Editorial: Where has our little boy gone?

Issue of April 8, 2010/ 24 Nissan 5770

A common knock on orthodox Jewish Brooklyn is that it lacks a sense of community. While there is much to commend that train of thought (a recent discussion we overheard between a Brooklyn-born-and-bound grandfather and his 13-year-old granddaughter who has lived both in Brooklyn and elsewhere, was fairly entertaining) but the scene in Flatbush on Monday evening when a young autistic child disappeared, was a powerful antidote to the notion that no-one in Brooklyn knows or cares about the neighbors.

Seeing dozens upon dozens of people on foot, a mile, or two miles, or more, away from where the fliers they were holding had been handed out, was truly a moving moment for those who took that moment to notice.

Hatzalah volunteers and Shomrim patrollers are used to dropping anything and everything to help when needed and they did on Monday night as well, converging on the command center from far and wide. But this time they had help. As word spread that a young boy was missing, had been missing for several hours, ordinary people came running. They crowded around the command center set up near the boy’s home and clamored for assignments to comb driveways and search backyards.

On Yom Tov they showed up with flashlights and bicycles, eager to help in any way they could.

As quickly as news of the situation got around, equally amazing was just how far it spread in a fairly short time — even on Yom Tov when, presumably, few people other than the Hatzalah and Shomrim teams were using phones or radios. When it was all over, and searchers in cars were directed to advise those on foot that the boy was found and that they could stand down, people several miles away — even people not actively searching — had already heard of the crisis and expressed palpable relief and gratitude that it had ended well.

Baruch Hashem, six or seven hours after it all began, parents and child were reunited and life went back to normal.

But whatever normal is, in Brooklyn, something did change. There was an impressive display of community in a place that has been accused of lacking such a sense, and with guests in town from all over the map, it did not go unnoticed. The claim may even be completely untrue and unfair, at least when the chips are really down.

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We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Michael Orbach, who holds the title of Senior Editor on The Jewish Star, for his accomplishment in being recognized by the New York State Press Association. During the busy week before Pesach, Michael’s reporting work on the Star was awarded third place, statewide, as Rookie Reporter of the Year. Michael has shown great tenacity and natural skill in reporting and writing some of the most important and interesting stories that appeared in our newspaper in 2009 and we salute his achievement.

Correction

The article “Greenfield wins big, Hikind loses bigger” (March 26, 2010), misstated when David Greenfield must defend his new seat on the New York City Council. His campaign for a full term concludes on Election Day in November 2010, not 2011. In the same issue, “Too cool for their own good,” named the wrong actress concerning a controversial photo in Heeb Magazine. It was Roseanne Barr, not Rosie O’Donnell. The Jewish Star regrets the errors.