Stolen religious crown returned to Chabad

At a double Bar Mitzvah this Saturday morning, the Chabad of the Beaches will proudly display a silver crown that sits atop the Torah, but not just any crown. This is the crown that was stolen during a break-in at the synagogue last August.

Rabbi Eli Goodman, spiritual leader of the synagogue, said earlier this week that the crown was returned to its rightful place after being held as evidence against the man who broke into the house of worship and took the crown, a Torah, a yad and other religious. items.

The man, Hunter McElrath, 23, pleaded guilty to stealing the Torah and the other items and was sentenced in February to six months in jail and ordered to stay away from the Orthodox synagogue.

The Torah was never recovered, but Chabad of the Beaches has ordered a new one, and plans a major celebration when it arrives, probably by the end of this year, the rabbi said.

“We will use this crown for the first time this Shabbat,” Goodman said.

The break-in occurred two weeks before the most important Jewish holidays of the year – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The synagogue held services as usual. A few weeks later, Goodman announced that a new Torah had been ordered and that a couple who are congregants agreed to pay for it. Torahs can cost between $50,000 to $60,000.