Among Righteous Men: A Tale of Vigilantes and Vindication in Hasidic Crown Heights
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?
We earn a commission for purchases made through the following links.
Book details
- Author
- Matthew Shaer
- Imprint
- Trade Paper Press, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Pages
- 256
- Formats
- Hardcover
- Subjects
- History › United States › State & Local › Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
History › Jewish
Religion › Judaism - Topics
- Hasidic Jews · Shomrim · Jewish community · vigilante justice · religious schism · Brooklyn · NYPD
- ISBN-13
- 9780470608272
About the author
MATTHEW SHAER is a journalist and co-founder of Campside Media, a podcast studio dedicated to longform audio journalism. He is the author of Among Righteous Men.
Shaer is a 2014 National Magazine Award finalist. His work has appeared in Harper’s, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and Smithsonian Magazine.
When not writing, Shaer has taught at The New School, Drew University, and NYU, where he also completed his MFA in creative writing.
Matthew lives in Atlanta, Georgia.