Vandals broke this week into a synagogue in Hemed, a religious moshav located in central Israel.

Worshippers who came to the synagogue for morning prayers were shocked to find out that the ark had been opened and that the Torah scrolls were taken out of it, thrown on the floor and then covered with mud.

If that was not enough, the thieves also removed the silver platters from the Torah scrolls and stole the money that was in the synagogue’s tzedakah box.

Residents of the moshav told Arutz Sheva that they believe local Arabs were responsible for the vandalism and theft.

“This was no ordinary theft,” Yaakov Maor, a resident of Hemed, said. “It’s not a regular robbery but is much more than that. This is a desecration of Torah scrolls because of hatred.”

He added, “To see the scrolls in this situation gives a feeling that a pogrom happened here. I do not understand the silence of the media and the incompetence of the police in handling the incident.”

Maor said that the worshipers called the police but the officers claimed that since the burglars used gloves, identifying them and locating them will be even harder.