Stolen Torah scrolls found outside Manchester church and returned to Jewish community

Two Torah scrolls stolen about three months ago from the Etz Chaim synagogue in Manchester, Britain, were found outside a church in the city and returned intact and in good condition to the local Jewish community. The scrolls were discovered outside a Methodist church after a local resident who spotted them contacted a figure in the Jewish community. Photos of the scrolls spread on social media, helping confirm that they were the same two that had been taken from the synagogue.

The circumstances of how the Torah scrolls ended up there are still under investigation. Local Shomrim volunteers are reviewing security camera footage in the area as part of efforts to identify those involved.

After the recovery, Manchester’s Haredi community marked the return on Friday in the synagogue courtyard with music and dancing as thanks for the scrolls being brought back.

The theft took place in March, when unknown suspects broke into Etz Chaim synagogue in Manchester’s Salford district at about 5:30 a.m., stole the entire ark containing the two scrolls, dragged it out on a cart and loaded it into a vehicle that fled the scene. The synagogue is on Bury New Road, and the crime shocked the city’s Haredi community.