As thousands of Jewish families poured into the Sunshine State for the Pesach holiday, volunteer safety and rescue organizations moved quietly into position alongside them — ready to respond. That readiness was tested more than once over Yom Tov, as Shomrim and Chaverim volunteers mobilized for multiple missing-person searches.

On the second night of Pesach, a 10-year-old girl — part of a family visiting from Eretz Yisrael — went missing in the Orlando area. The child spoke no English, compounding the urgency of the search.

“The family reached out right away,” Sholem Klein, coordinator of RNSP Shomrim (Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol), who was among the responders on the scene, told Belaaz. “We mobilized members from all different neighborhoods. They came out, we did a couple of searches, a couple of perimeters of the area — and we found her after about an hour.”

The girl had wandered off in an unfamiliar area, disoriented in surroundings she did not know. B’chasdei Hashem she was found unharmed.

It was not an isolated incident. In a separate case just days earlier, a 16-year-old from the Tri-State area who was spending Pesach in South Florida went missing and was not located for approximately 12 hours. A widespread search was launched, spanning the South Beach and Surfside areas, with multip Hatzolah units mobilized. The teenager was, bechasdei Hashem, found unharmed.

What made the response possible was the unusual breadth of coverage that volunteer organizations had established across the state this Pesach. Klein noted that Shomrim had deployed more than 100 members throughout Florida, stretching from Miami and South Beach northward toward Orlando — a corridor spanning some four hours of driving.
“We have spread out from South Beach towards Orlando,” Klein said. “We have over 100 members altogether.”

Coordinating such a vast geographic spread required careful division of responsibilities. Klein worked in tandem with leaders of many other volunteer organizations, including Sol Itzkowitz, coordinator of Bergen County Chaverim.

Itzkowitz echoed the safety message that both organizations have been communicating to families throughout the holiday. “Always watch your children,” he said, “and report anything suspicious. If you see something, say something.”

Klein said the organizations plan to maintain their presence through the remainder of Yom Tov. “We’re going to be here for the rest of the Yom Tov,” he said. “If anyone goes missing or needs help, we are here.”

In addition to responding to emergencies, the organizations also distributed safety materials to the Jewish community ahead of and during the holiday, including guidance on what to do in crowded public areas and tourist attractions.

The operations also involved coordination with local law enforcement, with Klein noting ongoing communication with officials in the Surfside and Miami-Dade areas. A meeting with county officials was also being arranged to review safety protocols for the Jewish community’s presence in the region.