By: Fern Sidman
Every member of Klal Yisroel drew a sigh of relief at a little after 9:30 pm on Wednesday evening, when a 7-year old Flatbush boy who was discovered missing earlier in the day was found, alive and well.
Little Yosef Shapiro had gone on a trip with his camp to Canarsie Park at Seaview Ave and East 80 Street in Brooklyn, yet did not get on the bus with the other children at approximately 3 pm to return home.
When his parents learned the distressing news, an emergency call was placed to the Hatzolah volunteers and members of the Flatbush Shomrim society. From 4 pm on, hundreds of volunteers trained in search and rescue procedures descended on Canarsie Park, along with the Shomrim and the NYPD seeking to find the boy.
The NYPD described Yosef as male, white, 60 lbs, 3 ft tall, date of birth, 11/13/13. Last seen at 2:30 pm on 8/11/21 at Seaview Avenue and Paerdegat Avenue North. He was wearing a black yarmulke, a blue and white t-shirt with black pants.
A $35,000 reward was offered by Jewish organizations to anyone who provided information leading to Yosef’s whereabouts and safe return. The search team’s job became more challenging as the night wore on. After 9 pm, torrential rains and loud thunder hit Brooklyn. The dense darkness of night also made the search more arduous.
These Hatzolah members refused to be daunted in their task at hand and continued searching in a determined manner.
A little after 9:30 pm, word went out through an advanced communication system that Yosef had been found by Hatzolah members. Yosef was found in a dense forest in the park after a Hatzolah member heard him call out “Tatty” (Daddy) in the darkness. When found, young Yosef was safe and well.
Subsequent to his discovery, Hatzolah members praised Hashem through joyous singing and dancing. Tens of thousands of people were davening for the safe return of Yosef ben Basya; reciting Tehillim and offer supplications for Hashem’s infinite mercy.
Said one person on the scene near the Canarsie Park, “When I heard the news that the boy was found I cried out to Shamayim with the words “Mi K’Amcha Yisroel” – who is Like Your People Israel. I said, “Hashem, look at your people. When one of us is missing, we all come out in our own way, either through saying Tehillim or joining in the search. None of us can eat, or sleep or rest when someone amongst us is in trouble. I said, “Please Hashem, take note of this in this month of Elul, this month of sincere teshuvah and know that your people have the kind of achdus that you command us to have. I asked that in this zchus that Hashem grant each of us a ksiva v’chasima tova, a good and blessed year. A year of life, of health and of tremendous nachas.”
Moreover, the NYPD issued a message of appreciation to the Hatzolah volunteers. They said, “without your help tonight, this boy could have been lost. With the terrible storm and the darkness, it made the search very difficult, but your help was absolutely indispensible.”
