SAN FRANCISCO—Chabad Center of San Francisco , a synagogue located on 873 Sutter Street between the areas of the upscale Nob Hill neighborhood and the more crime-ridden neighborhood of Tenderloin for a decade, had an overnight burglary that was first discovered by a regular congregant, Jonathan Chaet, when he came for morning prayers at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Prior this incident, Chabad Center was broken into just once.
When Chaet arrived, he noticed a lockbox with a shared key was missing, and a gate that protected the front door was ajar. There were no signs of forced entry, but an interior cabinet was opened. Chaet then contacted Senior Rabbi Moshe Langer.
The thieves took six sets of tefillin, which have sentimental value, belonging to one of the synagogue’s rabbis, passed down through the generations during bar mitzvah, three tallits (prayer shawls) and a tzedakah (charity) box with an unknown amount of money. The total value of these items is estimated to be at approximately $16,000. However, the Torah scrolls were left behind by the intruders.
Langer said around two hours later street cleaners found the lockbox across the street from the synagogue, but the main compartment was smashed opened.
On Thursday, September 18, 2025, around 7:40 a.m. in the morning, Langer drove around the neighborhood attempting to locate the missing items. He also filed a police report with the San Francisco Police Department. He met with the police officers at the Chabad Center two and half hours later. They spoke with surrounding businesses, which included Buddha Bliss Bodywork and Wellness, a message studio located above Chabad Center, asking permission to gain access into its security cameras because Chabad Center itself lacks security cameras.
Although Chabad Center is seeking donations (https://www.chabadsf.org/templates/donate_cdo/aid/4970020/jewish/Donate.htm) to replace its stolen items, and there has also been a GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-chabad-sf-after-burglary) set up by one of its congregants for safety measures like security cameras, it has already raised $5,400.
There is no evidence of hate crime. If anyone has any further information, please call 415-575-4444 or Text-A-Tip at TIP4I1, starting the message with ‘SFPD.’
