Posters for Missing Toronto Jewish Teen Torn Down as Search Intensifies
For nine days, the parents of 14-year-old “Esti” have pleaded publicly for her safe return. Now someone is tearing down the posters that might help bring her home.
The search for a 14-year-old Toronto girl missing for nine days took a chilling turn last week, when posters publicizing her disappearance were ripped down throughout the city—echoing the removal of hostage posters after October 7.
Police and volunteers have been out in full force looking for Esther, known as “Esti,” who disappeared on the night of Friday, May 15th, in North York, home to Toronto’s Orthodox Jewish community.
Esti is a highly intelligent girl on the autism spectrum, something her mother reluctantly revealed out of concern for her safety after she went missing without her shoes and cellphone.
Foul play is not suspected in her disappearance. Nor is antisemitism. A spokesman for Shomrim Toronto[*], a Jewish volunteer safety organization, told JNS that the possibility that the girl’s disappearance is related to the targeting of the Jewish community is “not something of concern at the moment.”
While antisemitism may not be a factor, this is nonetheless an unmistakably Jewish story. Esti comes from a Jewish family, in a Jewish neighborhood, supported by a Jewish community that has mobilized across two countries to bring her home. Shortly after she disappeared, Jewish organizations and community groups shared missing person information on social media, where members of Toronto’s Jewish community came together with “prayers, messages of support, and appeals for information,” The J.CA reports. The response was swift, drawing Shomrim members from Rockland County, NY into the search, which continued at full capacity and by rabbinic mandate throughout the Jewish holiday of Shavuos.
Only now, those efforts are being undermined by someone tearing down the posters put up to help find her, reports Joe Warmington in The Toronto Sun.
Canadian Women Against Antisemitism posted the evidence on Instagram, drawing outrage and questions over whether the vandalism amounts to interference with the Level-1 police investigation:
More evidence of posters torn down throughout the city was posted on X by Dan Levy here:
Posters torn down for a missing 14 yr old Jewish girl in North York in one of the most Jewish neighborhoods in Canada & reportedly happened across the city of Toronto.
Reminiscent of the disrespect of the Hostage Posters. The same exact Jew hate.
Be ashamed, 🇨🇦 Canada pic.twitter.com/c5kG9XVCpQ
— Dan Levy ✡ דניאל אליהו בן מאניש דוד (@TheDanLevy) May 23, 2026
This was just 2 corners of one intersection. They went through the entire neighborhood as well as other parts of the city
Here’s other pics I’ve seen posted in other parts of the city pic.twitter.com/qlDlDLrwCq— Dan Levy ✡ דניאל אליהו בן מאניש דוד (@TheDanLevy) May 24, 2026
“A missing 14-year-old girl’s posters are being ripped down,” said Matthew Taub of Unapologetically Jewish. “Let that sink in.”
A missing 14-year-old girl’s posters are being ripped down.
Let that sink in.
This is not politics.
This is not activism.
This is a child on the spectrum who is still missing.If you see someone tearing down Esti’s signs — call it out. Stand up to it. This is not who Canadians… pic.twitter.com/UrOx6KhVYC
— Matthew Taub 🎗️ (@MatthewTaub) May 23, 2026
Warmington says he also witnessed Toronto parking enforcement stop two women trying to tape the missing person posters in Earl Bales Park, where Esti was last seen, citing parking restrictions: “The priority was not the missing girl, but the power and authority of the parking officers. It was all about them. Their rules and their fines, their superior position. It was heartless abuse of power and bullying.”
This “new level of Jew hatred” comes as little surprise in a city that has failed to push back on antisemitism for two years following the Hamas attacks.
Esti is a teenage girl who went missing in the middle of the night. She also happens to be Jewish. Her story should never have become a story about antisemitism. Above all, it is a human story—and every parent’s worst nightmare.
[*] Shomrim have set up a tip line at 647-355-4148. Toronto Police Service missing person updates appear at tps.to/findesther.
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Sad that some people commenting here don’t empathize with the parents.
A child is missing for almost 2 weeks. I can’t imagine the unbearable stress and pain her parents must be going through.
There’s a large Muslim population in Toronto, and they are taught from childhood to hate infidels and especially the Jewish people. Someone who tears down posters for an innocent child is seriously morally deficient.
Pray for her return asap
“Foul play is not suspected”
BS. I’m not an investigator but, from what I’m reading, this is the definition of “foul play”.
I hope Shomrim Torontos spokesperson is right., but I have doubts.
She has ASD. That is a factor but not the only one.
What is ASD? I don’t see it mentioned in this post, and I don’t recognize that particular abbreviation.
Commonly means Autism Spectrum Disorder.
.
Huh? There is no information in the article that would suggest foul play in her disappearance. Whoever’s taking down the posters is very unlikely to have had anything to do with it. It’s just some antisemite who doesn’t want her found, not because he knows where she is but just because he hates Jews.
Or quite possibly, a person who is not white and/nor female registering their compassion fatigue with little lost white girl syndrome.
Actually, there is at least some evidence of possible foul play in the article, albeit indirect. About half of children on the spectrum are at risk of eloping, although they do it for specific reasons:
1. Escaping an overstimulating/stressful environment (like school or daycare).
2. A desire to explore a new place or situation.
3. A desire to do a certain preferred activity (like go to a favorite zoo or restaurant or friend’s house).
4. Searching out certain sensory inputs, such as wind, swimming in water, playing in sand, swinging on a swing, This is like the opposite of #1.
IOW elopement by children on the spectrum is triggered by certain situations or interests. #1 does not seem to be the situation since this happened at home in the night. #2, #3 and #4 seem to be unlikely since a child on the spectrum will talk obsessively about certain subjects or preferences or doing certain things, so parents likely would have had some idea of what she was attempting. Although the article does not actually say, it does not indicate that Esti had a history of elopement. Because elopement has a cause her parents would have let the authorities and the public what she was probably doing by eloping, since it could help locate her. But we didn’t see that at any of the links.
Based upon my experience with my son (who is on the spectrum, although not as high-functioning as Esti) and other children and teens on the spectrum I think this is not elopement. I think it is likely she left to go meet up with a friend or friends, or decided to just be an “independent lady” for a while – and met up with someone who intended her harm. A deep dive into Esti’s social media will be interesting to see if someone was being groomed or stalked. Esti’s mother is correct: even children and teens who are high functioning on the spectrum often have a serious lack of situational awareness or possible danger.
Ripping down the posters is an act that increases the likelihood of harm. So there is the fact of known deliberate acts likely to harm her. Acts committed by someone most foul.
Yes, but we’re not talking about whoever is taking down the posters. We’re talking about her disappearance, and the people in the best position to know say that so far there’s no indication of foul play. There may have been foul play, but if so we don’t yet know about it.
Just the fact that she’s Jewish , it doesnt take a rocket scientist to believe that there is foul play
There is nearly 100% foul play when a child disappears
Arrest and detain anyone taking down a sign as a suspect, accessory, or obstruction and make sure it is well reported.
Why? Are the posters legally authorized or directed by police?
On what grounds? On the other hand, this is Canada, where there are no rights, so sure, go ahead and arrest them.
Actually it’s just anger talking. This is something that would have been handled by real men in my younger days. If you were a worthless turd enough to rip down a post for a missing child you would show back up with a different attitude after a small informal meeting.
Foul play or not, the poster removal is absolutely abhorrent.
OK, is this Toronto in Canada or in New York? It makes a bit of a difference. (It appears to be Canada. Which makes the help from folks in NY state a bit more dramatic, as that’s an 8 hour drive.)
Also, odd that you spent the first bunch of paragraphs telling us all about her Jewishness, to then tell us it isn’t suspected to be anti-semitism. So, why is her being Jewish so important? The response from Jewish organizations is important to the author, but it seems rather irrelevant to the story – which the headline suggests isn’t about all that aid from Jewish organizations.
And, of course, my question upon reading the headline was, “Is this really people “tearing them down” or about ordinances about putting things on light poles and such? And, then, sure enough, there’s the plea to stop enforcing the law (since it appears to be law enforcement taking them down) because this time, it is really important. Sorry, but ordinances are ordinances – if you want exceptions, write them into the law. That’s how rule of law works.
the vandalism
Really? Technically, posting bills (which is what this used to be called in law) is vandalism.
Reminiscent of the disrespect of the Hostage Posters. The same exact Jew hate.
Really? Because I see NO evidence of that. I do see a lot of emotionalism based on the missing girl’s ethnicity.
The priority was not the missing girl, but the power and authority of the parking officers.
Well, it was about them DOING THEIR JOBS, which is to ENFORCE THE LAW. Yes, it was about the power and authority of THE LAW.
If the post had asked if they were torn down for anti-semitic reasons, it might have been alright. But it asserts it with no backing, and makes it all about the ethnicity of the girl.
I concur with Skip, and pray for her return.
It is relevant because Democrats are removing the posters BECAUSE she is Jewish.
You know this? How?
So, would this properly be categorized as a blue-on-blue offense?
Democrats? I don’t think they have those north of the border.
They do have a Liberal Party (Castro Jrs party) which is pretty close and a bunch of others as bad or worse,
Polish a turd, it’s still a turd, just a shiney one.
If indeed it is an ordinance that outlaws posters at intersections, do an experiment. Put up any kind of poster and see if it gets torn down….
It likely won’t. Get real.
The fact that she’s Jewish is relevant because it explains why someone is going around taking down the posters. It’s not the police. They’re running the search and wouldn’t want the posters taken down, regardless of what their legal status might be. It’s someone who doesn’t want her found, because she’s Jewish.
And her being Jewish explains the involvement of community organizations from as far away as Rockland County, NY.
Lest we forget the chumminess of Ottawa with Muslims these days. On a national basis, far greater than in the US.
it explains why someone is going around taking down the posters
Well, it gives a *possible* reason. But one unestablished by any fact or observation in the post.
It’s not the police.
Belied by the only occurrence related of seeing someone take them down (or demand their removal) being from law enforcement.
And her being Jewish explains the involvement of community organizations
And I mentioned that. But it’s not what the headline and sub-hed say. But it’s what 3 entire paragraphs talk about.
It’s pretty much the only possible reason.
When have you ever seen a policeman bother to remove even one poster, let alone almost every one in an entire city? There’s a huge difference between a cop seeing you put one up and telling you to stop, and him going around tearing them down.
Parking enforcement = law enforcement. Well, sort of. Maybe. Not really though. Perhaps a couple of wannabe LEOs.
I once prosecuted someone who would take the little metal plates with ID numbers on them off of telephone and light poles. Then he would go attach them to trees, fences and other objects. Why? He had a mental illness that compelled (for lack of a better word) him to give a label to things that didn’t have a label. He had multiple previous convictions for the same thing. He had racked up tens of thousands in damages (mostly because of the union labor that the utility was required to pay to have all the tags found or remade and replaced, but also from damage to the pole and the objects he nailed the tags to). Point being, some people are very particular about utility poles.
They also could not like her because she’s white.
“Also, odd that you spent the first bunch of paragraphs telling us all about her Jewishness, to then tell us it isn’t suspected to be anti-semitism.”
And then finally capping it off as a “new level of Jew hatred.”
The speculation runs strong in this article.
And there very well could be evidence. But it’s not written into this article anywhere.
The generation preceding mine fought a great war costing millions of lives to eradicate the disease called ‘antisemitism’. I have never understood the logic used by the knuckle-draggers who persist in this insanity. Are there Jewish people who are less than honorable? Most assuredly, pretty much in the same percentages as the rest of humankind. They are no better and no less than the rest of us and totally undeserving as a race of people of the mindless animus directed toward them.