Authorities say a Torah scroll was taken during a burglary at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center.

Surveillance video recorded both inside and outside the synagogue show a bearded man stealing the Torah and several other items, including a guitar and laptop computer on Sept. 25.

Yonkers police say they believe the thief is a local man and that they have no reason to believe that this was a bias crime. A spokesman for the synagogue says there was no sign of forced entry.

The items were taken just before Yom Kippur, one of the holiest of Jewish holidays.

While authorities continue to search for the thief, the synagogue's rabbi is making a plea that that Torah be returned to its rightful place.

"Each time we open the ark in our prayer service, everyone feels and sees the lack of our beloved Torah scroll," says Rabbi Levi Welton. "Please return our Torah scroll, what better way than for us to get back our beloved Torah scroll and share its values and messages with you.”

The scroll was being kept behind an ornate, curtained-off cabinet in a section of the building that faces Jerusalem, the direction in which Jews traditionally pray.