Thousands of Orthodox Jews mobilized this past Wednesday to assist in the search for a young boy, Yosef Shapiro, who had inexplicably gone missing after a routine camp outing. Immediately upon hearing reports of the missing boy, numerous organizations sprang into action and dozens of volunteers – the majority of whom had no relation or connection to Yosef – converged on Canarsie Park in Brooklyn where the boy had last been seen.
Through a torrential thunderstorm and excruciating heat and humidity, volunteers searched every nook and cranny in Canarsie Park, set up search zones, and coordinated with local law enforcement, all in an effort to find a child they had never even known.
As time passed, thousands of people signed up to help in the search, with tens of individuals arriving at the search site each minute. And it wasn’t just people who lived nearby.
After hearing that a boy was missing, Yossi Brander, a Lakewood teenager, called several friends and together they made the hour-plus drive into Brooklyn to do whatever they could to assist in the search.
“We went to help. We didn’t know what they would need, but a boy was missing, and we felt it was our responsibility to do whatever we could,” Brander told TLS.
Just minutes before Yossi and his friends made it to the search site, the missing boy was found in a marsh, having apparently gotten lost after being separated from his group.
But, was Brander upset that he made the trip in vain? Not in the slightest, he says.
“I saw this as my personal responsibility. I was able to extend a hand to help, and if they didn’t end up needing it, even better. I’m glad I made the trek on the small chance that they would have needed me,” Brander said. “We look out for each other. And I know they would have done the same for me.”
After little Yosef was found and deemed to be in good condition, numerous non-Jewish residents living in the area where he went missing began questioning why it’s only Orthodox Jews who turn out in such great numbers when a child from their community goes missing.
“The Jewish community is great. They have hundreds of people looking for him. Why don’t us blacks care each other so much,” one commenter wrote on social media.
“All I wanna say is if he was black they would not have been doing all of this,” another commenter wrote, to which another user responded, “Who’s they? All I see is hundreds of members of this child’s own community searching for him. That includes most of the personnel in emergency uniform and command centers. Read the lettering on the vests and trucks, they’re mostly not from the NYPD.”
“Perhaps the black community should step up and start caring for their own, just like “they” care for their own. Quit looking for others to protect your own.”
Sources tell TLS that there are now discussions among some non-Jewish community leaders to create organizations that would allow for the mobilization of hundreds in the event that a black child inexplicably goes missing.
All I can say though is this: Mi K’amcha Yisroel.
Very nice article! I hope we can continue this momentum and continue doing our hishtadlus to try saving as many Jews as possible from the pandemic. That would be to follow all the medical recommendations to the t, Even if the government doesn’t enforce it. Weather it means vaccine’s, masks, and if it gets to the point of no indoor minyanim and Yeshivos.
In another city when a 4-year old BLACK child went missing Shomrim had 100 volunteers searching for him. Perhaps if we extended our dedication and organisational skills to help Aino Yehudim, community relations would improve.
Please check your facts before you post hurtful comments that are not even true.
Even though these organizations are almost completely funded by donations from the Orthodox community, on MANY, MANY occasions they help individuals from outside the community in many different ways – no questions asked. And it is done happily, graciously and with tremendous warmth and sensitivity to the needs and / or culture of the individual.
You can look back at previous news items on this very web site to see many accidents, missing individuals, lost items, broken down cars etc. etc. where the individual affected are not from the orthodox community and these orthodox organizations are there helping (graciously) for hours on end (free of charge).
Community relations will improve when anti-semites stop spreading vicious lies.
“All I wanna say if he as black they would not have been doing all of this”….as if this search was flooded with blacks and it’s only when the Black kid went missing we wouldn’t have reciprocated….amazing what liberal education does to people’s clarity of thought…#BlacklivesMatter