NEW SQUARE — A village dissident once set on fire for bucking rabbinical orders told investigators that his car was torched Thursday night by a drunken Purim reveler with whom he once prayed and who became angry when he was denied more booze.
Based on those circumstances and the fact that he knows the young man, Aron Rottenberg doesn’t believe the fire to his car at 10:40 p.m. resulted from his previous problems with the New Square theocracy, Ramapo police and his family said Friday.
“We’re looking to talk to that young man,” Ramapo police Chief Peter Brower said, adding that the man told Rottenberg he wanted more liquor and wanted to dance. The man faces a potential charge of third-degree arson, police said.
Brower said Rottenberg told investigators that he “tried to counsel the young fellow against the dangers of drinking.”
“That led to some words along the lines of ‘Don’t tell me what to do’ and he left,” Brower said. “The next thing you know, the car is ignited. Mr. Rottenberg stated there is no nexus between the incident last year and the incident last night.”
The man being sought for questioning works in the kitchen for Grand Rebbe David Twersky, whose edict against people praying outside New Square’s synagogue was defied by Rottenberg and others in 2010. The situation escalated, leading to protests and vandalism before Rottenberg suffered serious injuries in an arson attack by a devout Twersky follower.
Rottenberg suffered third-degree burns across 50 percent of his body May 22 in a confrontation with Shaul Spitzer, 18, who lived in Twersky’s house and worked as a butler for the grand rebbe. Spitzer, who remained in good standing with Twersky, pleaded guilty to felony assault and faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced April 17.
The night of the May confrontation coincided with the Lag BaOmer festival, when religious Jews have bonfires marking the anniversary of the death of a leading rabbi and a revolt against the Roman Empire. A community group circulated a letter in August claiming Spitzer just wanted to make mischief that morning — a position rejected by Rottenberg and his family.
On Thursday night, hundreds of people celebrating the Jewish freedom festival of Purim roamed village streets, congregating on Jefferson Avenue near the community’s synagogue when fire melted the rear bumper area of Rottenberg’s 2003 Mazda.
Rottenberg’s son-in-law, Moshe Elbaum, said Friday that he doesn’t believe anyone associated with the religious leadership sent the young man out to set fire to Rottenberg’s car or hurt anyone on Thursday.
“I don’t think anyone told him to do anything,” Elbaum said. “This is their answer to everything. Get into an argument and respond by setting a fire, this time it was the car. Hopefully they will catch him and he will be punished.”
Elbaum said the violence has taken its toll on the family, which is trying to move out of New Square. The estimated $2 million settlement of Rottenberg’s lawsuit includes the community buying his Truman Avenue house and allowing his family to live there rent-free for six months.
Rottenberg knew the young man who came to his mother’s door on Jefferson Avenue. Rottenberg tried talking to him about taking responsibility when he got angry and left, Elbaum said. The man came back and made some more comments before leaving.
“A few moments later, the car was on fire,” Elbaum said.
Elbaum said the New Square rabbinical court was quick to post a letter in the synagogue condemning the car fire, especially after it became known that the young man sought for questioning was a member of the rabbi’s contingent.
In May’s arson attack, Twerksy and other leaders took weeks to condemn the violence and never singled out Spitzer for scorn, but allowed him to return to school in the community.
“The family is again scared to sleep in their house,” Elbaum said. “For our family it’s been going on so long, we want to know when will it stop.”
Thursday night’s arson fire started with someone lighting either paper or cardboard under the trunk near the gas tank, Ramapo Capt. Brad Weidel said.
When Hillcrest volunteer firefighters arrived on Jefferson Avenue on Thursday, New Square emergency services volunteers had extinguished most of the flames, Fire Chief Lloyd Hovelmann said.
He said the firefighters had trouble squeezing a truck down Jefferson Avenue with cars parked on both sides of the street and a large crowd assembled.
Thursday’s incident follows what many believed was the conclusion of a difficult ordeal for the Rottenberg family.
Rottenberg led a contingent of men who prayed outside the village, defying the grand rebbe’s edict that his followers pray at the community’s only synagogue on Truman Avenue.
Rottenberg’s defiance led to protests over several months in late 2010 into 2011 outside his house, with his car and house windows and other property damaged in separate vandalism.
Spitzer’s plea came as part of an agreement that ended Rottenberg’s civil lawsuit. Another element of the agreement included Rottenberg’s receiving about $2 million in compensation from supporters of Spitzer and Twersky.
The grand rebbe and New Square rabbinical court issued an order that the Rottenberg family was to be left alone and allowed to sell their home.
Last time it was a Lag B'Omer Fire.
ReplyDeleteThis time it was a Purim Fire.
he better watch out when they burn him instead of the chometz at erev Pesach Fire