More than 200 Torah scrolls valued at over $2.5 million were stolen from synagogues all over Israel last year, police reported. Only a few have been recovered. Police said many of the scrolls were smuggled overseas. There is also a large demand for them in Israel since the Yom Kippur War because families want to commemorate a fallen son with a Torah scroll. The average price of a scroll on the open market is $5000. Police said they were working with the Religious Affairs Ministry to provide better security for synagogues.
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