Among Righteous Men: A Tale of Vigilantes and Vindication in Hasidic Crown Heights - Hardcover

by Matthew Shaer (Author)

Inside the hidden world of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn's Crown Heights--a close-knit but divided community.

On a cold night in December, the members of a Hasidic anti-crime patrol called the Shomrim are summoned to a yeshiva dormitory in Crown Heights. There to break up a brawl, the Shomrim instead find themselves embroiled in a religious schism which has split the community and turned roommate against roommate, neighbor against neighbor. At the center of the storm is Aron Hershkop, the owner of an auto-repair business and the leader of the Shomrim. Hershkop watches as the NYPD builds a criminal case against his brothers and friends, apparently with the help of several local residents, who have taken the rare step of forgoing a ruling from the local rabbinical council. Soon, both sides are squaring off in a Brooklyn criminal court, with the Shomrim facing gang assault charges and decades in prison. What conflict could run so deep it left both sides airing their dirty laundry so publicly? This compelling story takes you to the deepest corners of a normally hidden world.

• Features fast-paced writing and a true story with surprising twists, personal conflicts, and a tense trial
• Offers a glimpse in a normally sheltered and private community many see, but few know much about.
• Centers on an unusual man facing a universal conflict: do you do what's simple and expedient, or do you do follow our heart, your tradition, and your faith?

Front Jacket

It began as a very loud, perhaps violent, argument between two incompatible roommates at a yeshiva dormitory at 749 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Things seemed to be settling down, until members of the Shomrim, Crown Heights's Hasidic Community police, arrived. What occurred over the next several minutes transformed a disagreement over a mattress into a major incident that would tear at the fabric of a close-knit community and expose many of its secrets to the prying eyes of the outside world.

In Among Righteous Men, journalist Matthew Shaer delivers a fast-paced and compelling account of the brawl and its lengthy and unsettling aftermath. He explains what the fracas at 749 had to do with a religious schism within the ultra-Orthodox Lubavitch Hasidic community, why it resulted in unprecedented criminal prosecutions in which Jews testified against Jews, and how it forced one man to make a wrenching choice between standing up for what he believed in or stepping back from the good fight to save his brothers and close friends from possible prison terms.

Drawing on personal interviews with major figures on both sides of the schism, as well as court transcripts, press coverage, and historical documents, Shaer creates a tense, dramatic narrative peppered with concise and pertinent background information. He reveals why the "Shomrim Six," who attempted to quell the disturbance in the dormitory, were charged with multiple felony counts, including assault, and he explains why the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office was reluctant to prosecute these defendants. He also provides a clear and careful explanation of the seemingly minute differences between two factions within the Lubavitch community.

Shaer presents all of the major events in this riveting tale through the eyes of the alleged victims and perpetrators, police officers, and prosecuting and defense attorneys, assisted by commentary from longtime Crown Heights residents. You'll experience the initial melee through the eyes of those who claimed to have been beaten by the Shomrim, follow the prosecutors as they build their case, and listen as the Shomrim Six debate whether to accept a plea bargain or risk prison time with a not guilty plea.

Among Righteous Men is a gripping read filled with car chases, tragic figures, racial strife, and tense courtroom scenes as well as insights into Hasidic life and culture. It is part fascinating expose, part gritty inner-city true-crime story, and a 100% page-turner.

Back Jacket

Praise for Among Righteous Men

"An engrossing read, from the first page to the last. How many of us have looked at Orthodox Hasidic enclaves and wondered about the life and people within? With a keen eye and empathetic ear, Shaer takes us into this world. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for a courtroom drama that pits the insular world of the Hasidim against the secular world outside. The book feels novelistic, but it is all too true, and Shaer brings to life the great characters: gangs, lawyers, religious leaders, victims, and perpetrators. All come alive in this wonderful, riveting book."
--Sudhir Venkatesh, author of Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

"A thrilling read that propels the reader into a most enjoyable fracas. Shaer delves deep into one of America's most fascinating and closed religious sub-cultures, the Crown Heights Lubavitcher Jews of New York City. Even if you don't know the difference between a bagel and bialy, you'll learn how and why our most devout beliefs can bring us together and drive us apart."
--Peter Moskos, author of Cop in the Hood

Author Biography

MATTHEW SHAER, formerly a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, has written for New York magazine, Harper's, the Washington Post, and Slate.