Five sacred Torah scrolls stolen from a Brooklyn synagogue were returned to the congregation yesterday after being turned over to authorities, prosecutors said.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office negotiated a deal with a “go-between from the community who wanted to do a mitzvah,” a source said, using the Hebrew word for “good deed.”
The man told investigators that he was friends with a person who knew the individual believed to have snatched the scrolls — valued at about $80,000 each — from the Karlsburg Synagogue, on 53rd Street in Borough Park, on April 28.
“I am very pleased that I was able to facilitate the return of these sacred Torahs to the synagogue and the members of its congregation,” said Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes.
The scrolls and their silver ornamental crowns were turned over to police Saturday and handed back yesterday to a rabbi from the Satmar synagogue.
“Amazing beyond any words,” said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn). “I’m thrilled that these Torahs will be back in the community.”