Two Months After Esti Was Found: The Untold Story Behind the Search for a Missing Toronto Teen

Today marks two months since 14-year-old autistic Toronto Jewish teenager Esti was found safe, on May 28, 2026 after an extraordinary search that mobilized Toronto's Jewish community and the city. What the public didn't see was everything happening behind the scenes. For the first time, leaders of Shomrim Toronto take listeners behind the scenes of the two-week search, sharing new stories, never-before-seen photos, and the lessons they learned from one of the largest volunteer rescue efforts in recent memory. In this special episode of The CJN's "North Star" podcast, host Ellin Bessner speaks with Avi Grinberg and Menachem Silver of the civilian safety patrol organization Shomrim Toronto. They've been supporting Esti's family even after she was brought home two months ago. Now, they reflect on what happened, what they learned, and how the experience has changed them. You'll also hear from Esti's grateful father, Joseph Naft, who spoke at a community event to thank the Shomrim volunteers for their efforts. Host: Ellin Bessner ([email protected]) Zachary Judah Kauffman (senior producer) Izzie Helenchilde (producer and video editor) Michael Fraiman (executive producer) Alicia Richler (editorial director of The CJN) 👍 If you enjoy thoughtful Canadian Jewish journalism, please like, subscribe and share    / canadianjewishnews   Follow North Star's podcasts https://thecjn.ca/north Receive The CJN's newsletter https://thecjn.ca/newsletters/ Chapters: 00:00 Esti's father Joseph Naft speaks about living through the agonizing search 04:20 What Shomrim actually did during the search 09:48 The turning point: leads, Toronto police and the Shomrim Toronto search strategy 15:44 Thousands of volunteers and the challenge of coordination 18:00 The pain of torn-down missing posters 20:40 The moment Esti was found 23:03 How is Esti's family doing today? 24:20 What happened with the $25,000 reward? 26:03 Lessons learned and preparing for the next search 30:06 Beyond Esti: How Shomrim works with Toronto Police today to solve hate crimes against Jews 35:52 Has the search changed Shomrim?