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Op-Ed: Is He Missing or Is He Not?

by Anonymous

I am a member of the volunteer corps organized by Shomrim yesterday in search of Yakov Gourin, the missing French Twin. I penned this op-ed to describe the hardships we experienced over the uncertainty and conflicting reports that emerged from various news outlets over the course of the day, and the potential dangers posed by them.

First of all, accusations that CrownHeights.info published the story in order to create drama and unnecessary worry are patently false.

The reason CrownHeights.info was contacted by the search team to go ahead with publication was in order to get help from the public, plain and simple.

In fact, the biggest lead which we received – that Yakov was spotted at an auto-body shop in Boro Park at around 1:00 – was due to a Boro Park resident having seen the missing person report on CrownHeights.info.

Furthermore, there is no such thing as “unnecessary worry” when someone – whether child or adult – is missing and his immediate family is frantically trying to locate him. We do not have to go into detail to remind the Brooklyn Jewish community of a recent horrific incident that occurred in our midst.

The entire day Yakov’s dedicated twin brother Yisroel was standing alongside the coordinator of the search effort – Shomrim volunteer Shmuli Gajer. When rumors began to spread that Yisroel had said that he had made contact with his brother, and that he was returning home, it was hurtful not only to him personally – as false reports spread in his name – but to the entire search effort.

There were over 100 volunteers who were mobilized in the effort to find the missing Bochur, and upon hearing these rumors they either stopped looking, flooded the coordinators with confused calls, or expressed anger that they were not told he was found while they were out canvassing for leads.

Had this Chas Veshalom been a case of real physical danger, the potential harm resulting from such confusion would be unimaginable. Boruch Hashem this time such was not the case.

While a simple phone call to the search team, or the NYPD, could have been made to affirm these rumors, no such calls were made by those spreading them. CrownHeights.info on the other hand remained in constant contact with the search effort over the course of the ordeal, and thus maintained a high level of integrity and accuracy for the benefit of the volunteers and the public.

Last night, the volunteers began to prepare flyers with Yakov’s description, which was to be distributed to local hospitals and police departments in case an unidentified “John Doe” came through their doors, Chas Veshalom.

This was very far from an overblown story concocted for drama.

Yes, more often than not these reports will turn out to be cases of misunderstanding without any danger involved. But if I or a loved one had disappeared the way Yakov did, I would want the search for me to be treated with seriousness and urgency, not casual dismissal.

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28 Comments

  • agree and a apology is needed

    This is what it comes down to

    other websites who are upset that they werent first to break the story will do anything including spread false rumors in order to try and show that they know what they are talking about

    of course they themselves changed their story after they learned the real truth but of course they will never admit their error

    the other websites should issue a apology

  • Shmuli

    well written.
    Thank you, and the entire search team, for your work. I feel a lot more comfortable living in Crown Heights knowing that there are people here who are dedicated and committed to the safety of each individual in this community.

  • agreed, but....

    I would be surprised if anyone really thinks this was a set-up. While no one with any common sense would disagree with your op-ed, there are unanswered questions. The most obvious one is, his explanation doesn’t make sense.

    It’s 2012. We have cell phones. EVERYONE has a cell phone & strangers have no problem letting people use their phones in an emergency. He couldn’t call his brother? No one hears a word from him? Does he live in a cave, that he doesn’t realize people worry?

    Bottom line is, Shomrim are to be commended (as always!) for their dedication in finding this irresponsible, self-centered young man. All he needed to do was to make one call to anyone who knows him and this whole hoopla could have been avoided.

    Communication. You want a break, you have a fight & want to go hide somewhere? Just let someone know. If you feel you can’t handle whatever is going on, get help. Talk to someone.

    By the way, I tend to agree with the poster who said that he should pay for the cost of the search. He needs to man up & take some responsibility – people were genuinely concerned & resources were used. Shomrim members lost sleep, probably didn’t eat, & I’m sure were fearing the worst. How many officers were deployed to a search? Yes, it had a good ending B”H but we’re talking about someone who is supposed to be an adult not bothering to contact anyone. The least he can do is entertain for Shomrim & the cops & buy them a nice dinner!

    We are all very happy he’s safe.

  • ch mom

    thank you for this information. tizku l’mitzvos. you guys go above and beyond. HKB“H will IY”H repay you, in the way He knows He has to.

  • ha

    i hope the other websites issue a apology

    to CH.INFO
    the family
    the community

    ps now you know why shmais.com kept quiet better not to say anything then to report false information

  • concerned in MA

    Well written and 100% on target. Given his age, it was unlikely that he had a stroke or infarct, however it was possible, as was assult, trauma or accident. Alerting medical facilities is always a good idea.
    This may be deemed inappropriate by some, but I feel I need to mention it. Years ago, when I worked at a large inner city hospital, we had a “John Doe” who remained unidentified until he came out of his coma. The reason was, he was a clergyman from an X-tian religion (that does not allow clergy to cut facial hair)who was “escaping” and had shaved all his facial hair & altered the hair on his head.
    If/when such a situation occurs again, perhaps an altered photo (if an adult), or a teen photo (if a younger person) showing what the person might look like without facial hair could be helpful with identification.( Would you have recognized Matisyahu if you had not seen a picture of him shaven?) When someone is missing, you have to explore all avenues, even if you think a frum person would never do that. With a woman, a photo of just the face, is the most helpful as hair color/style is so easily altered.
    RE: the Clergyman I mentioned, he’d been overstressed, had an undiagnosed psych issue & had what many refer to as a “serious melt-down”. He did receive excellent psych care (his privacy & confidentially respected) and, until his death, was one of the most respected clergy in this area.
    This is not “hear-say”. I was one of the psych nurses caring for him. From this perspective, I pray that you & your loved ones never suffer the heartbreak of a missing loved one.

  • shomrim father

    well said.people should not take it for granted that “i heard this that or the other”.peoples lives could be in danger.better off saying tehilim and praying for the persons safe return.

  • Milhouse

    This is why the police don’t take missing person reports on adults unless they’ve been gone for 24 hours. There was no reason to look for him, and he had no reason to know that this search was going on. If he chose not to call his brother, that’s his choice; maybe he wanted some privacy. The suggestions that he should pay for the search are just bizarre. YOU chose to panic and spend all this effort looking for him; he didn’t ask you to. So why should he pay? Next time don’t do all this until there’s a real reason to worry.

  • CHT

    It is a hashcho protis, but I forgot my cell phone at home in the morning. As a result my mother had to medicate herself whole day. She ordered my brother to call Borodkin to break into my apartment. Thanks G-d I was “found” before it happened.

    The moral: We place way too much value into our cell phones – bad or good is a different topic. But since we do, we have to be very responsible taking care of them, such as not to forget, charge, pay timely and so on and so forth.

  • #4

    you may not know the real story – what really happened to him.
    don’t be to quick to judge!

  • Need to check out for a bit?

    This may apply to this story, maybe not, but

    For anyone that needs a “break” or just wants to get away by themselves:

    That’s fine, ur an adult and entitled, but REMEMBER, there are people that care and worry about you. Just tell them, I will be unavailable, incommunicado for a few hours, a day, whatever. Don’t worry, I am fine

    This applies to EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF AGE. You may be 20, or 120 – just let someone know

  • The First is the Only

    just to remind everyone CROWNHEIGHTS.INFO was here and reporting EVRYTHING.
    than came the Machashaifa blog Making up her own bull.
    but to get to this low ???
    Machashaifa Lo Teichyeh

  • A suggestion...

    Perhaps when news sites report these kind of incidents, the comment section should be closed.

  • Fishy

    #4
    You sound like a didstisfied voyeur. You need to know exactly what happened. Maybe there is more to the story. Is it your business? Allow some privacy – we are not fish in a tank to be watched by all.

  • To Milhouse

    When an entertainer fails to show up to a prescheduled event and cant be reached in any way, that IS reason for concern.

  • Collives original reporting

    A report that one of the Twins from France went missing is not a stunt and is not accurate either, COLlive was told.
    By COLlive reporter

    A rumor that Yaakov Gourion, a Lubavitch bochur known for his acrobatic stunts, went missing is apparently an over hype.

    “We did not want it posted or reported (because) we did not want to create panic,” said his brother Yisroel Gourion, the married part of the “Twins from France” act.

    At 6:11 PM Eastern Time, Yisroel told COLlive.com that his brother has been on an errand in Boro Park.

    He said he got worried when his brother was not answering the phone since 10:00 AM Monday and to be sure, he contacted the police.

    “He went to fix his Ford van in Boro Park and maybe the battery of his cell phone was dead or he was out of credit,” he explained for the brother being incommunicado.

    “I spoke to the man at the repair shop and he said Yaakov was there until 5 PM,” he added.

    He said he felt sorry the the rumors on the web “scared people for nothing.”

    UPDATE (8:29 PM): Yisroel Gourion said he is awaiting his brother’s return to Crown Heights where they both live. The police have not called off the search yet.
    …….

    another version

    A stunt or concern? One of the “French Twins” has not been in touch for hours now, but the brother gives mixed messages.
    By COLlive reporter

    The acrobatic and entertaining “Twins From France” are known for providing good times to the public, but it seems like they ran into some trouble.

    Yaakov Gourion, a 23 year-old Lubavitch bochur that is part of the duo, has not been in touch with his brother since Sunday night, raising concerns over his whereabouts.

    The married brother Yisroel Gourion told COLlive.com that Yaakov “went to fix his Ford van in Boro Park and maybe the battery of his cell phone was dead or he was out of credit,” explaining a possible reason for the brother being incommunicado.

    When hours passed and the cell phone remained unreachable, Yisroel filed a missing person’s report with the Police Department. Volunteer patrol groups Shomrim and Shmira got involved as well.

    At 6:11 PM Eastern Time, Yisroel said the brother was seen at around 5 PM at Zion Auto Glass & Alarm at 1245 39th Street.

    He said there was “no need to create panic” and that his brother is not “missing” anymore and that he awaits Yaakov’s return to Crown Heights.

    Crown Heights Shomrim, on the other hand, stated: “Yaakov has been last seen in Boro Park around 1pm at a mechanic shop.”

    Yisroel later said both reports were not verified.

    A person who spoke to the eye-witness told COLlive the time was indeed 1 PM when Yaakov was seen in his 1993 Ford Econoline, license plate number EWV2533.

    While one report said Yaakov left his Tefillin behind, Yisrael stated that his brother has indeed taken his pair of Tefillin with him.

    A source in the NYPD said Yaakov has taken his passport and an amount cash COLlive was asked not to disclose.

    Yisroel told COLlive that there was no dispute between the twin brothers
    ……………..
    Yet another version

    French Drama: What’s With Twin

    A stunt or concern? One of “French Twins” has not been in touch for hours now, while brother gives mixed messages.
    By COLlive reporter

    The acrobatic and entertaining “Twins From France” are known for providing good times to the public, but it seems like they ran into some trouble.

    Yaakov Gourion, a 23 year-old Lubavitch bochur that is part of the duo, has not been in touch with his brother since Sunday night, raising concerns over his whereabouts.

    His married brother Yisroel Gourion initially told COLlive.com that Yaakov went to Boro Park to repair his vehicle.

    “He went to fix his Ford van in Boro Park and maybe the battery of his cell phone was dead or he was out of credit,” he explained for the brother being incommunicado.

    But when hours passed and the cell phone remained closed, Yisroel filed a missing report at the Police Department. Volunteer patrol groups Shmira and Shomrim got involved as well.

    At 6:11 PM Eastern Time, Yisroel told COLlive.com his brother took his Tefillin with him and was reportedly was seen at around 5 PM at Zion Auto Glass & Alarm at 1245 39th Street.

    Crown Heights Shomrim, on the other hand, said: “Yakov has been last seen in Boro Park around 1pm at a mechanic shop.”

    Yisroel later said both report were not verified.

    A source in the NYPD said Yaakov has taken his passport and a cash amount of $5000. Yisroel stated to COLlive that there was no dispute between the twin brothers.
    ………………..

    They later removed the amount of 5K saying that they were told not to reveal the amount… which is BS, yet they used this as a tactic to again put down CHI by trying to show everyone that they are being “good and nice” about this when this was in fact far from the case

  • Look what happens when..

    You remove a few words hear and there and then swap a few to show the evil intentions and not the “safe reporting” tactic that shows the true colors of the COl editors.

    The Collive report

    Headline: ‘French twin’ is not missing

    A report that one of the Twins from France went missing is a stunt COLlive was told.

    by collive reporter

    A rumor that Yaakov Gourion, a Lubavitch bochur known for his acrobatic stunts, went missing is an over hype.

    “We did not want it posted on CHInfo (because) we did not want to create panic,” said his brother Yisroel Gourion, the married part of the “Twins from France” act.

    At 6:11 PM Eastern Time, Yisroel told COLlive.com that his brother has been on an errand in Boro Park. Which sounds like a few minutes ago.

    He said he got worried when his brother was not answering the phone since 10:00 AM Monday and to be sure, he contacted the police. Meaning Yisroel is overly worried for no reason.

    “He went to fix his Ford van in Boro Park and maybe the battery of his cell phone was dead or he was out of credit,” he explained for the brother being incommunicado.

    “I spoke to the man at the repair shop and he said Yaakov was there until 5 PM,” he added. which makes him only missing for a bit over an hour.

    He said he felt sorry the the rumors on the web “scared people for nothing.”

    UPDATE (8:29 PM): Yisroel Gourion said he is awaiting his brother’s return to Crown Heights where they both live. The police have not called off the search yet. which is so confusing as police dont just search for adults.
    A stunt or concern? One of the “French Twins” has not been in touch for hours now, but the brother gives mixed messages.
    By COLlive reporter again blaming the brother for the 4-6 edits (not updates) that col has done, all an attempt to cover a$$ for its inaccuracies.
    Headline: French Drama: What’s With Twin

    Drama? What drama, you mean the drama that you created?

    Yaakov Gourion, a 23 year-old Lubavitch bochur that is part of the duo, has not been in touch with his brother since Sunday night, raising concerns over his whereabouts. one sec, they said from 8AM now it seems like it was from the night before.

    Volunteer patrol groups Shomrim and Shmira got involved as well. Hmm interesting, who is this shmira? Oh maybe they are replacing the tire on the COP car so they never showed up…

    He said there was “no need to create panic” and that his brother is not “missing” anymore and that he awaits Yaakov’s return to Crown Heights. Thats odd, why did he call the police if there is no reason to panic, and one sec… who is exactly panicking???

    Crown Heights Shomrim, on the other hand, stated: “Yaakov has been last seen in Boro Park around 1pm at a mechanic shop.” Oh so the shomrim members dont believe the brother or are just not informed about the brother “No longer being missing”

    Yisroel later said both reports were not verified. – OK which reports, the ones that said he was seen in BP or the fact that he is and isnt missing?

    A person who spoke to the eye-witness told COLlive the time was indeed 1 PM when Yaakov was seen in his 1993 Ford Econoline, license plate number EWV2533. Realy so there was a actual person who spoke to the eye witness also called you to fill you in the details…… Thats total BS

    While one report said Yaakov left his Tefillin behind, Yisrael stated that his brother has indeed taken his pair of Tefillin with him. again challenging the acuracy of CHInfo… nu!

    A source in the NYPD said Yaakov has taken his passport and an amount cash COLlive was asked not to disclose. yeh, as this makes you look like such a nice group of people who listen to the requests of people who you are reporting about…. BS again

    Yisroel told COLlive that there was no dispute between the twin brothers – DING DING DING DING – no one ever said there was, why the need to put this line…… to create rumors that are damaging to them if this was indeed not the case.

  • The end is near

    BOTTOM LINE: Collive has and still will have no problem to post inaccurate information if is not given to them on a golden platter… they do this for the simple reason that they want to “teach you a lesson” that is you dont do it this way (there way) you will need to call them and beg and plead for them to make changes… which gives then thee upper hand and they will do you this “FAVOR” and in return ask you to tell them news before it happens and not to report it to the “Competition”

    They know that once the news story goes onto page 2 of the website the story dies down and no one really cares… and in the interim they got the publicity they needed, good or bad….

    The practice is noticed by many and it is only a matter of time were they will fail again and be pushed up against the wall with a heavy lawsuit that wont go away.

  • to #8

    Shmais kept quite because they learned the hard way, when a Bochur once decided to report a fire with injuries in a Yeshivah and the parents started calling the Yeshivah frantically worried that their kids might be injured but if the website would’ve thought to maybe call the Yeshivah first then there would not have been any confusion!

    so they started playing things safe!!!

  • The Twins do gags

    One thing that makes this particular missing person different: the twins are performers.

    The CH.info story should have said somewhere “This is not a joke.”

    Sorry.

  • guti

    I know so many people with no cell phone, including myself for the past few weeks. I know people who don’t use one or own one as a matter of principle, and I know people who keep theirs turned off unless they need to make a call. Don’t make sweeping statements, there are always “yotz’ei min haklal” to every klal

  • missing camp

    this is like color war breakout for adults. have not been to camp for almost 20 years.