The $30,000 Torah that was stashed inside a car stolen outside a Flatbush synagogue has been found. Police located the 2007 Toyota Corolla on East 10th Street and Avenue I, a few blocks away from where it was stolen. “I cannot forgive myself. I was in shock. I felt as if somebody died, as if a house burned,” rabbi Binyamin Tamaiev told the Post. Tamaiev left the Torah in the trunk because he had just finished repairing it, and had his keys and wallet stolen from the synagogue on Friday afternoon. “How could someone go into a holy place, steal keys and a car?” Either way, it's one less Torah that will wind up on Canal Street next to a table of fake Ray Bans.
A $3,000 reward had been offered by Assemblyman Dov Hikind for the return of the Torah, but it's unclear whether the tipster who called the police will receive it. A CBS report also notes that money was stolen from charity boxes in the synagogue, but does not specify how much. Despite the recovery of the Torah, Tamaiev still feels torn up about the whole thing: “I feel very bad. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep.” Having an expensive Torah stolen: it's worse than caffeine suppositories.
