Two suspects from Jerusalem and Hadera are set to be indicted Friday on charges
of stealing 30 Torah scrolls from synagogues across the South and the Central
region.
Police have been investigating several synagogue breakins in
recent months, in which the suspects had covered up any signs of a
robbery.
As a result, worshipers only discovered that the scrolls were
missing when they went to take them out of the holy ark to read from during
prayers.
Then the duo allegedly struck in the Negev region in November,
breaking into synagogues in the villages of Yated, Shuva and Pri Gan, leading
Southern District Police chief Cmdr. Yohanan Danino to set up a special
investigative team.
The detectives obtained clues from the crime scene in
Pri Gan that led them to a suspect in Jerusalem, who has past convictions for
property offenses.
The suspect and another man allegedly gathered
intelligence on the synagogues before the break-ins and analyzed levels of
security before acting, preferring synagogues in small communities due to laxer
security measures.
“These thefts harmed the holy places of Israel and
cause enormous economic damage, as well as sorrow,” Danino said on Wednesday.