Two Torahs stolen from the Temple Beth Shalom in Smithtown, L.I. last June have been recovered and three Centereach, L.I. teenagers have been charged with the burglary, the Suffolk County police said yesterday.
The Torahs, valued at $16,000, were found buried in a sump in a heavily wooded area, the police said. Still missing are the Torah crowns and breastplates and office equipment that were taken in the June 15 robbery. The total loss was estimated at $50,000.
A spokesman for the Conservative synagogue said that the value of the missing items were “overstated” and said he preferred not to speak about the costs. He said, however, that “the entire (police) department has done a beautiful job” in helping to recover the lost items.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.