July 16, 2025 • 56 mins
Evan and comic EZ Bardeguez examine the underground tunnels built by Hascidic Jews under Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY between December 2023 and January 2024.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the Browlley on the All Things Broke Network.
This is a New York history podcast inspired by the Dollar.
Oh biweekly sometimes depends on if I'm employed or not.
Where I uh Man, who's the parent of a wildcat,
renter of affordable housing and writer of the Metropolitan Trifling
(00:24):
Authority read a story uh to a man who has
Elmo in his name right now, but has also done
a lot of funny comedy. And though his name is Easy,
it doesn't mean all his bars are easy. You go
(00:44):
ahead and introduce yourself.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh man, I you know, I didn't even realize I
had my legal name on here.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, my man, my name is Easy Bodegas.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
I've been doing comedy in New York for a while.
I've the past couple of years, I've taken a break
because I had a little one.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
It was a monster.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
She'll be two and two weeks and.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Thanks man. Yeah, you know. Other than that, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I don't I'm I do DevOps in networking as my
day Jones.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So but that's gonna lead to some good comedy.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Okay, hopefully, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Maybe just if you just say, have you ever been
on well found angel list like those types of things
to look for jobs a long time ago. Yeah, sure,
only tech could get away with half the ship day, right,
there be our.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Developer wizard, be the grand Wizard of our organization. I'm like, motherfucker,
the only time I should see that is the KKK,
and I shouldn't see it there.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I should never see.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Grand Wizard and dragon in my life unless that motherfucker
is going to jail for being a white supremacist due
the home run hitter. I'm a baseball fan. That is sacrilege.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
The ones that turned me off for the are the
like we're a family here, you know, like welcome to
the door. And the funny thing is too is like
we'll be like like we're a family here, like you
don't come hang out with us, And I'm like, yeah,
I'm treating you like family.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
That's see, that's a good joke that I would next
time you go up, I would leave with that. That's
like when when I told my cousin just think of
place as you know, because I was trying to get
them to guess at locations, like think of places, you know,
He's like, please, oh that's terrible, let's not think of
place as I know, always like, yeah, treat them like family.
(02:40):
Oh okay, I'll stay home. You're right, No, I'm not
coming out to Thanksgiving, so hey, you're honest. Yeah. So
it's just like that, I'm saying, at least a good comedy,
just like you know, just just put a bunch of
shit together, like even before AI could have written this description.
So this morning we stood up and scrummed and there
(03:02):
was a lot of agile efficiency. And it's like that's
a meeting if you just say that long enough and
people nod. It's like okay, good, good work. And it's
like that going on.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Where's he going with this? Impress this?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I know it, but I hate it? I mean all right,
So I always say, were sponsored by something, sponsored by
whatever could feed you have a little monster? I do too.
Sponsor I don't know, smalls. I guess cat food, just whatever,
sponsor whatever can feed this motherfucker that is clearly not
suitable for the food that Like, they give him a
(03:41):
month of food, he eats it in two weeks. Like
whatever your faith and he's from he was born in
the Bronx. Like me, okay, whatever it is, you gotta
we gotta make a brawler version for this guy. So
spot whoever can do that, please sponsor us. I can
finally feed him and not spend his much money.
Speaker 6 (04:02):
All right, Mid December twenty twenty three, you're of our
lord Optimist Prime, not optimists Optimists, because the Prime OC
the number one.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Ocre you go to when you need that you can
always trust at three am. For those of us who smoke,
I don't, but when you're high, they'll take care of you.
When you get back from a late night concert, you
know you still that OC still knows exactly what you want.
So that's the Optimist Prime. So at seven seventy Eastern Parkway,
(04:41):
Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the New York City Fire Department is
receiving an anonymous tip about activities beneath seven seventy.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Their initial please tell me this is what I think
it is.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I hope it is. Their initial inspection turns up nothing.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
But then.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
On December twenty second, local media reports something shocking even
for New York standards. There is a tunnel, Yes I
knew it. It's a good tunnel has been carved beneath
(05:26):
a synagogue. It is sixty feet long, eight feet wide,
five feet high, and he connects four adjacent buildings in
the area. So what is this tunnel? What is it about? Say,
so you do know this story usually it's supposed to
be and I have no idea what the story is about,
but you do know the story. But that's okay because
(05:48):
it's still a moment in New York history that must
be discussed. But when you first heard this, what were
your thoughts in real life? What were your thoughts? Honestly,
you know how I first found this And this.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Is no joke, but it was literally someone on because
this is before Elon bought Twitter, so this is when
it was on Twitter. Someone retweeted something they wrote like
six weeks prior. It was like, hey, I'm hearing Jewish
voices underneath my floorboard of my apartment. Bad And their
(06:20):
quote was, see, guys, I wasn't crazy and was a
link to the story.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
That's how I found the story.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Some kids six weeks prior was like, hey goo, I'm
hearing like like Hebrew.
Speaker 7 (06:33):
Speaking Hebrews the best way you know, it does have
a word, but yes, Jewish voices makes it funnier. But yeah,
Jewish voices just sounds like uh, I am my mom's
side is Jewish. It just Jewish voices just sounds like
people talking about guilt, yes, and like people talking about
like what what what their sons.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Should have done for a living? That's what Jewish voices
sounds like. Not that, but yes, then there's also hebrews.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Yes, he's got a nice job.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
He didn't do any dentist but you know, yeah, no,
I guess we still love him.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
But yeah, yes, I do know the story.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
That sounds like yes, but that's a hilarious way to
find out. You know, that person must have thought they
were going crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
And I think what was funny because I scrolled through
the comments the original one. I think a lot of
people on Twitter were like, yo, why do you hate Jews?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Or like what's this anti semitist? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, And he was like, no, dude, like I'm not
saying anything bad. I just I'm hearing Hebrew from the
floors and I live in the first floor apartment.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Right right, This is a first stand to count, right,
This is not this is not anyone trying to yeah exactly,
but yeah, so and that's and and even through secondhand
Hebrew Jewish voice hearing that still is an insanely insane
way to find out yes, so yes, constructed by Yeshiva students.
(07:59):
It has I have no permits, no structural reinforcement, and
the buildings is doing vacate orders. But let's go into this.
So what is first, let's talk about the synagogue. So
I did not know how important I'm not so my
family on my mom's side is not extremely religious. Though
(08:23):
unfortunately I still from I'll just say parties still do
get ridiculous propaganda today in twenty twenty five. You can
imagine what that looks like from op idef propaganda. Things
that I like to say, yes, because I went to school.
The beliefs shit made in Microsoft paint, Okay, that's what
I should believe over scholars and you know, reporters on
(08:46):
the ground. But anyway, so I'm not too privy to
the very religious shit, the varying like hardcore religious things.
Like I do know some things about the Hasidum and
the Lubovicher community of like I know obviously there's the
association with how they dress, and when I see them
(09:08):
on Governor's Island, I'm like, that's a brave soul. It
is one hundred degrees yeah, yeah, but all black, no, no.
Shane there are you know that that's if that's everyone's
you know, consenting adults. It's all good. But I don't
really know much aside from that. And you know that
a lot of things are separated by sex, like you
(09:29):
can't even there's even two different roads. Many times in
Hasidik and conservative synagogues, I generally just think it's going
to be very right wing views, especially on Israel. So
it's probably not. It's not, you know, as aligned with me.
Oh and I don't anti vacs. That's the other thing
I know.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, Yes, I think that there are some historically have
been issues with the vaccinations in that part of Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yes, I would say spreading events.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I am not a scholar or a person of intelligence
on this issue.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I do know that some of I think it. I
don't know which the sem group it is.
Speaker 8 (10:10):
I think it's the one and the part of the
Brooklyn where like the Dominicans also live forgets anyways, but
I think some of them are like they're like anti Zionism.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yes, so there is a sect. It's interesting.
Speaker 9 (10:24):
So I went to the protest for Palestign in DC
and they were there. Yeah, there is a sect of
I don't know the exact denomination either.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
And it's interesting you say where the Dominicans live, because
you know there's a part of the Dominican Republic soua
where there's a lot of Hassidic Jews. I did not
know this, So there's acidic Jews. Go on, yes, mommy,
and then you know, I don't know, I mommy.
Speaker 10 (10:52):
After that, because like there, this is, this is real
and it was after So while Thruhijo, the crazy dictator
at the time, was killing his own people, he.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Did decide to allow a lot of Jews fleeing the Holocaust,
so like, I'll be nice to some people, so the
world will see so and and my own people, yes,
I'll fuck them up. But anyway, of course, you know
it's good to get safe passage. I'm just giving context.
This was not a nice man. Uh, just like many
Cubans who sought refugee are good for them. Doesn't mean
(11:26):
it was under great policies of the people who are
doing it, the administrations. So but yes, and so sue
there is a community so anyway, just interesting coincidence, I guess.
But yes, there is a set that is anti Zionists
and believe that Zionism actually is against many of the
tenets of Judaism, which you know, I believe it is too,
(11:47):
But then again, that's religion, right, that's interpretations anyway, So
I did not know about this, the actual real weight
and significance of this building. People apparently came here from
all over the world to see seven seventy Eastern Parkway.
It is the global Center Welth headquarters of the Khabar Habad.
(12:09):
There's different HBBAD groups a lot of times. It's a
group of scholars, usually many students who are going to
Yeshiva and studying, not necessarily the Yeshiva university any Yeshiva
just a place to study, to be a scholar in Judaism.
(12:30):
And people apparently got work visa. Could you imagine a
school visus? Could you imagine getting a student visa? Like
so many people want to come to this country. I'm
not shitting on it, but I am saying that if
that's a legitimate way to come here, to come and
study only here, I just wonder how many of those
were issued to Islamic scholars just.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Down it out there.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
I wonder, I wonder how many. I wonder how we're
handing those out. That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
In It's America is probably not high.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
It's probably not. But anyway, so this is a very
historic building that is apparently also has a very historic leader,
Rabbi Menachem Mendo. I'm trying not to laugh Schneerson, This, Rabbi,
mister Schneerson, Rabbi Schneerson is apparently a very strong figure
(13:26):
within the movement and many people so he died, and
I say died in quotes because just like Tupac, many
people believe Rabbi Schneerson never really died. Okay, okay, that
he's still alive. He's one of those voices easy, oh oh,
(13:48):
so he's haunting the tunnels. Rabbi Schneerson is a voice
commanding people. There was even a debate among the the
Lubavitcher commun unity whether or not to put up a
plaque for his death.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Right, right, right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Should we even put anything for Tupac? If holograms of
popping up? Is Tupaca live in Cuba, Maybe Rabbi Schneerson's
with Tupac and Cuba. I don't know.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Hey, I'll tell you what, I bet you that's a
dope album.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I would if there's anything that should be revived if
there's any reason for revival. Tupac featuring Rabbi Schneerson on
the track. I don't know what we'll get first that
are detox but anyway or half life three. I always
used to put those two together too, oh man jeseus.
(14:45):
But anyway, So his death has inspired a group of
students to be like disciples. And you know, there's not
always a great history of disciples in general, especially if
people who've who we don't kind of like believe are
so so dead. Maybe they're dead, maybe they're not. It
doesn't always have the same doesn't always have great results.
(15:08):
But some of those students are still attending the Yeshiva
and are still studying in this world headquarters at seven seventy.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
So one of his wishes before he died was to
expand the synagogue. Right, So many of the students thought
they were being compelled to expand the synagogue. Now, how
does one do that? Well, New York City, it taked
to build shit, right, to get apartmit it talked to
(15:39):
do a lot of these things. So I suppose Rebbe,
as he's affectionately called, just the Rebbe, just the rabbi
was in their head and said this tunnel time. Yeah,
and they continued on his orders to expand the synagogue.
(16:03):
So that's apparently the impetus behind all this.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Interesting.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Okay, now I don't want to get too far ahead.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Now here's the thing. I'm a gentile, yes.
Speaker 8 (16:15):
This Catholic.
Speaker 11 (16:16):
I grew up in a jewishsh area.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yes, so I know a little bit.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
Yes, but like specifically why they were building a tunnel.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
It had to do with.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Like, isn't there there was like a dormitory around the
around the corner, yes, yes, and that's where it was
digging from.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
So this is connecting other buildings in this in the
synagogue that was being increasingly crowded. So this was I'm
guessing something that had been discussed even while he was alive,
that an expansion. I don't know if the word tunnel
(17:01):
was explicitly said, but.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
No, no, sorry, yes, but.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Was heard, but yes, no, I thought it was not that.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
I thought, yeah, yeah, yeah, vaguely remember it being like
they built a tunnel because it was something.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
From the dormitory to the pla, the holy place.
Speaker 11 (17:20):
That you were saying, the study more, the study more right,
and that I believe that they tried to get permits
and the city either said no or whatever.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
And that's as much as I remember.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
There may have been an attempt at some point, but
I don't think it was a strong one. I really
do feel it may have been, hey, tunnel, and they're like, yeah,
let's let's let's let's take a moment on that. And
then they're like, okay, so they said no, we're building
a tunnel, and but okay, yes it is. It did
(17:56):
have purpose. I mean, all of this has a scholarly purpose.
They built the tunnel, as you said, to connect other
ass other parts of the synagogue, O other places of
study related to the Yeshiva that are going to need
to go there for books, I guess for studying. Have
(18:17):
you ever liked school so fucking much now that you
said I must build a tunnel get there after hours?
I don't even think for religious standards that's normal.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Well, here's here's what I will say.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
You don't.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
I will say, you don't have to be religious to
pitch me to build a tunnel.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Okay, I'm in.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
I feel like the seven.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Year old in me is like, where from point A
to point B? I'm in let's do this.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
So I would be down there digging tunnel with them
because I'd be like, this is hilarious. Let's do this.
Can we do a tree for next.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Yeah, let's do it for the treehouse. Let's make it.
Yeah yeah, looking side down there.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah, but yeah no. And I don't like school that much.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I just it's like, how do you even like even
Union theological seminary. I don't see doctor Cornell West being like,
and we must bear the tunnel. Students unite because if
you're gonna worship someone for Union, that like the highest
place to study Christianity, I would think it's mister West.
But anyway, it all came to a head. Okay. So
(19:32):
on January eight, twenty twenty four, cement trucks arrived to
seal the tunnel and a group of students, some asodd
with the Kabad what they call the Messianism, because some
believe that the Rebbe is even the Messiah. And in
my very limited knowledge of especially that sect of Judaism,
(19:55):
I did not realize that you're allowed to do that
because one of the key differences between Christianity, but I
always say is book one. In book two, I mean
the related let's face it, so you know the the
sequel and first part is that there is no Jews
(20:19):
don't believe the Messiah is here yet, and Christians the
Messiah is Jesus.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
So, and when people are actually ascribing a person to
be the massign Christianity, like lunatics who think Donald Trump
is Jesus uh, I have always thought that's actually a
false prophet and blasphemy because you're not supposed to do that.
There is only one son of God, and that is
Jesus Christ. So I'm wondering if this is even like okay,
(20:51):
and most because I think this is a division because
because not everyone and even in this how God agreed
with this no one's tensions year about who should follow
the rabbi and saw him as this messiah figure who
never died, and those who didn't and those who are like, listen,
we love our school just as much as anybody, and
(21:11):
we want to study, but digging a hole to get there.
On Saturday night when I got electricity, a motherfucker's got
a party, man, all right after the Sabbath, it's lit? Yeah,
have you heard of the I just want to make
sure that hold on I want to make sure we
(21:35):
I don't want this pause recording. Okay, So have you
heard of a what's the word shabiskoy? Do you know
what that is? No?
Speaker 9 (21:50):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Is this a non Jewish person? You have more shabists
like turn on electricity?
Speaker 1 (22:01):
You know it?
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
I believe our mutual friends Stan. I believe he did
it at one time, and or at least he knew
someone who did it.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
That's crazy, dude, I thought there was a joke.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Oh no, they found a cheat code where it's like, yeah,
it's it's what we can't turn on the lights.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
But if a gentile comes.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Over, but you cannot command the gentile, yes, it's a yes.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
You can't be like can you do this for us?
Speaker 1 (22:32):
What you must say is wow, it's hot on this
August summer day. Yes, and they must go yeah it
is hot. No, they gotta turn on the AC like
I just find that there's so many funny things you
can do to that. But anyway, yeah, so after you know,
(22:53):
after that dude leaves Dennis lit because then you can
do all of it yourself. So I'm sure some homies
were like, bro, like, we like this as much as anybody,
but we don't need to build a fucking tunnel. Let's
sometimes we like to chill. And you know, doesn't that
we netflix and chill too, that you know, not on Friday,
not on the Sabbath, but anyway. So a group though,
(23:20):
does want to protest that on January eighth, maybe before
the cement trucks arrived to steal the time. And what
follows like is a group of students that are associated
with the Cabbat Messianism. So they believe that this rabbi
is the Messiah, that he's the dude, he never died.
He's compelling them, and there is an all out brawl.
(23:45):
Oh and when I say that guys aren't exactly trained fighters,
I mean, like you've kind of seen a baseball fight.
It's kind of about dudes that are pushing and shoving,
kind of flailing. I wouldn't even actually baseball because because
some of those guys probably at least know how to fight.
(24:06):
Even if I think this is like and let me
see if I can, uh, can I show you this?
The tables reminded what he was called to a location
best known as a sacred site for the Habbad Lubavic
Orthodox Jewish sect authority.
Speaker 11 (24:26):
Say a group of Jewish men who had a long
Simmary disagreement like world tunnels under several buildings to break
into the synagogue, very.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Distressing the war like bis community, and they would just
run the world and Jewish people.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
In full Hasidic guard running on a table at a
police officer. And I want to show you that. But
maybe this is it.
Speaker 12 (24:55):
Uh, let's here we go.
Speaker 13 (24:58):
The wall after quote unauthori passageway had been built connecting
the sanctuary to nearby buildings, allegedly including a local children's museum.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
According to the New.
Speaker 13 (25:07):
York Post, neighbors complained about suspicious noises, leading to the
neighbors complained about the synagogue leadership ordered the tunnel to
be destroyed.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Stop there is a civic man popping out of a gutter.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I know, yes, and I why, I just want.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I want someone to have taken an edible.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Another street, just the want.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And and literally came home and said, Yo, there's those
religious Jewish homies. Yo, they just popped out of the ground.
It's like, bro, which edible did you take? I'm like, no,
that ship was real. And then they're like those people
are like, oh ship, he wasn't live, like if you're
a bit for that ship, Yes, no, I'm ready for that,
(26:07):
and how would one be ready?
Speaker 2 (26:10):
I will say, the funny thing about this story is like,
even just talking about it, it just seems so anti
semitic because it's so outlandish.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
That's the thing. It's like, it's so outlandish. It fucking happened. Yes,
it of course some people went into anti semitic tropes.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
Yes, well, yeah, unfortunately is always.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Going to happen. I'm also saying, just like the motherfuckers
who want everything to get shut down on anti semitism
when it's not real anti semitism, you're been the cause
because it's like you're you're you're exerting oppressive control when
you shouldn't be over speech. And in this case, I
(26:54):
will say, the thought that you are so you are
able to just build a fucking tunnel is a fucking problem.
And I do think stems from a notion of the
whole chosen people, or stems from a notion of I
would say perhaps that because let's face it, we've heard years,
(27:18):
We've been hearing for years about hamas tunnels. How can
we how can The second that hit everyone around me
was like bro We tunnels and now this is the
one we see.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Oh I didn't even I didn't even put that together.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Oh my god. So it's like there's no real sense here.
But no, of course, the collateral for this shouldn't be
the Jewish community at large. No community should ever be collateral,
even for something as into the tunnel and riot.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Interact with the police.
Speaker 13 (28:00):
Educational environments were not up to the city standards, and
there was.
Speaker 8 (28:03):
I remember meeting and hearing there was a guy that Carlson,
the guy would do the last name saying it's saying,
I'm sureing.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
From religious people.
Speaker 13 (28:14):
I'm thinking this was a religious freedom violation, that sort
of thing.
Speaker 12 (28:18):
You're right. So there was a big issue around by
the lanes that the city community want the bike lanes
going through test.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Why the escalation.
Speaker 12 (28:27):
I mean, I understand, okay, you shot your shot, you
tried to build anilital tunnel. Cities on that shut it
down in what was to be gained by direct confrontations
with the police to defend ones. I guess rights to
the underground of New York City. And there's also some
concern I want to see tunnels.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
I'm gonna back it up for these brought to.
Speaker 13 (28:54):
The synagogue itself, wants the tunnel of.
Speaker 12 (28:56):
A full grown, fully dressed human emerging from the sewer,
and want to know a lot more. I came to
fill it in what was hoped to be gained by
conation with the police to defend ones. I guess imminent
domain rights to the underground of New York City, and
there's a concern about would imperil the structure.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Now I want to tell you why that's hilarious. First
of all, it's just hilarious that he's just going through
the sheets like he thinks he's probably gonna see his boys,
and it's like but the fact that like he's coming
into one by one. So one time when I was
on the one train and you know, my other half
(29:44):
is Italian, and this is why this is funny. I
was on the one train going all the way uptown,
like because on one side, I could go to the
four trains and take it to Marshallo Parkway, or I
could take the one train and take it to two
thirty eighth Street. I'm like equidistant part of the bronch
for me to train. It's all on one train taking
two thirty eight and it like stopped at two thirty first,
(30:06):
and every so often there's exchange students and I don't
know why, like why the fuck are you here? Like
Times Square, I get all these other things. But I
found out Manhattan College, which is not too far from me, yes,
has a lot of exchange programs. So I'm overhearing some
(30:27):
people on the semi empty train. It's pretty empty by
the time it gets to two thirty first, and they're
speaking Italian and it's not that common, but you know,
you're more likely to hear Spanish, but whatever, it's New York.
And then a dude comes through the door connecting the
(30:47):
trains and goes, bon journal and then another dude comes
in and says bonjourn, and then another one and then
another one, and it's like a clown car of Italians.
They're just coming in. But it's well, what's so funny
is that they're coming in one by one. It's like,
(31:08):
and you have no idea when it's gonna stop. There's
just each Italian comes to the car, says something in
Italian and moves on, and then the next one comes
and says something in Italian. It's one of my favorite
trained stories because it was like five minutes before the
Italians stopped entering, and by the time they were done,
(31:29):
the entire college is filled with Italians speaking Italian. Hilarious.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
I wish I was there.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
That seems amazing, just like.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And like the first couple, you're right, you're probably not
even paying attention.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
That cool.
Speaker 11 (31:49):
Whatever, and just like wait what and then just more
you're like, wait what.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
In New York And it's like okay, okay, and you yeah, uh,
there's my son. Okay. So anyway, it just is funny
because I'm sure some other of them entered that way,
and there's a lot of them there, so just that
each person had to come in and make an entrance
(32:18):
to mean, it's hilarious, like and especially because some of
them went in, made an entrance and then got arrested. Yes, okay, yeah,
and then suddenly.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Oh not Shalon.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Not Shaloon, all right, so hold on, here we go.
So yeah, so they're running around, they're on tables, they're
trying to stage a U prayer in sitting disorderly disordered
(32:53):
conduct I don't know, but so videos are now being
shared like the ones we saw. All in all, nine
individuals are arrested, some get some summonses and some are
arranged on charges criminal mischief, reckless endangerment. And it's worthy
(33:17):
of noting that they didn't just endanger their own building.
They endangered the structural foundations of the building around them,
around them, all of which were connected. So like this
had the potential for other people to get injured.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
M Yeah, no, I mean, look, I'm not a structural engineer.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
I'm not an engineer, yeah, civil whatever. But you know,
as much as I do like the idea of tunnels.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Uh, if you build if you go out and build.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
A tunnel, you know in a field and you know,
middle of somewhere, I don't know if it matters, but
if you do it when there's like five buildings and
like a hundred.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Foot radius, yeah, ye, Like I mean it's like show.
I mean, it's like one of those things.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
It's like, yeah, that would be cool to do, But
then you just like think about the practicality. It's like, yeah,
like New York sucks that.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
I get it because you can't do things, but there's
reasons why you can't do things, or like you got
to talk to people about doing things.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
I think you got to talk to people about building
fucking tunnels under their building. Yes, yeah, I think it matters.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yeah, and like and if you see those photos, it's
not like there's like reinforced, it's just a tunnel.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Well, the point of the tunnel isn't to build a
good tunnel. The point of the tunnel is to get
to your study whatever, because you can't fucking wait until Monday.
So it's like, just have to open the talm wood
at this moment. All right, it's gonna stand this. Oh good,
(35:17):
we got lost in zoom tunnels.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
I you know, I went to fix my ear and
I hit a button.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Okay, but uh fbi, Jim, no worries. Nothing's being discussed here.
That is you don't know already. So yeah, it's like
all right, they just they you know, they just really
needed to access the talmud on that day. Yeah, couldn't
They couldn't wait. So that's what that's about. They're not
I don't think they consulted a structural engineer on the
(35:48):
low unless it's like unless there's like an engineer that
tries to get a little extra money on the side,
and like this is what he does, like want to
build a tunnel.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
That is such a New York thing too, like if
somebody that was their thing, like, don't tell nobody. I
come in, I build tunnels and I leave. Like that's
such a like yes.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Yes, I know a guy.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Yeah, no, dude. When I moved to.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
My neighborhood fifteen years ago.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
I found out after the fact, and I'm kind of
very upset because I like playing poker.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
I found out that there was an illegal poker room
behind a pawn shop that was never opened.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Right around the corner for me, there was also an
illegal strip club bar that's now coggshit, But when I
got here, it was like blacked out windows.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
I think it was called Asa Spades or something.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
That sounds like that, or or a Queen of Hearts. Yeah, dude, it.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Is an illegal strip club bar. Just a place that
doesn't have a liquor license or is it a place
where it's like, yeah, we just have motherfuckers randomly get
up and strip and we just did not classify us
as that.
Speaker 4 (36:58):
I'll be honest, kind of feel like it was a mob.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Spot, but maybe, well, poker, hold up, are these is
the poker joint in the strip joint in this in
close proximity to each other?
Speaker 3 (37:09):
Yes, four or five buildings.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
I do think we're somewhere now.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
If I remember correctly, I want to say it was
it was.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Mo bo is A yeah, I'm thinking we're leaning that way.
So the incident caused, uh, you know, Crown Heights to
Crown Heights. Also, for those who don't know already a
neighborhood that has had a lot of racial tensions in
it years ago, a Lubovich or ambulance, which I also think,
(37:42):
I'm sorry, I don't kind of I don't know why
in the city we live in you're allowed to have
Jewish only health services. That doesn't make but I suppose
the other flip coin of that is religious freedom, saying
certain people only want to be taken care of in
a certain way, you know, for example, even even some
(38:04):
people based on sex and gender, on who takes care
of them. Maybe it's under that I don't know, but anyway,
an ambulance of that type did a hidden run, essentially,
they claim, and most my understanding is it wasn't a
targeted but still they did a hidden run of a
(38:26):
young black kid on a bicycle and after that, and
they didn't receive a significant time or any sort of
real panel like a penalty punitive real punitive measures, more
(38:46):
like slap on the wrists. I don't forget exactly what
it was, but it wasn't significant.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Especially New York sucks New York States about traffic violations,
like car relations, like whether it's a cab be taken,
someone's foot off or this. It's just drivers get off
for the smallest things, dude, it's like the worst.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
And because of that, that led to something. So then
that led to a Jewish man getting beaten up at
least one and then came what became called everything that's
called a riot. So it became called the Crownhouse Crown
Heights riots. But obviously we know that there was a
(39:29):
lot under this, just like in la in the nineties
and just like in Ferguson years ago. There's always injustice
at the core of this, and no one should be collateral.
Jewish people shouldn't be either, but there should be some
sort of accountability, I would hope, even within the community
of you know, we just took someone's life, and I'm
(39:50):
sure there were many people who did care, but it
The racial tensions between the black and then Hasidic community
was at an all time high during that time time.
So this so this has happening in that community in
Crown Heights, so already, you know, it's easy to understand
why it's causing a lot of tension. So some people
(40:17):
are are thinking that this is you know, these this
is these are extremists endangering people for no reason. Some
people think that these are they're just showing their faith.
They're obviously within the the people who agree with the
Messianic Lubavitcher Habad, thank you that some of this is
just an expression of faith. Rabbi Mati Siligsen, the kabbads
(40:44):
media director, described the incident as deeply distressing and emphasized
that the people involved are outliers, and another Rabbi Krinsty,
thanked authorities wanted to restore the sanctity of the synagogue
and also to an extent, even within the Kubbot, and
even if some of them are extremists, some of them
(41:05):
didn't want to do that specifically because there are people
come from all over the world to see this place,
and you're messing with the structural integrity of an attraction
that a lot of people are even getting visas to
study at. So anyway, on January ten, twenty twenty four,
the tunnels closed, the chapters closed pretty much and today
(41:28):
most of the affected building they are stabilized. One remains
under a vacate order. And yeah, that's pretty much the saga.
And there's still tensions in the Cobot community about what
was right and what wasn't. This is a very specific
tension that the entire city, well specifically Brooklyn in that neighborhood,
(41:52):
had to get like the collateral for And I'm sorry,
but I can't help draw a little parallel between collateral
damage in another part of the world where it's like
that collateral damage. Yes, so what we're trying to do something?
I mean, and you know what, there was even with
the police officers. Far be it for the NYPD to
(42:14):
be the voice of reason. But I saw a video
of one of the Luvitch or people arguing with the
cop saying, oh, you're closing this, and the cop says,
I want everybody out. He's like, yes, but what we
can't express He either said we can't expressly ourselves here
or what it's too expensive for the city to have
something like this. And the cop was like, where are
you from? He said, I'm from Israel. And he's like,
(42:36):
we don't do that here, This isn't how you do that.
So it's interesting that I couldn't help but think about
parallels to current day that somebody kind of thought they
could do whatever and everyone would just be out with it,
even if other people maybe live there that. Yeah, so
(42:59):
obviously there are broader parallels to make, but even just
on a New York City level, like, don't fucking do this.
We all live together. Don't make my building be in
danger of collapsing just because you can't stand to be
without whatever. The nine hundredth edition of the Talmud on
Saturday night and you can't access it till Monday. Okay,
(43:22):
we'll all live.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
I love how they basically were like I don't want
to wait, let's make a tunnel and then explain that
God wants us to do it.
Speaker 4 (43:33):
Or Rabbi Schneerson or both, I don't know one of them.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
No, he's a messiah, so he's communicating God.
Speaker 4 (43:40):
Yeah wait, wait, he's dead, right.
Speaker 1 (43:43):
He is dead.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
They don't believe non believers like I don't believe in God, so.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
He died as me as someone who does. I believe,
motherfuckers is dead.
Speaker 4 (43:53):
I mean Hey, I'm just trying to he's dead.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
But even people believe in God understand when on this
earthly universe he is no longer here. And also a
lot of us still don't believe that they're telling people
are telling us to build tunnels. So the day, the
day a motherfucker tells me to build the tunnel in
the Bronx, put me in a home.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
Okay, Okay, I'll keep it in mind.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Yeah, just please, I'm.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
Gonna let's stand there. Yeah, I'm gonna make sure the
poker game.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Man, I I I.
Speaker 4 (44:26):
Forgot about that story. That story is so wild. It's
wild because it's because they did it.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
I think it's probably the wildest part about it. I
don't know, I feel like New York.
Speaker 4 (44:39):
Is wild, but that's probably like one of the crazier.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Exactly like this is this is a lot for New York.
Speaker 14 (44:51):
And yes, Galato, how ai coom sty see he speaks
Italian and Spanish like your name, But yeah, I do.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
It's it's just so well that this gets mixed in
with everything else, right, Oh yeah, they were building tunnels
and and we were just okay, and and who knows
if it wasn't discovered, right, who knows where I would
have went. Could have been.
Speaker 4 (45:21):
Between boroughs, It could have been literal.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
I mean they could have They could have just been
fine with it.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
Mind you, the Hasidic community in Brooklyn has not been
without other scandals. There have been sex crimes going on,
There's trafficking. There have been abuses, just like just like
there are in Catholic churches and you know, any any
religion that has had UH, that has fundamentalists and abuses,
(45:47):
So like, who knows if someone could have used that
for something way more nefarious than I just can't not
study right now, Like there's all this is why we
don't have these things. This is why, like the sewers
are the only thing, and you gotta be pretty you
got you gotta hatch quite a plan to use the sewers.
(46:10):
I'm not saying it's impossible, but man holds are two
hundred pounds, and the other person, unless you work for
the MTA and are not being seen by another MTA work,
that is saying it's a lot harder. This is why
the tunnels we are are no tunnels to us. But yeah,
a lot. I just forgot it because fuck, you know,
(46:31):
Trump is I know it's Trump. Did Trump take office? Yeah? Now,
Trump didn't take Also, this this was Biden. I just forgot.
I forgot who was even president. Well, because it was
this happened when you're twenty twenty. Twenty twenty three is
when it occurred, But it didn't necessarily get to the
point of like the fight until early January twenty twenty
(46:53):
four because it's so over the course of basically a
month mid December to mid January of the next year.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
Yeah, because it was like it was like pandemic.
Speaker 4 (47:01):
It was lockdown, right, and then it's like.
Speaker 1 (47:05):
I mean twenty twenty three, I think I think we
were mostly out of lockdown. No, I know, but this
is like right after yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
But like like just the back to back craziness.
Speaker 15 (47:15):
Oh yes, absolutely, like oh wow, COVID's done, or we're
like kind of getting out of it, We're starting to
come back, and then it's like, wait, Jews built tunnels
and Crown height.
Speaker 4 (47:26):
What that's I mean, That's what it was crazy about.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
The timing of like when this happened.
Speaker 1 (47:32):
It was just.
Speaker 3 (47:34):
Like everyone keeps saying we live in.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
Like unprecedented historical events, and it's just like, yeah, dude,
this is crazy.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Yeah, got we got we got real life super Mario happening.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Yes we have.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
You don't imagine just like Super just just popping a lot.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
Of pipes popping out.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
Oh my god, yeah I could. There's all kinds of
ways that that would fuck with me if I was
walking home and like, it's like I was just telling
my friend the other day that, you know, when I
was like fourteen fifteen, I was walking home, I looked
up from my phone and there was a dude in
playing clothes with a shotgun staring right at me and
(48:19):
just went like quiet, like a fucking movie, like a
horror movie. And I just thought to myself, it's been
a good fourteen years. I didn't get a girlfriend yet,
but eh, other things happened. I played PlayStation with my friends,
we played baseball. It's been okay. He was an undercover,
But who the fuck am I? This is the thing
(48:40):
with the ice rates, Now, who the fuck knows who
any of these people are? Ye, I got lucky he
was an undercover. It could have been anybody. Yeah yeah, yeah,
I mean like, and that's just a day. And then
I just kept living thing here. Oh yeah, Hasidic people
apt up and out of fucking pipes. Okay, this is
(49:04):
it's almost like New York is a condition that you
just have to like to sensitize yourself too.
Speaker 3 (49:08):
I mean kind of dude.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
I was riding, So I have a couple of motorcycles.
I bought a newish one.
Speaker 1 (49:13):
Oh really, I have an electric one.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
That I'll do the Onyx right, Yeah, you got the Onyx. Yeah,
that thing's crazy.
Speaker 1 (49:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
So I have one hundred and twenty five cc Honda Monkey.
Speaker 4 (49:23):
It's the same motor as the Gram or whatever.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
It's a small little thing, stops out of fifty five.
Speaker 4 (49:28):
It's perfect for the city.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Yeah, I'm getting off.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
I'm getting off the Queensboro Bridge and some dude starts
flying behind me and like in an expedition, like hi
being in me, And I'm like, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (49:40):
And he actually starts riding up right behind me and
then he rolls down.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
He's like yo, yo yo.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
And I'm trying to take off, but it's one hundred
and twenty five secs.
Speaker 4 (49:49):
There's nothing he like and then it's a stop and
I'm like, now I'm like, a what's happening right?
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (49:55):
Now he's like yo, what's that?
Speaker 3 (49:57):
What's that bike you got? I'm like, where is yo?
What's that bike you got?
Speaker 4 (50:02):
Honda Monkey? He's like, Yo, where you get it? Because
I want that now?
Speaker 2 (50:09):
And I'm like, uh, okay, you can go get it
at the place off in Northern Boulevard.
Speaker 3 (50:16):
And it's like, oh, yeah, dude, what is it?
Speaker 13 (50:18):
What you hear?
Speaker 3 (50:18):
Blah blah blah, And I was like yeah, dad.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
He was like, And I'm like, dude, you're all right
because are you trying to steal this?
Speaker 3 (50:24):
And he's like, no, dude, I just want to know
it at the cool blah. I'm like, all right, because
you just came running up out of nowhere. I'd even.
Speaker 1 (50:33):
You want to yeah, dude it.
Speaker 2 (50:37):
And like every every person I told the story to
and they're just like, yeah, it sounded like you're about
to get robbed.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
And I was like, yeah, you have every right to
ask you. You asked the right question. He did not, No, dude.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
It was so weird. Yeah, And it was just like
what And I was like, here we go.
Speaker 1 (50:53):
But that's such a New York thing. What happened? You
New Yorkers must know immediately what it is? Like? Same
thing with shoes. I have these things I got. I
got different kinds of Nike boots. I got different kinds
of They're called the Jordan Future Boots. I had a
dude come from another car of the train into my car.
He like that, say yo, what these And I was
(51:20):
like and mind you, Like I'm.
Speaker 3 (51:22):
Used to this.
Speaker 1 (51:23):
The lady. There's the lady behind me late at night,
it's like two thirty in the morning. I'm like, I
know how to deal with pops. This is what me
and my friends call pops. Are not necessarily dangerous folks,
but they are folks saying you know, you just got
to be aware of and kind of like no, it's
like it's like not necessarily dangerous New York crazy, but
still of interest and of note new York imbalanced crazy.
(51:46):
So like we cost five as pops. So I'm like,
it's okay, hey, these are Jordan Future boots. And he's like,
oh cool, great, go get me some of those. And
he just went back and it's like okay, oh man,
and just wanted to know obviously what you're talking about
more because you're on the road and like people have
(52:09):
stopped me for the ONYX two in traffic. Really, another
dude on a scooter who's like making deliveries. He just
was like flipped his helmet. I was like that, what's that?
Who rom? He's like, what's that? It's an onyx. He's like, okay,
I mean yeah, so we got to know right now, got.
Speaker 4 (52:32):
To know right now, dude, Yo, it's absolutely crazy. That
was That was probably one of my more like I've
had some weird.
Speaker 3 (52:39):
New York City experiences.
Speaker 4 (52:40):
But the guy racing me down in his.
Speaker 1 (52:43):
Car did he honk too or just the lights.
Speaker 4 (52:46):
Lights made honks? I don't remember, I honestly.
Speaker 1 (52:49):
Honestly, at first, I thought it was like he was
just mad that like I.
Speaker 2 (52:53):
Made a turn in front of him or something, you
know what I mean, which that's also New York. Yeah,
but yeah, No, it's just he wants he won't know
how much I bought it for and where I bought it.
Speaker 3 (53:02):
That was it.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
That's it, and he had to know. But he had
to know right now right But then you couldn't look
at that.
Speaker 4 (53:08):
Go on Google?
Speaker 1 (53:10):
No, yeah right, ah, well this was great, Thank you,
Happy to have you, and have you on again for
more New York stories that we know happened but forgot
they happened at the same time.
Speaker 3 (53:25):
All Right, dude, I'm down. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (53:28):
That's what this is, That's what the product's all about.
So close off what you got coming up. I know
you were taking a break. Are you are you thinking
of restarting anything or are you just out here scrumming.
Speaker 3 (53:42):
Right now now, right now, I am scrumming. It's really
that's the short answer. I do have. I do have
some jokes. I've been writing, and I do have.
Speaker 2 (53:50):
I've been trying to get into a position that you're
in where it's I need to find I need to
find my passion and that's not through my job anymore.
Speaker 4 (53:58):
So I have it's really just scrumming until like start
hustling again. Unfortunately, you know how it is a couple
of years. It's like going back to zero.
Speaker 1 (54:09):
Well, well, no, you have a lot of New York
experience built up, and now that you throw tech bullshit
into that wizardry, I should say, yeah, yeah, I think
that's a very unique perspective that we need and that
a lot of people will will relate to, because there's
(54:29):
a lot of people in tech that I think when
you throw things in that speak to that, like, it's
not that all your comedy needs to be that, of course,
but every I find many successful comedians, there is always
something unique. There's always something that is your specific experience
with an upbringing, with growing up. And I think there's
(54:50):
a lot of comedy in that industry. Like I said, alone,
I've been joking about the fucking wizards and the KKK
and all that shit, and like that's just the tip
of the iceberg. I'm sure from what you've had to do.
It's kind of crazy. They call them stand ups to
write meetings. There's certain meetings they call stand ups. Yeah,
I always thought it was fun. The first time my
(55:11):
cousin said that, I'm like, motherfuckers that Facebook do jokes.
That's that's just that's what y'all do.
Speaker 3 (55:17):
I know you like funny is that.
Speaker 1 (55:19):
Stand ups are like it's supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (55:21):
Every developer saying what they're working on, and you're supposed
to take no more than life two minutes.
Speaker 1 (55:28):
Like the premise there is the jokes I'm working on.
Speaker 3 (55:30):
Okay, oh sorry, yes, no, no, like for the standards.
Speaker 2 (55:36):
You know what, I You tricked me, dude, I fell
for that black No, no.
Speaker 1 (55:41):
No, it's fine, but that's good. I'm glad. I'm glad.
Don't give up. Okay, we need it, this is this
is what we need, and decide that we don't. The
last thing we need is for the creative people to
give up because it's it's very dreary out here without it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (55:58):
Yeah, but dude, thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (56:00):
Dude, it's awesome seeing you.
Speaker 2 (56:02):
Let's say, let's be New York together.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
Let's do it and I want to do the Bralog live,
so you're of course invited, and that could be part
of a restart, of course, however you want it to be.
That's one of the goals. I have to do this
live better, even if it starts off small.
Speaker 3 (56:23):
You know, I'm in the kid still the place.
Speaker 1 (56:27):
That's what I was just thinking I would. That's probably
the first place I would I would do it at.
So yeah, anyway, good to see you. We'll be in
touch and do this again soon, all right, Hi guys.
Peace for
You're listening to the Browlley on the All Things Broke Network.
This is a New York history podcast inspired by the Dollar.
Oh biweekly sometimes depends on if I'm employed or not.
Where I uh Man, who's the parent of a wildcat,
renter of affordable housing and writer of the Metropolitan Trifling
(00:24):
Authority read a story uh to a man who has
Elmo in his name right now, but has also done
a lot of funny comedy. And though his name is Easy,
it doesn't mean all his bars are easy. You go
(00:44):
ahead and introduce yourself.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh man, I you know, I didn't even realize I
had my legal name on here.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, my man, my name is Easy Bodegas.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
I've been doing comedy in New York for a while.
I've the past couple of years, I've taken a break
because I had a little one.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
It was a monster.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
She'll be two and two weeks and.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Thanks man. Yeah, you know. Other than that, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I don't I'm I do DevOps in networking as my
day Jones.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So but that's gonna lead to some good comedy.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Okay, hopefully, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Maybe just if you just say, have you ever been
on well found angel list like those types of things
to look for jobs a long time ago. Yeah, sure,
only tech could get away with half the ship day, right,
there be our.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Developer wizard, be the grand Wizard of our organization. I'm like, motherfucker,
the only time I should see that is the KKK,
and I shouldn't see it there.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I should never see.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Grand Wizard and dragon in my life unless that motherfucker
is going to jail for being a white supremacist due
the home run hitter. I'm a baseball fan. That is sacrilege.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
The ones that turned me off for the are the
like we're a family here, you know, like welcome to
the door. And the funny thing is too is like
we'll be like like we're a family here, like you
don't come hang out with us, And I'm like, yeah,
I'm treating you like family.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
That's see, that's a good joke that I would next
time you go up, I would leave with that. That's
like when when I told my cousin just think of
place as you know, because I was trying to get
them to guess at locations, like think of places, you know,
He's like, please, oh that's terrible, let's not think of
place as I know, always like, yeah, treat them like family.
(02:40):
Oh okay, I'll stay home. You're right, No, I'm not
coming out to Thanksgiving, so hey, you're honest. Yeah. So
it's just like that, I'm saying, at least a good comedy,
just like you know, just just put a bunch of
shit together, like even before AI could have written this description.
So this morning we stood up and scrummed and there
(03:02):
was a lot of agile efficiency. And it's like that's
a meeting if you just say that long enough and
people nod. It's like okay, good, good work. And it's
like that going on.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Where's he going with this? Impress this?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
I know it, but I hate it? I mean all right,
So I always say, were sponsored by something, sponsored by
whatever could feed you have a little monster? I do too.
Sponsor I don't know, smalls. I guess cat food, just whatever,
sponsor whatever can feed this motherfucker that is clearly not
suitable for the food that Like, they give him a
(03:41):
month of food, he eats it in two weeks. Like
whatever your faith and he's from he was born in
the Bronx. Like me, okay, whatever it is, you gotta
we gotta make a brawler version for this guy. So
spot whoever can do that, please sponsor us. I can
finally feed him and not spend his much money.
Speaker 6 (04:02):
All right, Mid December twenty twenty three, you're of our
lord Optimist Prime, not optimists Optimists, because the Prime OC
the number one.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Ocre you go to when you need that you can
always trust at three am. For those of us who smoke,
I don't, but when you're high, they'll take care of you.
When you get back from a late night concert, you
know you still that OC still knows exactly what you want.
So that's the Optimist Prime. So at seven seventy Eastern Parkway,
(04:41):
Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the New York City Fire Department is
receiving an anonymous tip about activities beneath seven seventy.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Their initial please tell me this is what I think
it is.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I hope it is. Their initial inspection turns up nothing.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
But then.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
On December twenty second, local media reports something shocking even
for New York standards. There is a tunnel, Yes I
knew it. It's a good tunnel has been carved beneath
(05:26):
a synagogue. It is sixty feet long, eight feet wide,
five feet high, and he connects four adjacent buildings in
the area. So what is this tunnel? What is it about? Say,
so you do know this story usually it's supposed to
be and I have no idea what the story is about,
but you do know the story. But that's okay because
(05:48):
it's still a moment in New York history that must
be discussed. But when you first heard this, what were
your thoughts in real life? What were your thoughts? Honestly,
you know how I first found this And this.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Is no joke, but it was literally someone on because
this is before Elon bought Twitter, so this is when
it was on Twitter. Someone retweeted something they wrote like
six weeks prior. It was like, hey, I'm hearing Jewish
voices underneath my floorboard of my apartment. Bad And their
(06:20):
quote was, see, guys, I wasn't crazy and was a
link to the story.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
That's how I found the story.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Some kids six weeks prior was like, hey goo, I'm
hearing like like Hebrew.
Speaker 7 (06:33):
Speaking Hebrews the best way you know, it does have
a word, but yes, Jewish voices makes it funnier. But yeah,
Jewish voices just sounds like uh, I am my mom's
side is Jewish. It just Jewish voices just sounds like
people talking about guilt, yes, and like people talking about
like what what what their sons.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Should have done for a living? That's what Jewish voices
sounds like. Not that, but yes, then there's also hebrews.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Yes, he's got a nice job.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
He didn't do any dentist but you know, yeah, no,
I guess we still love him.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
But yeah, yes, I do know the story.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
That sounds like yes, but that's a hilarious way to
find out. You know, that person must have thought they
were going crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
And I think what was funny because I scrolled through
the comments the original one. I think a lot of
people on Twitter were like, yo, why do you hate Jews?
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Or like what's this anti semitist? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, And he was like, no, dude, like I'm not
saying anything bad. I just I'm hearing Hebrew from the
floors and I live in the first floor apartment.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Right right, This is a first stand to count, right,
This is not this is not anyone trying to yeah exactly,
but yeah, so and that's and and even through secondhand
Hebrew Jewish voice hearing that still is an insanely insane
way to find out yes, so yes, constructed by Yeshiva students.
(07:59):
It has I have no permits, no structural reinforcement, and
the buildings is doing vacate orders. But let's go into this.
So what is first, let's talk about the synagogue. So
I did not know how important I'm not so my
family on my mom's side is not extremely religious. Though
(08:23):
unfortunately I still from I'll just say parties still do
get ridiculous propaganda today in twenty twenty five. You can
imagine what that looks like from op idef propaganda. Things
that I like to say, yes, because I went to school.
The beliefs shit made in Microsoft paint, Okay, that's what
I should believe over scholars and you know, reporters on
(08:46):
the ground. But anyway, so I'm not too privy to
the very religious shit, the varying like hardcore religious things.
Like I do know some things about the Hasidum and
the Lubovicher community of like I know obviously there's the
association with how they dress, and when I see them
(09:08):
on Governor's Island, I'm like, that's a brave soul. It
is one hundred degrees yeah, yeah, but all black, no, no.
Shane there are you know that that's if that's everyone's
you know, consenting adults. It's all good. But I don't
really know much aside from that. And you know that
a lot of things are separated by sex, like you
(09:29):
can't even there's even two different roads. Many times in
Hasidik and conservative synagogues, I generally just think it's going
to be very right wing views, especially on Israel. So
it's probably not. It's not, you know, as aligned with me.
Oh and I don't anti vacs. That's the other thing
I know.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, Yes, I think that there are some historically have
been issues with the vaccinations in that part of Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yes, I would say spreading events.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I am not a scholar or a person of intelligence
on this issue.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I do know that some of I think it. I
don't know which the sem group it is.
Speaker 8 (10:10):
I think it's the one and the part of the
Brooklyn where like the Dominicans also live forgets anyways, but
I think some of them are like they're like anti Zionism.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yes, so there is a sect. It's interesting.
Speaker 9 (10:24):
So I went to the protest for Palestign in DC
and they were there. Yeah, there is a sect of
I don't know the exact denomination either.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
And it's interesting you say where the Dominicans live, because
you know there's a part of the Dominican Republic soua
where there's a lot of Hassidic Jews. I did not
know this, So there's acidic Jews. Go on, yes, mommy,
and then you know, I don't know, I mommy.
Speaker 10 (10:52):
After that, because like there, this is, this is real
and it was after So while Thruhijo, the crazy dictator
at the time, was killing his own people, he.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Did decide to allow a lot of Jews fleeing the Holocaust,
so like, I'll be nice to some people, so the
world will see so and and my own people, yes,
I'll fuck them up. But anyway, of course, you know
it's good to get safe passage. I'm just giving context.
This was not a nice man. Uh, just like many
Cubans who sought refugee are good for them. Doesn't mean
(11:26):
it was under great policies of the people who are
doing it, the administrations. So but yes, and so sue
there is a community so anyway, just interesting coincidence, I guess.
But yes, there is a set that is anti Zionists
and believe that Zionism actually is against many of the
tenets of Judaism, which you know, I believe it is too,
(11:47):
But then again, that's religion, right, that's interpretations anyway, So
I did not know about this, the actual real weight
and significance of this building. People apparently came here from
all over the world to see seven seventy Eastern Parkway.
It is the global Center Welth headquarters of the Khabar Habad.
(12:09):
There's different HBBAD groups a lot of times. It's a
group of scholars, usually many students who are going to
Yeshiva and studying, not necessarily the Yeshiva university any Yeshiva
just a place to study, to be a scholar in Judaism.
(12:30):
And people apparently got work visa. Could you imagine a
school visus? Could you imagine getting a student visa? Like
so many people want to come to this country. I'm
not shitting on it, but I am saying that if
that's a legitimate way to come here, to come and
study only here, I just wonder how many of those
were issued to Islamic scholars just.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Down it out there.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
I wonder, I wonder how many. I wonder how we're
handing those out. That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
In It's America is probably not high.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
It's probably not. But anyway, so this is a very
historic building that is apparently also has a very historic leader,
Rabbi Menachem Mendo. I'm trying not to laugh Schneerson, This, Rabbi,
mister Schneerson, Rabbi Schneerson is apparently a very strong figure
(13:26):
within the movement and many people so he died, and
I say died in quotes because just like Tupac, many
people believe Rabbi Schneerson never really died. Okay, okay, that
he's still alive. He's one of those voices easy, oh oh,
(13:48):
so he's haunting the tunnels. Rabbi Schneerson is a voice
commanding people. There was even a debate among the the
Lubavitcher commun unity whether or not to put up a
plaque for his death.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Right, right, right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Should we even put anything for Tupac? If holograms of
popping up? Is Tupaca live in Cuba, Maybe Rabbi Schneerson's
with Tupac and Cuba. I don't know.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Hey, I'll tell you what, I bet you that's a
dope album.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I would if there's anything that should be revived if
there's any reason for revival. Tupac featuring Rabbi Schneerson on
the track. I don't know what we'll get first that
are detox but anyway or half life three. I always
used to put those two together too, oh man jeseus.
(14:45):
But anyway, So his death has inspired a group of
students to be like disciples. And you know, there's not
always a great history of disciples in general, especially if
people who've who we don't kind of like believe are
so so dead. Maybe they're dead, maybe they're not. It
doesn't always have the same doesn't always have great results.
(15:08):
But some of those students are still attending the Yeshiva
and are still studying in this world headquarters at seven seventy.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
So one of his wishes before he died was to
expand the synagogue. Right, So many of the students thought
they were being compelled to expand the synagogue. Now, how
does one do that? Well, New York City, it taked
to build shit, right, to get apartmit it talked to
(15:39):
do a lot of these things. So I suppose Rebbe,
as he's affectionately called, just the Rebbe, just the rabbi
was in their head and said this tunnel time. Yeah,
and they continued on his orders to expand the synagogue.
(16:03):
So that's apparently the impetus behind all this.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Interesting.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Okay, now I don't want to get too far ahead.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Now here's the thing. I'm a gentile, yes.
Speaker 8 (16:15):
This Catholic.
Speaker 11 (16:16):
I grew up in a jewishsh area.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Yes, so I know a little bit.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
Yes, but like specifically why they were building a tunnel.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
It had to do with.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Like, isn't there there was like a dormitory around the
around the corner, yes, yes, and that's where it was
digging from.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
So this is connecting other buildings in this in the
synagogue that was being increasingly crowded. So this was I'm
guessing something that had been discussed even while he was alive,
that an expansion. I don't know if the word tunnel
(17:01):
was explicitly said, but.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
No, no, sorry, yes, but.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Was heard, but yes, no, I thought it was not that.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
I thought, yeah, yeah, yeah, vaguely remember it being like
they built a tunnel because it was something.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
From the dormitory to the pla, the holy place.
Speaker 11 (17:20):
That you were saying, the study more, the study more right,
and that I believe that they tried to get permits
and the city either said no or whatever.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
And that's as much as I remember.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
There may have been an attempt at some point, but
I don't think it was a strong one. I really
do feel it may have been, hey, tunnel, and they're like, yeah,
let's let's let's let's take a moment on that. And
then they're like, okay, so they said no, we're building
a tunnel, and but okay, yes it is. It did
(17:56):
have purpose. I mean, all of this has a scholarly purpose.
They built the tunnel, as you said, to connect other
ass other parts of the synagogue, O other places of
study related to the Yeshiva that are going to need
to go there for books, I guess for studying. Have
(18:17):
you ever liked school so fucking much now that you
said I must build a tunnel get there after hours?
I don't even think for religious standards that's normal.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Well, here's here's what I will say.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
You don't.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
I will say, you don't have to be religious to
pitch me to build a tunnel.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Okay, I'm in.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
I feel like the seven.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Year old in me is like, where from point A
to point B? I'm in let's do this.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
So I would be down there digging tunnel with them
because I'd be like, this is hilarious. Let's do this.
Can we do a tree for next.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Yeah, let's do it for the treehouse. Let's make it.
Yeah yeah, looking side down there.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah, but yeah no. And I don't like school that much.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I just it's like, how do you even like even
Union theological seminary. I don't see doctor Cornell West being like,
and we must bear the tunnel. Students unite because if
you're gonna worship someone for Union, that like the highest
place to study Christianity, I would think it's mister West.
But anyway, it all came to a head. Okay. So
(19:32):
on January eight, twenty twenty four, cement trucks arrived to
seal the tunnel and a group of students, some asodd
with the Kabad what they call the Messianism, because some
believe that the Rebbe is even the Messiah. And in
my very limited knowledge of especially that sect of Judaism,
(19:55):
I did not realize that you're allowed to do that
because one of the key differences between Christianity, but I
always say is book one. In book two, I mean
the related let's face it, so you know the the
sequel and first part is that there is no Jews
(20:19):
don't believe the Messiah is here yet, and Christians the
Messiah is Jesus.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
So, and when people are actually ascribing a person to
be the massign Christianity, like lunatics who think Donald Trump
is Jesus uh, I have always thought that's actually a
false prophet and blasphemy because you're not supposed to do that.
There is only one son of God, and that is
Jesus Christ. So I'm wondering if this is even like okay,
(20:51):
and most because I think this is a division because
because not everyone and even in this how God agreed
with this no one's tensions year about who should follow
the rabbi and saw him as this messiah figure who
never died, and those who didn't and those who are like, listen,
we love our school just as much as anybody, and
(21:11):
we want to study, but digging a hole to get there.
On Saturday night when I got electricity, a motherfucker's got
a party, man, all right after the Sabbath, it's lit? Yeah,
have you heard of the I just want to make
sure that hold on I want to make sure we
(21:35):
I don't want this pause recording. Okay, So have you
heard of a what's the word shabiskoy? Do you know
what that is? No?
Speaker 9 (21:50):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Is this a non Jewish person? You have more shabists
like turn on electricity?
Speaker 1 (22:01):
You know it?
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
I believe our mutual friends Stan. I believe he did
it at one time, and or at least he knew
someone who did it.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
That's crazy, dude, I thought there was a joke.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Oh no, they found a cheat code where it's like, yeah,
it's it's what we can't turn on the lights.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
But if a gentile comes.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Over, but you cannot command the gentile, yes, it's a yes.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
You can't be like can you do this for us?
Speaker 1 (22:32):
What you must say is wow, it's hot on this
August summer day. Yes, and they must go yeah it
is hot. No, they gotta turn on the AC like
I just find that there's so many funny things you
can do to that. But anyway, yeah, so after you know,
(22:53):
after that dude leaves Dennis lit because then you can
do all of it yourself. So I'm sure some homies
were like, bro, like, we like this as much as anybody,
but we don't need to build a fucking tunnel. Let's
sometimes we like to chill. And you know, doesn't that
we netflix and chill too, that you know, not on Friday,
not on the Sabbath, but anyway. So a group though,
(23:20):
does want to protest that on January eighth, maybe before
the cement trucks arrived to steal the time. And what
follows like is a group of students that are associated
with the Cabbat Messianism. So they believe that this rabbi
is the Messiah, that he's the dude, he never died.
He's compelling them, and there is an all out brawl.
(23:45):
Oh and when I say that guys aren't exactly trained fighters,
I mean, like you've kind of seen a baseball fight.
It's kind of about dudes that are pushing and shoving,
kind of flailing. I wouldn't even actually baseball because because
some of those guys probably at least know how to fight.
(24:06):
Even if I think this is like and let me
see if I can, uh, can I show you this?
The tables reminded what he was called to a location
best known as a sacred site for the Habbad Lubavic
Orthodox Jewish sect authority.
Speaker 11 (24:26):
Say a group of Jewish men who had a long
Simmary disagreement like world tunnels under several buildings to break
into the synagogue, very.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Distressing the war like bis community, and they would just
run the world and Jewish people.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
In full Hasidic guard running on a table at a
police officer. And I want to show you that. But
maybe this is it.
Speaker 12 (24:55):
Uh, let's here we go.
Speaker 13 (24:58):
The wall after quote unauthori passageway had been built connecting
the sanctuary to nearby buildings, allegedly including a local children's museum.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
According to the New.
Speaker 13 (25:07):
York Post, neighbors complained about suspicious noises, leading to the
neighbors complained about the synagogue leadership ordered the tunnel to
be destroyed.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Stop there is a civic man popping out of a gutter.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I know, yes, and I why, I just want.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I want someone to have taken an edible.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Another street, just the want.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And and literally came home and said, Yo, there's those
religious Jewish homies. Yo, they just popped out of the ground.
It's like, bro, which edible did you take? I'm like, no,
that ship was real. And then they're like those people
are like, oh ship, he wasn't live, like if you're
a bit for that ship, Yes, no, I'm ready for that,
(26:07):
and how would one be ready?
Speaker 2 (26:10):
I will say, the funny thing about this story is like,
even just talking about it, it just seems so anti
semitic because it's so outlandish.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
That's the thing. It's like, it's so outlandish. It fucking happened. Yes,
it of course some people went into anti semitic tropes.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
Yes, well, yeah, unfortunately is always.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Going to happen. I'm also saying, just like the motherfuckers
who want everything to get shut down on anti semitism
when it's not real anti semitism, you're been the cause
because it's like you're you're you're exerting oppressive control when
you shouldn't be over speech. And in this case, I
(26:54):
will say, the thought that you are so you are
able to just build a fucking tunnel is a fucking problem.
And I do think stems from a notion of the
whole chosen people, or stems from a notion of I
would say perhaps that because let's face it, we've heard years,
(27:18):
We've been hearing for years about hamas tunnels. How can
we how can The second that hit everyone around me
was like bro We tunnels and now this is the
one we see.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Oh I didn't even I didn't even put that together.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Oh my god. So it's like there's no real sense here.
But no, of course, the collateral for this shouldn't be
the Jewish community at large. No community should ever be collateral,
even for something as into the tunnel and riot.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Interact with the police.
Speaker 13 (28:00):
Educational environments were not up to the city standards, and
there was.
Speaker 8 (28:03):
I remember meeting and hearing there was a guy that Carlson,
the guy would do the last name saying it's saying,
I'm sureing.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
From religious people.
Speaker 13 (28:14):
I'm thinking this was a religious freedom violation, that sort
of thing.
Speaker 12 (28:18):
You're right. So there was a big issue around by
the lanes that the city community want the bike lanes
going through test.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Why the escalation.
Speaker 12 (28:27):
I mean, I understand, okay, you shot your shot, you
tried to build anilital tunnel. Cities on that shut it
down in what was to be gained by direct confrontations
with the police to defend ones. I guess rights to
the underground of New York City. And there's also some
concern I want to see tunnels.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
I'm gonna back it up for these brought to.
Speaker 13 (28:54):
The synagogue itself, wants the tunnel of.
Speaker 12 (28:56):
A full grown, fully dressed human emerging from the sewer,
and want to know a lot more. I came to
fill it in what was hoped to be gained by
conation with the police to defend ones. I guess imminent
domain rights to the underground of New York City, and
there's a concern about would imperil the structure.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Now I want to tell you why that's hilarious. First
of all, it's just hilarious that he's just going through
the sheets like he thinks he's probably gonna see his boys,
and it's like but the fact that like he's coming
into one by one. So one time when I was
on the one train and you know, my other half
(29:44):
is Italian, and this is why this is funny. I
was on the one train going all the way uptown,
like because on one side, I could go to the
four trains and take it to Marshallo Parkway, or I
could take the one train and take it to two
thirty eighth Street. I'm like equidistant part of the bronch
for me to train. It's all on one train taking
two thirty eight and it like stopped at two thirty first,
(30:06):
and every so often there's exchange students and I don't
know why, like why the fuck are you here? Like
Times Square, I get all these other things. But I
found out Manhattan College, which is not too far from me, yes,
has a lot of exchange programs. So I'm overhearing some
(30:27):
people on the semi empty train. It's pretty empty by
the time it gets to two thirty first, and they're
speaking Italian and it's not that common, but you know,
you're more likely to hear Spanish, but whatever, it's New York.
And then a dude comes through the door connecting the
(30:47):
trains and goes, bon journal and then another dude comes
in and says bonjourn, and then another one and then
another one, and it's like a clown car of Italians.
They're just coming in. But it's well, what's so funny
is that they're coming in one by one. It's like,
(31:08):
and you have no idea when it's gonna stop. There's
just each Italian comes to the car, says something in
Italian and moves on, and then the next one comes
and says something in Italian. It's one of my favorite
trained stories because it was like five minutes before the
Italians stopped entering, and by the time they were done,
(31:29):
the entire college is filled with Italians speaking Italian. Hilarious.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
I wish I was there.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
That seems amazing, just like.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And like the first couple, you're right, you're probably not
even paying attention.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
That cool.
Speaker 11 (31:49):
Whatever, and just like wait what and then just more
you're like, wait what.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
In New York And it's like okay, okay, and you yeah, uh,
there's my son. Okay. So anyway, it just is funny
because I'm sure some other of them entered that way,
and there's a lot of them there, so just that
each person had to come in and make an entrance
(32:18):
to mean, it's hilarious, like and especially because some of
them went in, made an entrance and then got arrested. Yes, okay, yeah,
and then suddenly.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Oh not Shalon.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Not Shaloon, all right, so hold on, here we go.
So yeah, so they're running around, they're on tables, they're
trying to stage a U prayer in sitting disorderly disordered
(32:53):
conduct I don't know, but so videos are now being
shared like the ones we saw. All in all, nine
individuals are arrested, some get some summonses and some are
arranged on charges criminal mischief, reckless endangerment. And it's worthy
(33:17):
of noting that they didn't just endanger their own building.
They endangered the structural foundations of the building around them,
around them, all of which were connected. So like this
had the potential for other people to get injured.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
M Yeah, no, I mean, look, I'm not a structural engineer.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
I'm not an engineer, yeah, civil whatever. But you know,
as much as I do like the idea of tunnels.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Uh, if you build if you go out and build.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
A tunnel, you know in a field and you know,
middle of somewhere, I don't know if it matters, but
if you do it when there's like five buildings and
like a hundred.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Foot radius, yeah, ye, Like I mean it's like show.
I mean, it's like one of those things.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
It's like, yeah, that would be cool to do, But
then you just like think about the practicality. It's like, yeah,
like New York sucks that.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
I get it because you can't do things, but there's
reasons why you can't do things, or like you got
to talk to people about doing things.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
I think you got to talk to people about building
fucking tunnels under their building. Yes, yeah, I think it matters.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yeah, and like and if you see those photos, it's
not like there's like reinforced, it's just a tunnel.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Well, the point of the tunnel isn't to build a
good tunnel. The point of the tunnel is to get
to your study whatever, because you can't fucking wait until Monday.
So it's like, just have to open the talm wood
at this moment. All right, it's gonna stand this. Oh good,
(35:17):
we got lost in zoom tunnels.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
I you know, I went to fix my ear and
I hit a button.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Okay, but uh fbi, Jim, no worries. Nothing's being discussed here.
That is you don't know already. So yeah, it's like
all right, they just they you know, they just really
needed to access the talmud on that day. Yeah, couldn't
They couldn't wait. So that's what that's about. They're not
I don't think they consulted a structural engineer on the
(35:48):
low unless it's like unless there's like an engineer that
tries to get a little extra money on the side,
and like this is what he does, like want to
build a tunnel.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
That is such a New York thing too, like if
somebody that was their thing, like, don't tell nobody. I
come in, I build tunnels and I leave. Like that's
such a like yes.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Yes, I know a guy.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Yeah, no, dude. When I moved to.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
My neighborhood fifteen years ago.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
I found out after the fact, and I'm kind of
very upset because I like playing poker.
Speaker 4 (36:20):
I found out that there was an illegal poker room
behind a pawn shop that was never opened.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Right around the corner for me, there was also an
illegal strip club bar that's now coggshit, But when I
got here, it was like blacked out windows.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
I think it was called Asa Spades or something.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
That sounds like that, or or a Queen of Hearts. Yeah, dude, it.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Is an illegal strip club bar. Just a place that
doesn't have a liquor license or is it a place
where it's like, yeah, we just have motherfuckers randomly get
up and strip and we just did not classify us
as that.
Speaker 4 (36:58):
I'll be honest, kind of feel like it was a mob.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Spot, but maybe, well, poker, hold up, are these is
the poker joint in the strip joint in this in
close proximity to each other?
Speaker 3 (37:09):
Yes, four or five buildings.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
I do think we're somewhere now.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
If I remember correctly, I want to say it was
it was.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Mo bo is A yeah, I'm thinking we're leaning that way.
So the incident caused, uh, you know, Crown Heights to
Crown Heights. Also, for those who don't know already a
neighborhood that has had a lot of racial tensions in
it years ago, a Lubovich or ambulance, which I also think,
(37:42):
I'm sorry, I don't kind of I don't know why
in the city we live in you're allowed to have
Jewish only health services. That doesn't make but I suppose
the other flip coin of that is religious freedom, saying
certain people only want to be taken care of in
a certain way, you know, for example, even even some
(38:04):
people based on sex and gender, on who takes care
of them. Maybe it's under that I don't know, but anyway,
an ambulance of that type did a hidden run, essentially,
they claim, and most my understanding is it wasn't a
targeted but still they did a hidden run of a
(38:26):
young black kid on a bicycle and after that, and
they didn't receive a significant time or any sort of
real panel like a penalty punitive real punitive measures, more
(38:46):
like slap on the wrists. I don't forget exactly what
it was, but it wasn't significant.
Speaker 2 (38:50):
Especially New York sucks New York States about traffic violations,
like car relations, like whether it's a cab be taken,
someone's foot off or this. It's just drivers get off
for the smallest things, dude, it's like the worst.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
And because of that, that led to something. So then
that led to a Jewish man getting beaten up at
least one and then came what became called everything that's
called a riot. So it became called the Crownhouse Crown
Heights riots. But obviously we know that there was a
(39:29):
lot under this, just like in la in the nineties
and just like in Ferguson years ago. There's always injustice
at the core of this, and no one should be collateral.
Jewish people shouldn't be either, but there should be some
sort of accountability, I would hope, even within the community
of you know, we just took someone's life, and I'm
(39:50):
sure there were many people who did care, but it
The racial tensions between the black and then Hasidic community
was at an all time high during that time time.
So this so this has happening in that community in
Crown Heights, so already, you know, it's easy to understand
why it's causing a lot of tension. So some people
(40:17):
are are thinking that this is you know, these this
is these are extremists endangering people for no reason. Some
people think that these are they're just showing their faith.
They're obviously within the the people who agree with the
Messianic Lubavitcher Habad, thank you that some of this is
just an expression of faith. Rabbi Mati Siligsen, the kabbads
(40:44):
media director, described the incident as deeply distressing and emphasized
that the people involved are outliers, and another Rabbi Krinsty,
thanked authorities wanted to restore the sanctity of the synagogue
and also to an extent, even within the Kubbot, and
even if some of them are extremists, some of them
(41:05):
didn't want to do that specifically because there are people
come from all over the world to see this place,
and you're messing with the structural integrity of an attraction
that a lot of people are even getting visas to
study at. So anyway, on January ten, twenty twenty four,
the tunnels closed, the chapters closed pretty much and today
(41:28):
most of the affected building they are stabilized. One remains
under a vacate order. And yeah, that's pretty much the saga.
And there's still tensions in the Cobot community about what
was right and what wasn't. This is a very specific
tension that the entire city, well specifically Brooklyn in that neighborhood,
(41:52):
had to get like the collateral for And I'm sorry,
but I can't help draw a little parallel between collateral
damage in another part of the world where it's like
that collateral damage. Yes, so what we're trying to do something?
I mean, and you know what, there was even with
the police officers. Far be it for the NYPD to
(42:14):
be the voice of reason. But I saw a video
of one of the Luvitch or people arguing with the
cop saying, oh, you're closing this, and the cop says,
I want everybody out. He's like, yes, but what we
can't express He either said we can't expressly ourselves here
or what it's too expensive for the city to have
something like this. And the cop was like, where are
you from? He said, I'm from Israel. And he's like,
(42:36):
we don't do that here, This isn't how you do that.
So it's interesting that I couldn't help but think about
parallels to current day that somebody kind of thought they
could do whatever and everyone would just be out with it,
even if other people maybe live there that. Yeah, so
(42:59):
obviously there are broader parallels to make, but even just
on a New York City level, like, don't fucking do this.
We all live together. Don't make my building be in
danger of collapsing just because you can't stand to be
without whatever. The nine hundredth edition of the Talmud on
Saturday night and you can't access it till Monday. Okay,
(43:22):
we'll all live.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
I love how they basically were like I don't want
to wait, let's make a tunnel and then explain that
God wants us to do it.
Speaker 4 (43:33):
Or Rabbi Schneerson or both, I don't know one of them.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
No, he's a messiah, so he's communicating God.
Speaker 4 (43:40):
Yeah wait, wait, he's dead, right.
Speaker 1 (43:43):
He is dead.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
They don't believe non believers like I don't believe in God, so.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
He died as me as someone who does. I believe,
motherfuckers is dead.
Speaker 4 (43:53):
I mean Hey, I'm just trying to he's dead.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
But even people believe in God understand when on this
earthly universe he is no longer here. And also a
lot of us still don't believe that they're telling people
are telling us to build tunnels. So the day, the
day a motherfucker tells me to build the tunnel in
the Bronx, put me in a home.
Speaker 3 (44:11):
Okay, Okay, I'll keep it in mind.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Yeah, just please, I'm.
Speaker 3 (44:14):
Gonna let's stand there. Yeah, I'm gonna make sure the
poker game.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
Man, I I I.
Speaker 4 (44:26):
Forgot about that story. That story is so wild. It's
wild because it's because they did it.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
I think it's probably the wildest part about it. I
don't know, I feel like New York.
Speaker 4 (44:39):
Is wild, but that's probably like one of the crazier.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Exactly like this is this is a lot for New York.
Speaker 14 (44:51):
And yes, Galato, how ai coom sty see he speaks
Italian and Spanish like your name, But yeah, I do.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
It's it's just so well that this gets mixed in
with everything else, right, Oh yeah, they were building tunnels
and and we were just okay, and and who knows
if it wasn't discovered, right, who knows where I would
have went. Could have been.
Speaker 4 (45:21):
Between boroughs, It could have been literal.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
I mean they could have They could have just been
fine with it.
Speaker 1 (45:27):
Mind you, the Hasidic community in Brooklyn has not been
without other scandals. There have been sex crimes going on,
There's trafficking. There have been abuses, just like just like
there are in Catholic churches and you know, any any
religion that has had UH, that has fundamentalists and abuses,
(45:47):
So like, who knows if someone could have used that
for something way more nefarious than I just can't not
study right now, Like there's all this is why we
don't have these things. This is why, like the sewers
are the only thing, and you gotta be pretty you
got you gotta hatch quite a plan to use the sewers.
(46:10):
I'm not saying it's impossible, but man holds are two
hundred pounds, and the other person, unless you work for
the MTA and are not being seen by another MTA work,
that is saying it's a lot harder. This is why
the tunnels we are are no tunnels to us. But yeah,
a lot. I just forgot it because fuck, you know,
(46:31):
Trump is I know it's Trump. Did Trump take office? Yeah? Now,
Trump didn't take Also, this this was Biden. I just forgot.
I forgot who was even president. Well, because it was
this happened when you're twenty twenty. Twenty twenty three is
when it occurred, But it didn't necessarily get to the
point of like the fight until early January twenty twenty
(46:53):
four because it's so over the course of basically a
month mid December to mid January of the next year.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
Yeah, because it was like it was like pandemic.
Speaker 4 (47:01):
It was lockdown, right, and then it's like.
Speaker 1 (47:05):
I mean twenty twenty three, I think I think we
were mostly out of lockdown. No, I know, but this
is like right after yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
But like like just the back to back craziness.
Speaker 15 (47:15):
Oh yes, absolutely, like oh wow, COVID's done, or we're
like kind of getting out of it, We're starting to
come back, and then it's like, wait, Jews built tunnels
and Crown height.
Speaker 4 (47:26):
What that's I mean, That's what it was crazy about.
Speaker 3 (47:31):
The timing of like when this happened.
Speaker 1 (47:32):
It was just.
Speaker 3 (47:34):
Like everyone keeps saying we live in.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
Like unprecedented historical events, and it's just like, yeah, dude,
this is crazy.
Speaker 1 (47:42):
Yeah, got we got we got real life super Mario happening.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Yes we have.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
You don't imagine just like Super just just popping a lot.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
Of pipes popping out.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
Oh my god, yeah I could. There's all kinds of
ways that that would fuck with me if I was
walking home and like, it's like I was just telling
my friend the other day that, you know, when I
was like fourteen fifteen, I was walking home, I looked
up from my phone and there was a dude in
playing clothes with a shotgun staring right at me and
(48:19):
just went like quiet, like a fucking movie, like a
horror movie. And I just thought to myself, it's been
a good fourteen years. I didn't get a girlfriend yet,
but eh, other things happened. I played PlayStation with my friends,
we played baseball. It's been okay. He was an undercover,
But who the fuck am I? This is the thing
(48:40):
with the ice rates, Now, who the fuck knows who
any of these people are? Ye, I got lucky he
was an undercover. It could have been anybody. Yeah yeah, yeah,
I mean like, and that's just a day. And then
I just kept living thing here. Oh yeah, Hasidic people
apt up and out of fucking pipes. Okay, this is
(49:04):
it's almost like New York is a condition that you
just have to like to sensitize yourself too.
Speaker 3 (49:08):
I mean kind of dude.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
I was riding, So I have a couple of motorcycles.
I bought a newish one.
Speaker 1 (49:13):
Oh really, I have an electric one.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
That I'll do the Onyx right, Yeah, you got the Onyx. Yeah,
that thing's crazy.
Speaker 1 (49:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
So I have one hundred and twenty five cc Honda Monkey.
Speaker 4 (49:23):
It's the same motor as the Gram or whatever.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
It's a small little thing, stops out of fifty five.
Speaker 4 (49:28):
It's perfect for the city.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Yeah, I'm getting off.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
I'm getting off the Queensboro Bridge and some dude starts
flying behind me and like in an expedition, like hi
being in me, And I'm like, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (49:40):
And he actually starts riding up right behind me and
then he rolls down.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
He's like yo, yo yo.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
And I'm trying to take off, but it's one hundred
and twenty five secs.
Speaker 4 (49:49):
There's nothing he like and then it's a stop and
I'm like, now I'm like, a what's happening right?
Speaker 1 (49:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (49:55):
Now he's like yo, what's that?
Speaker 3 (49:57):
What's that bike you got? I'm like, where is yo?
What's that bike you got?
Speaker 4 (50:02):
Honda Monkey? He's like, Yo, where you get it? Because
I want that now?
Speaker 2 (50:09):
And I'm like, uh, okay, you can go get it
at the place off in Northern Boulevard.
Speaker 3 (50:16):
And it's like, oh, yeah, dude, what is it?
Speaker 13 (50:18):
What you hear?
Speaker 3 (50:18):
Blah blah blah, And I was like yeah, dad.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
He was like, And I'm like, dude, you're all right
because are you trying to steal this?
Speaker 3 (50:24):
And he's like, no, dude, I just want to know
it at the cool blah. I'm like, all right, because
you just came running up out of nowhere. I'd even.
Speaker 1 (50:33):
You want to yeah, dude it.
Speaker 2 (50:37):
And like every every person I told the story to
and they're just like, yeah, it sounded like you're about
to get robbed.
Speaker 1 (50:42):
And I was like, yeah, you have every right to
ask you. You asked the right question. He did not, No, dude.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
It was so weird. Yeah, And it was just like
what And I was like, here we go.
Speaker 1 (50:53):
But that's such a New York thing. What happened? You
New Yorkers must know immediately what it is? Like? Same
thing with shoes. I have these things I got. I
got different kinds of Nike boots. I got different kinds
of They're called the Jordan Future Boots. I had a
dude come from another car of the train into my car.
He like that, say yo, what these And I was
(51:20):
like and mind you, Like I'm.
Speaker 3 (51:22):
Used to this.
Speaker 1 (51:23):
The lady. There's the lady behind me late at night,
it's like two thirty in the morning. I'm like, I
know how to deal with pops. This is what me
and my friends call pops. Are not necessarily dangerous folks,
but they are folks saying you know, you just got
to be aware of and kind of like no, it's
like it's like not necessarily dangerous New York crazy, but
still of interest and of note new York imbalanced crazy.
(51:46):
So like we cost five as pops. So I'm like,
it's okay, hey, these are Jordan Future boots. And he's like,
oh cool, great, go get me some of those. And
he just went back and it's like okay, oh man,
and just wanted to know obviously what you're talking about
more because you're on the road and like people have
(52:09):
stopped me for the ONYX two in traffic. Really, another
dude on a scooter who's like making deliveries. He just
was like flipped his helmet. I was like that, what's that?
Who rom? He's like, what's that? It's an onyx. He's like, okay,
I mean yeah, so we got to know right now, got.
Speaker 4 (52:32):
To know right now, dude, Yo, it's absolutely crazy. That
was That was probably one of my more like I've
had some weird.
Speaker 3 (52:39):
New York City experiences.
Speaker 4 (52:40):
But the guy racing me down in his.
Speaker 1 (52:43):
Car did he honk too or just the lights.
Speaker 4 (52:46):
Lights made honks? I don't remember, I honestly.
Speaker 1 (52:49):
Honestly, at first, I thought it was like he was
just mad that like I.
Speaker 2 (52:53):
Made a turn in front of him or something, you
know what I mean, which that's also New York. Yeah,
but yeah, No, it's just he wants he won't know
how much I bought it for and where I bought it.
Speaker 3 (53:02):
That was it.
Speaker 1 (53:03):
That's it, and he had to know. But he had
to know right now right But then you couldn't look
at that.
Speaker 4 (53:08):
Go on Google?
Speaker 1 (53:10):
No, yeah right, ah, well this was great, Thank you,
Happy to have you, and have you on again for
more New York stories that we know happened but forgot
they happened at the same time.
Speaker 3 (53:25):
All Right, dude, I'm down. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (53:28):
That's what this is, That's what the product's all about.
So close off what you got coming up. I know
you were taking a break. Are you are you thinking
of restarting anything or are you just out here scrumming.
Speaker 3 (53:42):
Right now now, right now, I am scrumming. It's really
that's the short answer. I do have. I do have
some jokes. I've been writing, and I do have.
Speaker 2 (53:50):
I've been trying to get into a position that you're
in where it's I need to find I need to
find my passion and that's not through my job anymore.
Speaker 4 (53:58):
So I have it's really just scrumming until like start
hustling again. Unfortunately, you know how it is a couple
of years. It's like going back to zero.
Speaker 1 (54:09):
Well, well, no, you have a lot of New York
experience built up, and now that you throw tech bullshit
into that wizardry, I should say, yeah, yeah, I think
that's a very unique perspective that we need and that
a lot of people will will relate to, because there's
(54:29):
a lot of people in tech that I think when
you throw things in that speak to that, like, it's
not that all your comedy needs to be that, of course,
but every I find many successful comedians, there is always
something unique. There's always something that is your specific experience
with an upbringing, with growing up. And I think there's
(54:50):
a lot of comedy in that industry. Like I said, alone,
I've been joking about the fucking wizards and the KKK
and all that shit, and like that's just the tip
of the iceberg. I'm sure from what you've had to do.
It's kind of crazy. They call them stand ups to
write meetings. There's certain meetings they call stand ups. Yeah,
I always thought it was fun. The first time my
(55:11):
cousin said that, I'm like, motherfuckers that Facebook do jokes.
That's that's just that's what y'all do.
Speaker 3 (55:17):
I know you like funny is that.
Speaker 1 (55:19):
Stand ups are like it's supposed to be.
Speaker 2 (55:21):
Every developer saying what they're working on, and you're supposed
to take no more than life two minutes.
Speaker 1 (55:28):
Like the premise there is the jokes I'm working on.
Speaker 3 (55:30):
Okay, oh sorry, yes, no, no, like for the standards.
Speaker 2 (55:36):
You know what, I You tricked me, dude, I fell
for that black No, no.
Speaker 1 (55:41):
No, it's fine, but that's good. I'm glad. I'm glad.
Don't give up. Okay, we need it, this is this
is what we need, and decide that we don't. The
last thing we need is for the creative people to
give up because it's it's very dreary out here without it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (55:58):
Yeah, but dude, thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (56:00):
Dude, it's awesome seeing you.
Speaker 2 (56:02):
Let's say, let's be New York together.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
Let's do it and I want to do the Bralog live,
so you're of course invited, and that could be part
of a restart, of course, however you want it to be.
That's one of the goals. I have to do this
live better, even if it starts off small.
Speaker 3 (56:23):
You know, I'm in the kid still the place.
Speaker 1 (56:27):
That's what I was just thinking I would. That's probably
the first place I would I would do it at.
So yeah, anyway, good to see you. We'll be in
touch and do this again soon, all right, Hi guys.
Peace for
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