New Square Arsonist to Be Granted Early Release
Shaul Spitzer, a follower of the Skverer Rebbe who was sentenced in April of 2012 to seven years in prison for first-degree assault in an arson attack on New Square dissident Aron Rottenberg, was granted youthful offender status at a hearing today, making him eligible for immediate release. He was 18 years old at the time of the attack.
Rottenberg, 44, once a plumber, suffered from third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body after scuffling with Spitzer. He was opposed to any sort of clemency, and demanded that Spitzer serve out his full sentence.
Spitzer was sentenced to seven years in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan in April of 2012, after he plead guilty to first-degree assault.
From LoHud.com:
In the autumn months of 2010 before the arson attack, groups of New Square followers of the Rebbe of Skver, Rabbi David Twersky, had protested outside the homes of Rottenberg and several other families in the 57-year-old Skver Hasidic Jewish community.
Rottenberg and other dissident residents became targets when they bucked the stringent rabbinical rules and prayed outside the village’s synagogue on the Sabbath. They prayed with the patients at the Friedwald House rehabilitation center on New Hempstead Road.
Rottenberg became a symbol for some younger residents who desire independence from the rigid social rules set by Twersky. Others have thought Rottenberg was wrong to challenge Twersky, contending he chose to live in New Square and should abide by the rabbi’s rules.
Rottenberg and others had their car and house windows smashed. At least one family moved out of the village.
Rottenberg said his daughter was kicked out of school, his plumbing business boycotted and efforts to sell his house blocked by the religious theocracy that controls the village and answers to Twersky.
Rottenberg negotiated a peace with the community’s religious hierarchy. He had hoped to be left alone to sell his house and move out if he kept silent about the pressure and other issues within the community.
The peace lasted for several months until about week before the arson attack, during which time Rottenberg has said he received threatening telephone calls. He had installed surveillance cameras, and his son monitored the camera early one morning when a man tossed an incendiary device on the back porch. Rottenberg confronted the masked man, who turned out to be Spitzer.
Spitzer worked as a butler for the grand rebbe and lived in his home. At one point, Rottenberg and his family blamed Twersky for inciting Spitzer and the violence.
Spitzer admitted during his guilty plea that he acted because of Rottenberg’s defiance of the grand rebbe’s edict that all his followers pray in the community’s only synagogue on Truman Avenue, down the block from Rottenberg’s home.
Gribetz said Spitzer is remorseful and contrite.
“He knows there’s no excuse for what he did,” Gribetz said. “Without being overly dramatic, he cries and prays every day for Aron Rottenberg to recover.”
BubbyK
I’m glad that he is out. He was 18 at the time, and served 4 years. That’s enough. He did the crime, and served the time. And did Tshuva too.
Time to let him move on and live his life.
Omg
He ruined his future
Bubby
Your are too naive
Anonymous
to:BubbyK
Who are you to say he did teshuva? he never even apologized for trying to kill the guy and his family.
cholent mit kugel
Horrible. He never had any remorse…a robot of that wicked. Back to being a house bucher to service I bet. What girl wants a thug that would murder on command? Keep him away from any matches.
Ya let him free great example to our children
They can go and try to kill someone and they will be out of jail in no time…
Shelomo
Go back to jail. You are a criminal.
Anonymous
Let’s help rubashkin if there is a will there’s a way
The real criminals
Who put him up to it? They’re the ones who should be behind bars, not their stooge.
teshuva
This young man, was 18 years old , and did this terrible avla for his Rebbe , the King ( his Moshiach)
Now “he cries and pray for Rottemberg recovery”
sounds as he did teshuva
hopefully he will transform his aveires in mitzvot
many people make mistakes
he needs an opportunity
“Didan Notzach “for the Sqwers
Bogus
He and his mafioso brethren of Skver NEVER apologized for this savagery.
He doesn’t feel bad. They were singing and dancing and gave him a hero’s welcome when he came home.
What Would The Baal Shem Tov Do?
What Would The Baal Shem Tov Do? Honestly, I can’t see him telling people to handle their differences with an arson attack.
Asher Lev
There are people in jail for fifteen years for selling drugs, he tried to burn someone to death and is out after 4 years. Seems very unfair.
The American justice system is unfair. I bet the victim is very upset about this. I wish there was a way to protest the early release of a dangerous arsonist.
ndt
what a dark world.
sholom mordechai, a true tzadik: look where he is and what he’s been through,
and a punk disturbed kid who tries to kill one of his own People, gets free…..
seriosly please explain that
rrt
don’t let him in our community.
He shouldnt be out at all, but I don’t trust him near my family and community. This is so sick. He must have a personality disorder
doesnt an 18 yr old who attempts to kill need more than that? Rehabilitation too…
Who shmeared who and how much
This is blatant injustice. Not a soul in Squaretown (that what we used to call it when a true gutte Yid ran it) feels sorry, they made a yomtov with l’chaim and dancing instead of burying themselves under the floorboards.
use your head
You have to understand
He did this action for his Rebbe
what would you do if someone hurt your Rebbe?
I remember that a chassidishe woman got her face almost distroyed because she was hurting the Rebbe
And they accomodate the guy to fly to Israel
say what???
How exactly was the Rebbe hurt? Because someone had the chutzpa to daven in a different place, that hurts the Rebbe? Are you as stupid as you seem? This thug is a rasha. At 18 you can get married or die for your country. He is no youthful offender. He is a thug.
to :say what???
If you have to insult to give your opinion, this by itself says a lot about you
You don’t understand what does mean for the Skvere Rebbe to rebel against his directives in his own place
if you don’t get that, start insulting yourself
to :say what???
https://www.facebook.com/behadrei/videos/1004692272886387/
check the celebration
He is the role model chossid
CR
Chutzpah! The Reshaim have been uplifted, not cut down!
These are the sorts of superficial “chassidim” the Rebbe warned us about when he declared “lo meihem velo meihamonam!”
lemaan ho'emes
It’s none of our business to decide if he should of been released or not. Since the fact is that he’s been released, so all we can do is hope that he learnt his lesson and did teshuvo.
replying..
The fact that rottenberg didn’t want to follow the skver Rebbe “rules ” anymore does it give the right to phyically distroy him?plus rottenberg wanted to leave, why did they give him all the hard time to be forced to stay and phyically get hurt? does G-d approve of this? something is off… i know skver has their rules. even somone who marrys a non skver are to the extent not called skver anymore and they are forced to leave skvertown but they are not phyically hurt, for doing so.
Pintele yid
When in Rome, follow the Romans. I’m not taking sides, just saying you can’t fight Cityhall; whatever the reason the Rebbe in Skvere made that rule, you follow while you live there. I’m questioning the victim why he was so ‘out against a Rebbe and a community’. Yes the boy was young and dumb but that is why we’re jewish and there’s always a second chance. The boy clearly stated that he regrets what he did; Skvere gave the victim 3.5 million. Isn’t it enough to show?? The chasidim have full right to celebrate that the boy is now free and may start a fresh new life! If they wud be dancing when the victim was on fire, than I wud say as Bogus wrote…
Hashem where is Moshiach?? That’s all we need!