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'We're Being Targeted:' Hundreds Of Dollars Stolen From Brooklyn Synagogue During Sabbath

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some members of the Jewish community fear they're being targeted after hundreds of dollars were stolen from a Brooklyn synagogue during the Sabbath.

Surveillance cameras caught a man wearing a hoodie walk in through the front door of a synagogue on Hewes Street near Harrison Avenue in Williamsburg around 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

Members of the synagogue told CBS2 that door is locked overnight, but the suspect somehow managed to break in without breaking anything.

After rummaging through coats, video shows the suspect head towards the prayer room, which does not have cameras.

Finding nothing, he eventually goes down to the basement and after some time in the manager's office, comes out carrying a cash box containing member fees and donations, CBS2's Ali Bauman reported. He then stuffs it into his backpack before taking off.

"Concerns me that kind of elements we are neighbors with," Joel Samet said.

Zalmen Stein said his neighboring synagogue has similar fears.

"Sabbath night, nobody is in the synagogues. We're all at home with family so people like to take advantage and use it as the perfect time of stealing or robbing stuff," he said.

One synagogue member, who did not want to show his face on camera, told Bauman that he often hears of robberies occurring in the neighborhood during the Sabbath.

"Definitely we're being targeted. The fact that we see this going on every single weekend on Friday night, which is the only night that we do not have cell phones with us so they know they can get away. We do not have cars at that time, we cannot drive so they can get away very easy and they take that and use it," he said.

He said members could tell there had been a break in when they returned to the synagogue hours after the robbery, but could not review surveillance cameras until after the Sabbath ended.

Some believe a solution lies in more ground patrol.

"We have a patrol called shomrim, but it's not active on this night of the week, and that's when we see a high rise in crime," he added.

"Always be thieves and thugs, so it's not a situation like you should feel mad or sad. You should just take the action to prevent it," Stein said.

The synagogue has yet to file a police report, but representatives said they plan to do that later Tuesday.

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