The search for Esti: Inside Shomrim Toronto's biggest mission ever

Shomrim Toronto became the public face of the massive volunteer effort to help Toronto police search for 14-year-old Esti, an autistic Jewish teenager who went missing from her home for two weeks in May. Hundreds of volunteers from the Jewish community and beyond came out to help in the civilian-led search, putting up posters and flyers, bringing food, supporting the family, and raising funds for a $25,000 reward for information. On May 28, Toronto police announced they’d located her, safe and sound, in a basement apartment many kilometres away from her home. While there won’t be any charges laid, and police have now said the case is closed, the impact of the mission—their biggest ever since their founding five years ago—has left a deep impact on Shomrim Toronto’s volunteers. In this exclusive interview with The CJN’s North Star podcast, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Avi Grinberg and Kevin (Menachem) Silver of Shomrim Toronto, who explain how they became the hub of the massive community civilian search, how Esti’s family is doing now, and how the experience will shape the organization’s future. Related stories Learn about why Shomrim launched in this story from 2021 in The CJN. In 2024, Shomrim and other volunteer security groups were profiled for helping protect Jewish Toronto and York Region, both in the community and, in some cases, on campus, in The CJN. Some of The CJN North Star’s coverage of the successful search for Esti from May 2026. To volunteer or learn more about Shomrim, check out their website . Credits Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner ) Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer and video), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) Music: Bret Higgins Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter h https://thecjn.ca/north Watch our podcasts on YouTube. Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) https://thecjn.ca/north