Thief Breaches Yeshiva During Yom Kippur Prayers, Steals Thousands

A rare incident occurred at the Tiferet Halevi yeshiva in Elad on the eve of Yom Kippur when a thief broke into the dormitory rooms while students were attending evening prayers. Upon returning from services, students discovered lights on in all rooms and found that a thief had moved through the dormitories, stealing significant amounts of cash. The thief operated during the time all students were in the study hall, moving from room to room and taking various sums, including 1,600 shekels, 2,000 shekels, 100 shekels, and 150 shekels, among other amounts. The most painful theft was 3,000 shekels that students had collected the evening before Yom Kippur at the city's ritual baths. These funds were intended to finance the 'R'tzufot' study sessions on long Shabbat nights, a custom where students study continuously on Shabbat nights. The students discovered the break-in immediately after returning from prayers, noticing the lights on in every room, which indicated an intruder had been present. They then checked their rooms and realized the extent of the theft. Tiferet Halevi is one of the largest yeshivas in Elad, with hundreds of students.