A gang of sophisticated thieves broke into beis
knesses Be'er Shmuel in Jerusalem's Unsdorf neighborhood
before dawn, removing the electronic coin-operated device
used to turn on the air conditioners. The thieves are thought
to have been disguised as chareidim.
The theft appears to have taken place after the last
avreich left the beis medrash at 3:30 am and
before the first of the lomdim arrived at 4:30 am.
In all likelihood the thieves kept watch on the beis
medrash, biding their time until it was left empty, and
dressed in chareidi attire. Black yarmulkes were found thrown
on the floor at the scene of the crime. The electronic device
regulating the air conditioners was stripped from the wall
and the wires torn, causing an electrical short that took
hours to repair.
The gabboim noted that the thieves did not take the
tzedokoh boxes or the coins in the box attached to the
electronic device, but only the devices with the money, which
provides a clear indication of their intentions: to steal the
electronic devices and sell them to other botei
knesses. Therefore the gabboim are calling on the
public not to purchase used or rebuilt devices from
untrustworthy individuals.
The thieves also tried to crack the massive safe containing
the Aron Hakodesh but failed thanks to chasdei
Shomayim.
