Stolen Torah scrolls returned to New Jersey synagogue

Two Torahs valued at $30,000 have been returned to the New Jersey synagogue from which they were stolen.

But congregation B’nai Jacob in Jersey City is still missing some $50,000-worth of silver religious pieces.

Thomas Dobles, 39, a former caretaker at , was arrested last week in connection with the theft, WABC-TV reported.

Two burglaries were discovered at the nearly 60-year-old synagogue early last week. The Jersey Journal reported that members of the nondenominational congregation immediately suspected the robberies were an inside job.

The synagogue’s newly installed rabbi, Aaron Katz, told News 12 New Jersey that members of Dobles’ family had been working at the building for over 20 years.

“We have confidence in this person,” Katz said. “I think [the robbery has] broken this confidence.”

The synagogue’s co-president, Andy Siegel, told The Jersey Journal that the Torah scrolls could be older than 100 years old.

“It was very disturbing,” Siegel said. “This is our heritage.”