ULY Board Moves to Retake Control over ‘749’ Dorm

The board of United Lubavitcher Yeshiva is moving to retake control over the dormitory building at 749 Eastern Parkway, which has been occupied and controlled by unauthorized residents and outside provocateurs – many of whom are not even students in the Yeshiva – for over a decade.

The board, led by its current President Rabbi Shlomo Drimmer, posted notices inside the building on Monday, October 30th, notifying all residents of the termination of their tenancy, as required by law.

The occupiers of the building were given 30 days to vacate the building with all their possessions — by the 30th of November. Anyone remaining will be removed by force, the notice says.

The notice also informs residents that there are no “rent control” or “rent stabilization” protections available to them, for several reasons – one of which being that they never entered into a legal “landlord-tenant relationship” to begin with by moving in without the owners’ permission.

The building’s current dilapidated and dangerous condition is the culmination of many years of neglect and illegal “squatting” by unauthorized persons, who on several occasions resorted to violence to maintain their control over the property.

Things came to a head in December of 2015, when the Yeshiva’s Hanhala threw up their hands and removed themselves from having anything to do with its management. After several months of not receiving payment for the building’s utility bills, Con Edison cut off electricity to the building, prompting its residents to first camp out on the floor of 770, and later to dangerously open a pothole are reconnect the power themselves.

CrownHeights.info reached out to ULY Board President Rabbi Shlomo Drimmer, who informed us that the Yeshiva had no choice but to take these steps, because otherwise the city would have condemned the building and confiscated it. “If we do not take this action, the city made it clear that they will step in and take away the building,” he said.

“The building is an immediate safety hazard,” he continued. “There is no heat, and people are running extension cords to power electric heaters, which is a tremendous fire hazard.”

He said that those who currently control the building approached the board and offered to go into partnership on the building’s management, showing how entrenched and comfortable they are in their un-appointed positions – despite not even being students in the Yeshiva.

Click on image to enlarge

45 Comments

  • CHLEAKS.INFO

    This will be the eighth year anniversary since the great Mishichist Mesira/blood libel which emanated from 749 Eastern Pkway against Shomrim of Crown Heights. You can read more about that HERE.
    https://whoisshmira.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/remember-remember-dont-forget/

    Take notice: Document above is dated October 27, 2017, the Shomrim six trial officially began on October 28, 2009 (Day 1: Jury Selection for the Shomrim Trial).
    http://crownheights.info/communal-matters/22086/day-1-jury-selection-for-the-shomrim-trial/

  • Chaim

    ….”Rabbi Shlomo Drimmer, who informed us that the Yeshiva had no choice but to take these steps,….”

    You don’t have to apologize, for doing it now. You do need to apologize for not doing it years ago, would have brought much needed peace to Crown Heights.

    • Milhouse

      That is none of your business, or of the squatters. They certainly have no rights there.

    • Rabbi K

      Without authority, the Board might as well be Rabbis Mickey Mouse and Superman. Lav ba’al dvrom di’di, is an answer to a ta’ana. Therefore, “who elected or appointed this so- called Board” is a strong point.Not anyone can just go head an issue an eviction notice. (BTW – is this “Rabbi” the fellow who sells appliances?)

    • Bottom line

      it does not matter in the eyes of the law who appointed the board, if they are the legal board and landlord of record that is all that matters to the law

      finally something happening to fix this nonsense

  • Joel

    To kick out the rebbes buachrim?!!baucharim that just sit and learn.is there no shame???!

    • Chaim

      These people don’t learn a word!
      I challenge you to find a resident of 749 who can tell you over a Dvar Torah.

      In addition. When they do acts of violence and mesira, do you ask them this question?

    • LEARN?

      I know some of them & they rarely show up to learn. NYC can be very exciting for people with no direction but instead, they have freedom from their parents. They sleep, fight & go out to have fun. Don’t be naive.

    • Clean up 749 & 770!!!!

      They are not bochrim. They are a disgrace to the human race. Terrorist of every stripe must go. Now.
      So go had this is finally happening.

  • 10 years????

    They let these thugs get away with squatting free for 10 years? Mr. Drimmer, imagine if you ran your business like you do 1414 – with disinterest, neglect and weakness.

  • Milhouse

    When 749 was first opened, the hanholoh didn’t want it to become like 1414, so every bochur who was assigned a room there had to sign a contract acknowledging that he has no chazokoh whatsoever over it, the hanholoh can move him to another room at its discretion, when he leaves the yeshivah he can’t pass it on to anyone as a “yerusha”, and in the meantime he is not allowed to have guests sleep there, change the locks, or to install phone lines, appliances, or anything else without the hanholoh’s written permission.

    Whatever happened to those contracts? When did they stop making bochurim sign them, and/or enforcing them? How did 749 turn out into a worse slum than 1414 ever was?

    • slum???

      say what you want about the hanhala with regard to 749, but 1414 isnt a slum it is very well managed!

  • Bottom Line

    The Court will be interested whether the Board or Drimmer has any rights to evict them. This trial can go on for years..”WHO YOU ?”

    • Milhouse

      No, it won’t. There is no question about the title to the building, and the squatters have no standing to challenge it.

    • Milhouse

      I’m talking about in 1983, after it had been shut down and completely renovated; it was basically a new dorm.

  • Shame

    Kicking out the rebbes bochurim? shame. Maybe the bochurim should band together and riot or something. This is unacceptable!

    • So smart shame on you

      I’m sure the Rebbe would be so proud of Make Believe bochrim rioting to retain the dorm that should go to real students. Shane on you

  • Nevell

    Half of us did not learn in 770 and have no idea what happens or supposed to go on and have right to talk let him do what needs to be done

    • Agree 100%with ahavas Israel

      This is what true love looks like.
      Clean up the Hooligans from 749 and 770

    • Amen

      i00% right i was in CH for tishrei
      770 the Beis hamikdash be’bavel is an utter disgrace to the rebbes holy name a total derelict filth pile looks like a churban

  • to #10 Whats wrong may be wrong...

    but it doesn’t give you the right to say such things….
    Im sure every single Yiddishe boy in the building can say more than one Dvar Torah

    • Chaim

      I challenge you right now.
      Friday night (or ASAP) go invite several Yiddishe boys (don’t ask them to prepare a dvar torah, simply invite them for a meal. At the meal ask for a dvar torah. Go ahead, test by trial.

      I’ll take this opportunity to address ALL Yeshiva students. If you are in Yershiva 24/7, learning 12 to 15 hours a day and when Shabbos comes, you don’t have something to share, you just wasted another week.

  • equalizer

    hopefully this is the culmination of the “inmates running the asylum”, now all they have to do is get rid of the bloodsuckers who say they are the hanholes hayeshiva , the ones in 770 and choveivei torah.

  • The kangeroo

    I hate to say it,but this is better than a movie.I do not know who is right.But the acrimony shows the true inner core of many residents of C.H.

    • Chaim

      This doesn’t say anything about anybody. These are anonymous comments that can be written by anyone (any age group).
      Most hard working people of CH most likely didn’t even see this post and even had they seen it, they wouldn’t have the time, nor care to comment.

      ******
      Crown Heights has a lot of hard working people, who give of their time and money (with a full and open heart) to help others and need.
      There is so much good happening.

  • some facts

    Most of the residents og 749 are boys with white shirts, full beards, hat and jacket and are regular students of 770. They include american,english and french nationals as well as israelis. They are here on 1-20’s issued by he Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz (not the same as the united that drimmer is “owner” of. They attend shiurim of the rosh yeshiva and mashpi’im and are regularly tested on smicha and dayanus. (yes, all the ones tested on dayanus are 749 bochrim)
    Central yeshiva also receives pel grants for the american nationals that live there.
    Many of the “squatters” that we have been reading abut here over the last few years are currently serving as shluchim, magidei shiurim and rabonim.
    Drimmer in his letter makes no mention of the fact that he thinks some f the residents shouldn’t be staying in yeshiva dorm. He doesn’t even know their names! The lists are readily available.
    All he says is that he no longer wants the students of Central yeshiva Tomchei tmimim in the building that his non profit “owns”.

  • emmes man

    those in 770 who steal and those who get a paycheck for doing absolutely nothing must go, the losers in choveivei torah must be put out to pasture. the high school in choveivei must be closed ,its all a sham , people becoming millionaires running a yeshiva , only in lubavitch, it must come to an end.