Campus Chabad House Burglarized

Jewish students and alumni at the University of Southern California (USC) expressed shock and rallied around the Chabad Jewish center after an overnight burglary earlier this week. Dozens of supportive messages were posted on social media, while benefactors immediately contributed several thousand dollars to help recoup the damage.

Rabbi Dov Wagner, who directs Chabad @ USC alongside his wife Runya, has released surveillance videos and photos of the suspect and has urged the public to help make an identification.

On Tuesday night, the burglar broke into and robbed the Chabad center, steps off the “Row” at 2713 Severance St., making off with thousands of dollars in valuables, including computers, videos projectors and three pairs of tefillin – phylacteries used by  Jewish men for prayer, which contain handwritten scripture from the Torah. The center, which also serves as a residence to USC students, was empty at the time. The thief spent over two hours in the Chabad center, first arriving just after midnight and to gather the items, and returning again at at 5 am to load the items into his car.

Security cameras installed outside the building show the suspect loading the items into his white Dodge Caliber and making off with his haul. Rabbi Dov Wagner is hopeful that footage he released will lead to the arrest of the suspect and recovery of the stolen items. He urges anyone with any information to contact Detective Potter at LAPD Southwest Division at 213-485-2582.

Jaydi Samuels, a 2008 USC graduate and who wrote an episode for the Fox sitcom  “Family Guy” was one of the dozens who took to social media after the robbery. She wrote that she was “Shocked and appalled” and urged her friends to donate to the Chabad center run by “the most wonderful, inclusive family.”

Aaron Taxy, who graduated in 2014, wrote that “Thousands of Trojans all around the world made Chabad @ USC their home and these thieves stole from every one of them.” Joseph Cohan, who graduated in 2015, wrote “People say their Chabad on Campus is their home away from home… well, my literal home away from home was broken into. Please consider helping out.” Many answered the call, with over $3,000 donated in the 24 hours after the break-in.

A group of parents and alumni also set up a GoFundMe campaign which the public can donate to here.

On Wednesday Rabbi Dov Wagner posted to his Facebook Page that “It was a tough day, dealing with the feeling of violation, police reports, and beginning to contemplate the headaches that theft of our computer is going to cause. But it was also a special day, because of how many of you reached out with support and love.”