A New York City historic synagogue gained attention this week as videos surfaced depicting a clash between Jewish worshippers and local authorities over an illicit tunnel dug into the brick building. The altercation unfolded at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood when construction workers attempted to fill the makeshift passageway with cement.
Footage shared on social media revealed a confrontation between police officers and Hasidic worshippers inside the dusty cavern, leading to the arrest of nine individuals on charges including criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and obstruction of governmental administration.
Despite the recent controversy and ensuing memes, 770 Eastern Parkway has long been an emblematic structure for the Lubavitch Hasidic faith. This Collegiate Gothic Revival building, a historic landmark since 1940, serves as the epicenter for the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. Originally the home and synagogue of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the sixth rebbe, it later housed the offices of his son-in-law and the seventh rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
The religious group expanded the headquarters by purchasing the adjacent building, and by 2021, at least 35 replicas of 770 existed worldwide, including one in El Paso, Texas. Rabbi Levi Greenberg emphasized the building's significance, likening it to the White House for Lubavitch Jews, attracting both Jewish and non-Jewish visitors.
The numerical address, 770, holds special meaning in Hebrew, translating to "parazta" or "to burst forth," symbolizing the Judaic duty to spread their faith. Additionally, 770 corresponds to the Hebrew term "Beis Moshiach," meaning "House of the Messiah."
Despite the replicas' varying adaptations globally, they maintain a unique connection for Lubavitch Hasidic Jews, as highlighted by artist duo Andrea Robbins and Max Becher in their photography series in the early 2000s.
