Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Chicagoland Mystery! Synagogue Finds Huge, Impenetrable Safe Under Parking Lot

A Chicago synagogue discovered a 3,000-pound safe under its parking lot — and locksmiths are failing at cracking it open, CBS Chicago reported.

Plumbers were digging into the lot at Anshe Emet Synagogue in Lakeview in June when they hit the huge safe. Locksmiths and “safe-crackers” were recently called on to try to open it. It’s been two weeks, and no one has been successful.

Veteran locksmiths told CBS Chicago that the safe probably dates around 1906. The job has been made difficult due to its age and how rusted it is. Opening it requires special equipment that could cost around $10,000.

Anshe Emet said it will bring someone in to drill a hole and drop down a scope to see what’s inside, according to CBS Chicago. Then the safe might be displayed in the synagogue.

“Is there gold in there? Is there nothing in there?” construction worker Russ Moen told CBS Chicago. “You know, the old Al Capone theory, and talking about getting Geraldo out here,” referring to the 1986 television special hosted by Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera, where he opened the vault of infamous gangster Al Capone.

Twitter users shared their own theories of what could be stored.

Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.