A press conference held today by family members of a man badly burned in an arson attack turned into a shouting match when a village man called the family's lawyer an anti-Semite for going against the grand rabbi.
NS Victim’s Family Shouted Down at Press Conference
A press conference held today by family members of a man badly burned in an arson attack turned into a shouting match when a village man called the family’s lawyer an anti-Semite for going against the grand rabbi.
At the press conference held in front of Aron Rottenberg’s Truman Avenue home, attorney Michael Sussman said the 43-year-old plumber was targeted with protests by the village Hasidic Jewish community’s leadership for not praying in grand rabbi David Twersky’s synagogue . Sussman called for state and federal investigations into the arson attack Sunday that left Rottenberg severly burned.
Rottenberg’s son Jacob, 21, said he had spent the evening of the attack nervously watching the security camera he had installed a week earlier after threatening phone calls.
Jacob Rottenberg said the suspect, Shaul Spitzer, 18, of Adams Lane, had approached the home wearing a scarf over his face. The two men were injured when Rottenberg tried to remove the scarf.
Aron Rottenberg’s son-in-law, Moshe Elbaum, was interrupted several times at the press conference by village resident Shulem Sofar.
Sofar refuted the family’s claims and during a heated exchange said Sussman was “anti-semitic .” When Elbaum asked what his father-in-law had done wrong, Shulem replied: “It’s the wrong thing to do against the rabbi.”
Aron Rottenberg suffered third-degree burns across 50 percent of his body during Sunday’s attack. He underwent skin grafts Tuesday at the Westchester Medical Center.
Ramapo police charged Spitzer with felony counts second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted arson and first-degree assault.
Spitzer, who worked in the grand rabbi’s house and is a cousin of the village deputy mayor, was released Tuesday evening from custody after his family and community members posted $300,000 bail.
They posted cash and a bank check with the court, District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said today. Zugibe said the case will be brought before the grand jury.
He remains in the Cornell Medical Center burn unit in Manhattan for severe burns on his hands and arms he suffered during the attack.
R. Gould
This is not Ahavat Yisrael and is not the way yidden should behave with each other. In any extended family such as the one that exists in New Square you will have disagreements, which is normal and healthy when dealt with in a mature and adult fashion.
There is no room in Torah Law for arson, there is simply no excuse for this person actions.
A person has a right to daven at any schull he chooses even if he lives in New Square. It says no where that the family or individuals violated any of the the “Unwritten” rules of New Square that I know of.
What is more disturbing is the lack of public statement by the Rebbee in response to the actions of his “devout” follower.
In this case I truly believe silence is NOT golden and words of love thy neighbor need to be revisited and restated, let the words of Hillel be the role model for New Square and all of Klal Yisrael
CR
Aroor makeh rei’eihu basoseir. This shkutz Spitzer deserves the maximum possible penalty allowable by law. And whoever incited/recruited him to do so should be his roommate Upstate.
What an idiot
These people are so gross.
tzfati
i smell some tzfati craziness brewing here.
not in CH
This Tragedy can happen in ANY community were the ADULTS/LEADERS are not responsible with words….
Skver
I don’t understand why the Skvere Rebbe doesn’t allow people davening in other Shuls? Everyone must Daven in his Shul! Why? He like a crowd? Every Yiddish neighborhoods have multiple Shuls. Who cares? On the contrary = let there be many Shuls.
Seichel Mer darf Hoben!
Do you realize that the guy shouting down the family is helping build their case. The lawyer even refused to remove the fellow he was even smiling and enjoying it the whole time.
I think it’s time that in New Square they taught their followers common sense.