Twelve Torah scrolls were stolen Sunday night from the Grand Synagogue of Levallois, a suburb near Paris, synagogue officials and the Jewish Community Protection Service (SPCJ) confirmed Monday. The theft occurred despite the premises being equipped with security cameras and surveillance systems.
Rabbi Chalom Lellouche discovered the missing scrolls on Monday morning while preparing to host a bar mitzvah. Following his report, the SPCJ conducted a search of the premises before notifying the police. An investigation into the incident is underway.
Levallois Mayor Agnès Pottier-Dumas expressed shock and anger, stating that the Jewish community had been targeted at its most sacred possessions. She noted that only the Torah scrolls were taken, while other valuables of non-religious significance were left untouched. "Whatever the motives of those who committed this sacrilegious act, which has profoundly shaken the Jewish community to its core, the antisemitic nature of this despicable crime must be denounced," Pottier-Dumas said.
Rabbi Lellouche and Philippe Cohen, president of ACCIL Levallois, jointly condemned the act as both criminal and antisemitic. In a video statement, they described the assailants as appearing to be professionals who bypassed the synagogue's security measures. "This is a spiritual trauma for all the Jewish community of France, and indeed across the world," they added.
The theft has sent shockwaves through the Jewish community, with officials emphasizing the immeasurable value of the stolen sacred texts.