Israel Police opened an active criminal investigation on Sunday following the theft of a sacred Torah scroll from a synagogue situated within a hotel in the northern coastal city of Haifa.
1+Officers from the Haifa police station arrived at the scene immediately after receiving the emergency report, beginning forensic evidence collection and investigations to track down the suspect and recover the stolen scroll.
According to posts circulated across social media networks, the holy Torah scroll was stolen over Shabbat from a local Chabad house located along Ben-Gurion Boulevard in Haifa’s German Colony neighborhood. The author of the post said a formal police report was submitted, adding that the theft has created immediate uncertainty about how regular prayer services and minyanim can now proceed.
1+The post also noted that anti-government and political demonstrations are held regularly along the thoroughfare, though law enforcement officials said there is currently no verified link between the ongoing protests and the theft. Police emphasized that the criminal investigation remains underway.