After six months and $20,000, residents in the neighborhood of Gilo in Jerusalem collected four Torah scrolls that were stolen by thieves from the Palestinian Authority.
Rabbi Moshe Ben Abu told the media, "Thieves broke into our new synagogue six months ago and stole four new Torah scrolls."
He explained that one of the Muslim workers apparently took the key and handed it to the thieves.
The community was shocked, and the leader of the synagogue, named after his father announced he would give money to anyone who could bring back the Torah scrolls from captivity.
"Everyone did their best to recover them," said Rabbi Ben Abu. "Finally we met a few Muslim men in Ramallah and we agreed to pay $20,000 in return for the stolen Torah scrolls."
Despite having to give the robbers a large sum of money, for the return of the Torah scrolls this was a happy occasion and the Rabbi explained: "The thieves had already damaged one of the Torah scrolls, and we had to recover the others before they get damaged too. This is a great and happy occasion for the people of Israel."
In light of the theft, a warning protection system has been installed in most of the synagogues in the neighborhood of Gilo, to prevent further thefts.
Source: yourjewishnews.com
