Eight religious scrolls stolen from NYC synagogue

The scrolls, valued at around $500,000, have been stolen from a Jewish center in Queens borough.

Torah 88 248 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Torah 88 248
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Eight Torah scrolls of Hebrew Scriptures valued at around $500,000 have been stolen from a Jewish center in Queens borough of New York. Police say they are investigating last week's theft from the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills. There was no forced entry. Center worker Marilyn Bagley says the Torahs were used last week and rabbis discovered them missing shortly before service Saturday. She says many of the congregants are Holocaust survivors and the Torahs had been dedicated to their families. Each Torah is a scroll of parchment containing the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.