A media storm over the tunnel discovered under a Chabad House in New York has triggered a spike in antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The tunnel – discovered and filled in yesterday by the NYPD – stretched from the Chabad House to an unused mikvah. Quickly, though, social media users have been quick to discuss a supposed “Jewish tunnel network” in New York.
Far-right commentator Nick Fuentes called the tunnel “freaky stuff”. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anybody who’s doing anything good who is digging tunnels under the city… that’s usually the beginning of a very dark story,” he said on his livestream America First.
Jonathan Greeblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, told the JC: “It’s deeply troubling that anyone would use this incident, which the Chabad movement at large has strongly condemned, to draw inappropriate and false comparisons to Hamas tunnels in Gaza or propagate age-old antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as Jews are involved in human trafficking or organ harvesting”.
He continued: “At a time of rising antisemitism worldwide, it is more important now than ever that good people stand up against Jew-hatred and stop the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories that have resulted in people being killed. It’s our moral responsibility.”
Conspiracy theorists have been quick to link the tunnel to baseless false accusations of child trafficking. One post on X, with tens of thousands of views, reads: “Child size mattresses and tunnels were uncovered under a Jewish synagogue in NY. Tunnels and underground facilities are commonly used when trafficking children, adrenochrome harvesting, and baby farming. Arrests have been made”.
Although one video does show a mattress, it is not child-size. Many have pointed out that lots of junk – not just mattresses – was pulled out of the tunnel.
Allegations of child trafficking and abuse echo accusations of blood libel, an antisemitic trope which accuses Jews of murdering Christian children to use their blood in the performance of religious ritual.
Comparisons have been drawn between Hamas’ tunnels under Gaza, and the tunnel under 770. One post reads: “Hamas built tunnels to resist tyranny, but this tunnel is purely for evil purposes”.
Other social media posts have linked the tunnel to Epstein’s island, and accused the Chabadniks of “scurrying around like rats”.
Tiktok videos with thousands of views walk through the tunnel in New York, with one calling the scene “creepy”. Another video discusses “the tunnels that the Jewish community have been building in New York”.
Rumours about further tunnel systems have also spread across Reddit and X, with one warning those reading he post not to look for the alleged tunnels “if you value your life”. It also accused the police of “being in cahoots” with the Jewish community at Chabad, to facilitate child trafficking.
Rabbi Motti Seligson, Director of Media at Chabad, thanked one X user, who took down the viral tunnel videos in response to “antisemitic Jew haters”. “The antisemitic conspiracy mill is in overdrive,” Rabbi Seligson posted.
