New Square Attack Victim Blames Rebbe, Leadership, Not Attacker

New Square arson victim Aron Rottenberg today said he has no real animosity toward the 18-year-old man charged in the attack. "Why would this 18-year-old boy come to my house at 4:15 in the morning and want to burn down a home with five people in it?" he said in a just-concluded news conference.

 

New Square arson victim blames leaders, not attacker
Gary Stern • Journal News

New Square arson victim Aron Rottenberg today said he has no real animosity toward the 18-year-old man charged in the attack.

"Why would this 18-year-old boy come to my house at 4:15 in the morning and want to burn down a home with five people in it?" he said in a just-concluded news conference.

Rottenberg instead blamed the leaders of the New Square Hasidic village with making clear that his family had to go. He said that New Square's grand rebbe, David Twersky, in particular, had it out for him because Rottenberg would not pray at New Square's main synagogue, as required by Twersky.

"I don't know if he said 'Burn down the house,' but he wanted us to move out of there," Rottenberg said.

Rottenberg suffered third-degree burns over half his body during the May 22 attack on his home.

He said he was released from the hospital Monday and is staying at an area hotel until he feels ready to return to New Square. His wife and children are now living outside New Square, he said.

Still, he said that he feels safe because the FBI and local police are now investigating his case.

"I have the government on my side," he said. "We're the victims."

His wife, Ruth, sat by his side as he talked, looking nervous. She said that New Square's leaders refused to work things out with her family before the attack.

"We were like hostages," she said.

Rottenberg, who had two skin grafts, said he is receiving daily physical and occupational therapy and has been told by doctors that he could be close to normal in a year or so. He hopes to return to his job as a plumber.

His lawyer filed an $18 million lawsuit earlier this month accusing Twersky of inspiring the arson attack. The lawsuit also named Shaul Spitzer, 18, who faces attempted murder and arson charges in the case.

Rottenberg, who has lived most of his life in New Square, said that most people there are good people but have been brainwashed by the community's leaders.

"They only know the grand rebbe, New Square, the grand rebbe, New Square," he said. "They don't know the outside, what freedom is all about."

Comments

[seymour]

what is amazing is that the rebbie did not invite him back and say daven were you want.

[A Jew]

Let the media know that these new square skutzeem are gentiles and as such have zero connection to Jewish values.

[Robert Wisler]

They perfectly emulate the superb character traits (as displayed during WWII) of their fellow Ukranian countrymen. Perhaps they could go back there since they don't seem to want to play fairly by the rules of the United States?

[Alter Kocker]

I wonder what attack the Rebbe will issue when Rottenberg wins his civil suit and the Rebbe and his followers will have to mortgage the village in order to pay him for his pain, suffering and anguish.

[jancsipista]

for the squarer rebbe i can only say: zayn nisht kein nar hob nisht kain tsar: tranlation dont be a fool i mean again so you dont have pain what a nighhmare this whole episode is.

[Morris the Katz]

I would feel a certain amount of animosity towards the hitman, although not nearly as much as I would towards the capo di tutti capi who ordered the hit.

John Gotti turned out not to be the Teflon Don after all. He died a painful death in a supermax prison. May the Skvere Rebbe suffer the same fate.

[David]

I guess he has a point. The hitman would have the Haalchic status of a Golem - a mindless automaton and not responsible for his actions.

Fortunately, Goyishe law applies here and both the hitman, and probably his master, will be held legally liable for the crimes which were committed.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Seymour, the mafia rebbe cannot do such a thing. It would be admitting he was wrong and that he is being humbled.

Even if the mafia rebbe has to write a check for $18 million to make this go away, he would rather do that then to concede anything that would make him look potentially weaker or humble in the eyes of his robots. Power is everything to the mafia rebbe.

The sheep will hand over their money to cover the $18 million check. Not one penny will come from the mafia rebbe's pocket.

[Wondering]

Who's the defendents' lawyer

[613enforcer]

http://youtu.be/H_WgL6eEkA4

[satmere chusid]

these skveres should learn from us. we do it better. we were never caught.

[Leah]

"New Square arson victim Aron Rottenberg today said he has no real animosity toward the 18-year-old man charged in the attack."

He is losing me here, not really from my wish for him to get a refuah shelema or my disgust as to what happened to him and what he went through and why. This statement smells of him being manipulated by his lawyer to try to go where the money is. If the butler is found to be guilty and the rebbe is let off they get nothing, zippo, zilch. They have to get him out of the picture since "someone" must pay and if the only player left is the rebbe he will bear the brunt. It stinks but for the butler to walk just to get the bucks does not serve justice. The original indignation towards the butler and the rebbe made sense and backpedaling cheapens the call for justice.

Go after both bums and let the cards fall where they may. That is true justice.

[Robert Wisler]

I'm impressed by the biography of the victim. He works in an honest trade, he had good intentions in praying at the nursing home, and seems to have a good and Torah-dik attitude towards forgiveness and keeping peace. A fine man who actually works for a living.

[WoolSilkCotton]

He looks great in the picture, all things considered. The right hand has good color and all 5 fingers are there. May he continue towards full recovery, both in health and in justice.

[anuran]

There speaks someone with a clinical eye.

[Elly Bromberg]

Look, I hate responding to this blog, and almost never do. But from what I heard, the Rebbe never expressed anything more than disappointment at Aron Rottenberg's refusal to daven in the main shul. Nothing more! The problem is those hotheads who think they are "standing up for the Rebbe", but in fact are nothing less than criminals and murderers. I doubt the rebbe encouraged threats or acts of vandalism, but this incident should hopefully lead to some deep soul-searching in the New Square community. Both how the victim was dealt with (why weren't the vandals and threateners pulled into line?) and the perpetrator (was he unstable? and if yes, did anyone try to get him assessed or treated?).
Note the halachah of eglah arufah: "our hands did not spill this blood". I.e. we did not allow an environment to exist where such a crime could be contemplated, even if only by a fringe minority. Similar issues were raised regarding the madman who shot Gabrielle Giffords. HE was a psychotic lunatic - no question. But rhetoric can encourage the imbalanced.
However, as I said, I feel sorry about commenting on this blog. You will NEVER have anything good to say, it seems. You are spewing the very rhetorical poison which you (rightfully) decry in the case in question. Maybe YOU should be concerned about a lunatic such as Shaul Spitzer taking your ravings too far.