A Queens Jewish Center is in shock after several Sifrei Torah and silver items were apparently stolen.
According to 1010WINS, someone broke into the center and stole eight of the nine Torah’s and the silver crowns and pointers, the NYPD said.
The thief gained access to the keys that open the gate to the Aron Kodesh and were able to disarm the alarm, police said.
“I can’t imagine anyone willing to buy these stolen Torah’s. If they read the words that are contained in these books, they’ll know that’s a terrible thing they’ve done,” Bernie Newman, Honorary President of the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills said.
The center is asking that whoever took the items to just do the right thing and bring the items back.
“Just return the items, that’s all we want,” Alan Gerard of the Jewish Center said. “Just return the items, I don’t care who you are or where you go, just return the items.”
The items are reportedly worth about $500,000.
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5 Responses
the sad, sad thing is, that it is very often ‘unzer yidlach’ our flesh and blood who very often do these terrible acts. They know how much our holy Sifrei Torah are worth, and how many silver items, are in our oren kodesh.
Hashem Yirachem
This is not “A Queens Jewish Center” It is the “Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills” (7125 Main St.) which is a conservative synagogue. (not that this makes this acceptable – just giving facts – nothing more)
Perhaps this terrible incident can be m’oyrer the tzibbur to learn about safrus, and how not to get duped by thieves looking to sell stolen Sifrei Torah, Teffilin and mezuzos.
What a wonderful sign of achdus it would be if we could have shiurim given on this topic, and guidelines and tips published about what to look for or not look for when buying STM (and how to report “fishy buisness”).
#3 Pointed Questions. That is a great suggestion.
A friend of mine told me a few years ago that Torahs wind up on ebay – honestly I never checked. A Yemenite friend of mine claims that a certain Chasidishe sect ripped off many Yemenite Torahs and other artifacts.
Are the stories I bring up true? I don’t know. But educating people about what #3 mentioned is a good start.
However in this case, it looks like it may be an inside job. May those Torahs be brough back soon.
Looks like an inside job.No frum Ben-Torah would dare do this.It could be someone ,a ‘kano-ee’,who does not like that holy Sifrei Torah are in a non-Torah place and arranged with an employee to take them and sell or give them to B’nei Torah (Orthdox).