish ayin tova ….this boy has regretted a million times….nebech he ruined his life with one bad act!! Hashem yerachem….

    ExpatriateOwl
    ExpatriateOwl
    12 years ago

    Shouldn’t Ms. Lowenberg’s face be blurred out in the photo?

    MonseyLuke
    MonseyLuke
    12 years ago

    This poor yidden was thrown under the bus for the sake of the community. It is disgusting that the community would allow a young man to be condemned to such a fate. I doubt he truly understands what just happened to him. Sad.

    12 years ago

    What happened is PAST , what we have to learn from every situation, is CURE, or Prevention, we must know we are living in year 5,772 or (20012) and not in the 18 century , or in C.V. 1944 this is a Malchus Shel Chesed, B.H. a Free Country , on every Coin or Dollar Bill
    it says IN GOD WE TRUST, & its FREE RELIGION too B.H. the whole incident came through the STUPIDTY, & Ideology of RULING, DICTATORSHIP, Etc, No names calling , the Iron Curtain is B.H. OFFFFFFFFFFF , so we have to be more sensible ,not to PULL the Cord to much , Cuz it will depart or get TORN, the Rulling and the WORD TAKOOONUS < is RUSSIAN or IRAQ or IRANIAN < Dictatorship, This has to END , and may we all be Zoiche to SHALOM , and Bias Hagoel Bimhara,

    MonseyLuke
    MonseyLuke
    12 years ago

    Furthermore, even though Spitzer’s uncle is the Village Clerk, it goes to show anyone can be sacrificed to protect the fiefdom, even a naive boy. I guess their hand were tied. If this went to trial the entire sham would be exposed. Everyone knew this, the NS power brokers, the local politicians and even the law. I can not accept that so many would be complicit in the ruination of this young life. It is truly disgusting. Sad. Luke.

    Halbshich
    Halbshich
    12 years ago

    In Square you cannot pick your nose without permission from the rebbe, So Kalvechomer you need permission to burn a yid and his family. So too the rebbe must of instructed the plea bargain rather then having the inside of his gatchkes shown in public. So although the rebbe did not actively encourage Spitzer to burn a yid and then instruct him to enter a plea bargain to save himself these events could not have happened without his full authorisation. We can only leave things to the Dayan Hoemes