The Sunnyvale Sun

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Computers stolen at Chabad of Sunnyvale

By JASON GOLDMAN-HALL

June 2 was the start of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, the traditional giving of the Torah. On the first night of Shavuot, practitioners stay up all night to learn the Torah.

But Chabad of Sunnyvale Rabbi Yisroel Hecht lost sleep all week, after the group's main offices were broken into and robbed sometime between the night of May 28 and the morning of May 29.

Hecht and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety say the break-in may have been a case of mistaken identity, because the offices sit among dental offices, and the last 18 months have seen a rise in dental office burglaries.

Det. Chris Searle said in the past 18 months there have been two possibly connected strings of break-ins at dental offices. The first died down several months ago after some arrests were made. In April, dental office burglaries started up again and there have been five since.

In this case, someone broke through a large glass window in the office and stole several computers, telephones and a number of computer programs. Hecht said Chabad lost at least $4,500 worth of equipment. But more damaging was the loss of files and databases related to the organization's work.

"For me, the most upsetting thing is that you don't think of these things happening; we live in a city that is one of the safest in the country," Hecht said.

Chabad of Sunnyvale sponsors and promotes Jewish events and holiday celebrations around Sunnyvale and the surrounding area. Lately, it had been working on its four-site summer camp program, and all the work it did on the computers was lost.

Police Lt. Marty Dale said in response to the string of burglaries, the department has been working with the dental community to make sure it protects itself. In property crimes such as this, having items registered and insured can help them be recovered or quickly replaced if stolen.

"A computer we can replace, but the overall organizational toll of having to restart everything is very hard," Hecht said.

Hecht said it is going to take volunteers and plenty of hours to replace the lost work. Luckily for Chabad, a new computer that was meant to be delivered on May 26--which could have also been stolen--was delayed until after the burglary.

"We have to view this as an opportunity to grow from, and I've been surprised with how supportive the community has been. It's been really heartening," Hecht said.