Copper thieves flooded a 103-year-old New Orleans synagogue that became unusable after Hurricane Katrina. The thieves sliced several pipes in the Congregation Beth Israel building last week, according to the congregation president, Jackie Gothard.A real estate agent and a prospective buyer discovered the
flooding on the morning of July 5. The cleanup process began Sunday.”We lost everything in the flood,” Gothard told
JTA. “There was nothing more to lose expect
the aggravation of it all.”
Gothard did not believe anti-Semitism motivated the crime.She said the sanctuary was filled with four feet of water and did not know what the cleanup costs would be. Gothard said it was unclear when the thieves entered the
building because the neighborhood is desolate.Most members of the congregation lost their homes in the neighborhood a half mile from the levees. They have continued to worship together at an area Reform congregation in a social hall with a mechitza.
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