On Sunday, the New York Police Department announced that they had arrested Matthew Karelefsky, 41, in connection with a Brooklyn fire that took place late last week. The blaze, which was almost immediately identified as arson, burned three homes in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. The fire started in the home of Rabbi Joseph Max, then spread to two neighboring houses. Though there were no fatalities, 13 people were treated for injuries related to the fire.
Karelefsky, a resident of a Pittsburgh, Pa. suburb, was quickly identified as a suspect. He is known to have a personal grudge against Rabbi Max. Prior to his arrest, when asked about his potential link to the fire he told the New York Post, “I do hate him. Doesn’t mean I torched his house. Of course the police will think it is me.”
After his arrest on Sunday, police released a photo of a tattoo on Karelefsky’s forearm which says, “Never let go of the HATRED – KILL Rabbi Max YEMACH SHMO.” The final phrase of the tattoo, in Hebrew, alludes to the total destruction of the rabbi’s name.
While Karelefsky is tied to the Pittsburgh area, his suspected crime against a prominent member of the Brooklyn Jewish community appears to be unrelated to the massacre that claimed the lives of 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue this past October. While the shooter, Robert Bowers, shouted “Jews need to die!” as he fired indiscriminately into synagogue attendees, Karelefsky’s attack against Rabbi Max, his former teacher, appears to stem from a years-long personal grudge.
In a 30,646-word Facebook post made in 2016, Karelefsky blamed the rabbi for his 2010 divorce and several other hardships in life. The New York Post identified other social media posts accredited to the suspect that accused Rabbi Max of molesting Karelefsky when he was a child. The lengthy Facebook post did not mention molestation and Max denied the accusation, telling The Post, “That’s nonsense. I have the man’s own explanation — it’s as crazy you would imagine … Fundamentally he feels that I cheated him — that he thought so highly of me and I turned on [him].”
Karelefsky is currently being held in Brooklyn, awaiting arraignment.
