A Chabad House in Long Beach, NY, has been vandalized, and several of its sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) have been stolen.
According to CrownHeights.info (CHI), one of the synagogue's congregants discovered the damage on Saturday night when he went to check that everything in was in order.
“I found our beautifully renovated sanctuary vandalized, talleisim [prayer shawls] strewn on the floor, the holy ark broken off its hinges, and a number of sifrei Torah stolen with two lying on the ground,” the congregant told CHI. “Most of the silver crowns were missing as well.”
Rabbi Eli Goodman, the Chabad emissary to Long Beach, also told CHI that another congregant had found silver which appears to be from the synagogue washed up on the shore along with several holy books.
The Nassau County Police are investigating the incident.