Three Torah scrolls, each worth $45,000, were stolen recently from the Young Israel Synagogue of Mosholu Parkway, a temple with dwindling membership on East 208th Street in Norwood, according to police.
Synagogue leaders said the Torah scrolls, which contain the first five books of the Bible and are considered the holiest of Jewish scripture, were discovered missing on Feb. 11. But they could have been taken anytime between then and Feb. 1, the last time they were seen.
The New York Post reported that other valuables, including “12 similar scrolls, several pieces of silver with religious significance and donations boxes full of cash,” were left untouched in another “ark,” or glass cabinet, much like the one from which the Torahs were stolen.
Rabbi Zevulun Charlop was devastated by the discovery. “There’s nothing holier,” Charlop told CBS News. “I feel as though someone was kidnapped from us.”
The synagogue may recoup some of the financial loss from insurance, Charlop told the Jewish Forward, and he is still holding out hope that they might be recovered. Using tiny serial numbers embedded into the paper, the scrolls were registered with the Universal Torah Registry, making them traceable if the thieves attempt to sell them.
Young Israel has less than a dozen members and is the last remaining temple in Community Board 7, which includes Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and parts of University Heights and Kingsbridge Heights.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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Who would be so low to steal Torahs? Or any religious item at that. This makes absolutely no sense. Even if you are not Jewish you should still respect another’s religion. I’m not Jewish myself, however I still give the Torah the amount of honor and respect it deserves. What would make someone do this? Is this what we have come to? I am highly upset by this.
Its understandable why someone would take it, each Torah is worth $45,000 ;But its horrible that someone choose to steal them. Hopefully the cops gain enough evidence to find the person & get the three Torahs back safe & sound !