Serbian customs officers in historic discovery: They found sacred scriptures in small padlocked box

Photo: Customs Administration

Serbian customs officers, in cooperation with the police, on November 14, 2019 discovered and prevented an attempt to smuggle invaluable antiques across the border crossing Gradina.

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Photo: Customs Administration

These are scrolls from the Jewish sacred book of Torah, discovered by customs officers in a Volkswagen car with German license plates. A 57-year-old Lebanese man, a resident of Berlin, was traveling in the car as a passenger, and he said he was the owner of the objects the customs discovered.

These unusual antiques were found after both occupants in the car said they had nothing to declare - but the officers nevertheless decided to inspect the car in detail.

Photo: Customs Administration

Thanks to their justified suspicions, a part of the world's cultural heritage was rescued and preserved from resale on the black market.

Photo: Customs Administration

The customs officers first found a bag under a seat, behind the vehicle's service booklet, that contained a patinated cylindrical copper case. Opening it, they found a scroll written in Jewish script that they suspected was a part of the holy Jewish book.

They continued to inspect the car, finding a box of impregnated beef leather in a bag full of used wardrobe. The box, wrapped in a t-shirt, was decorated with semi-precious stones.

Photo: Customs Administration

The ornate box itself is a valuable item that is rarely encountered in practice, and when the customs officers carefully opened a small padlock that secured it, they found another scroll that is also suspected to be a part of Torah.

Photo: Customs Administration

Given the nature of the objects discovered, the Jewish community in Belgrade was contacted immediately, who confirmed that the customs officers had found parts of the Jewish scripture - but in order to reliably determine whether these are originals, it is necessary to carry out expert examination of the unusual antiques.