Silver religious objects were reported stolen from The Chabad Center of Passaic County Thursday, Wayne police said.
According to authorities, Rabbi Michael Gurkow told police two silver breastplates that cover the Torah and a pointer used to read the Torah during services were taken from the center’s sanctuary, which is open to the public.
Police said the objects were last used Saturday and that Gurkow noticed they were missing Monday.
A police report states that the objects are at least 100 years old and that the silver in them is probably valued between $5,000 and $6,000, but that, according to Gurkow, “the craftsmanship makes them priceless.”
Police said that the items were kept in a cabinet, behind a sliding wooden door that has a lock on it, but that it was not locked at the time of the burglary. The cabinet holds the Torah and other silver objects, including three Torahs, three silver crowns, another smaller breastplate, and another pointer, which were not stolen.
Police said that Gurkow mentioned a suspicious female was in the sanctuary Wednesday and Thursday. Police said Gurkow described the woman as being around 40-years-old with blonde hair, tall and thin, wearing khaki pants and a white shirt, adding that she acted strange and “appeared glassy eyed.” The report states the woman prayed in the sanctuary both days and left, driving a white Lincoln Continental, and appeared three days after the burglary.
The center’s sanctuary is open to the public. Police said there is a back door leading directly to the parking lot and another exterior door just outside the main entrance to the sanctuary.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact Detective Colin Tapery at 973-633-3537.
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