To the editors of Monsey Scoop,
I am writing this as a member of the Los Angeles Jewish community, and as an askan who has been involved in countless situations over the years, emergencies, searches, community responses, but I can say with absolute clarity: what we just experienced from Chaverim of Rockland is on a completely different level.
Please, I am asking you, publish this. Your readers need to understand what kind of Anshei Chesed they are living amongst.
When the call went out that a vulnerable Jewish woman, Jeanne Rus Litvin, suffering from dementia, was missing here in Los Angeles, there was concern. But what followed was something we could never have imagined.
Within hours, Chaverim of Rockland mobilized.
Not locally. Not conveniently. They got on planes.
They left behind their families. Their children. Their wives. Their jobs. Their responsibilities. For nearly an entire week.
And they came here, across the country, with one goal and one goal only: to find a Yiddishe neshama.
What we witnessed from the moment they landed was nothing short of astonishing.
This was not a group of “volunteers” in the casual sense. This was a highly coordinated, disciplined, relentless search-and-rescue operation. Every move was calculated. Every hour was utilized. There was structure, leadership, communication, and an intensity that never let up, day or night.
They walked miles upon miles through unfamiliar neighborhoods. They reviewed endless hours of surveillance footage with precision and patience. They entered areas most people would not go near, filthy shelters, dangerous encampments, places that are uncomfortable at best and unsafe at worst, without hesitation.
And they did it with calm. With dignity. With professionalism.
No complaints. No shortcuts. No ego.
Just community service.
And while all of this was happening on the ground here in Los Angeles, something equally remarkable was happening thousands of miles away.
Their New York team.
Systematically, and I mean relentlessly, calling hospital after hospital, shelter after shelter, facility after facility across Los Angeles County. Over and over. Following leads. Rechecking. Refusing to let anything slip.
This is where the turning point happened.
Because Jeannee, after walking for nearly two days in a confused and weakened state, had been picked up by a bystander and brought to a facility, without identification, listed as a Jane Doe. Due to local regulations, she was not showing up in standard missing-person systems.
Most searches would have ended in frustration right there.
Not this one.
Because of those calls, those relentless, behind-the-scenes efforts, a facility checked again… walked through their patients… and realized they had someone matching her description.
Within moments, Chaverim of Rockland volunteers, together with Los Angeles Hatzolah and the family, were dispatched to confirm the identification.
And it was her.
Alive.
Safe.
Found.
Let that sink in.
After days of uncertainty… after miles of searching… after every obstacle imaginable, it was Chaverim of Rockland who brought this story to the ending we were all davening for.
Our community here in Los Angeles is shaken, in the best possible way.
We are used to good people. We are used to volunteers. But this level of mesirus nefesh, this level of professionalism, this level of coordination, it is rare. Very rare.
Rockland County, please understand this clearly: you are sitting on gold.
A serious, elite, highly capable group of individuals who define what real chesed looks like in 2026. Not talk. Not slogans. Action.
To the volunteers who came here, we saw you. We saw the miles. We saw the exhaustion. We saw the sleepless nights. We saw you going into places nobody else would go. We saw the care, the achrayus, the heart.
And to those back in New York holding down the phones, covering calls, keeping operations running, you are just as much the heroes of this story.
You all carried this together.
To the families who let their husbands and fathers leave for nearly a week, you are partners in this mitzvah.
And to Chaverim of Rockland as an organization, you didn’t just help. You set a standard.
A standard our community will be talking about for a very long time.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
Rockland should be incredibly proud.
Keep your heads held high.
Tizku L’mitzvos.
Signed,
A Los Angeles Community Member & Askan
On behalf of a grateful and inspired community
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent those of Monsey Scoop. Have an opinion you’d like to share? Send it to us for review.
A beautiful, heartfelt letter!
As someone who lives in Rockland and sees what they do regularly, this account is both believable and deeply impressive. The level of dedication, coordination, and selflessness described here really stands out. It’s a powerful reminder of what true chesed looks like, and it leaves a lasting impression.
Wrong, we know exactly what we have!
Fair point—many do appreciate it, but what we witnessed here showed a level that I think most people haven’t fully seen
❤️❤️❤️
What a kiddush hashem!!!! I had chills reading this heartfelt letter!
To our son Tuli, member #129 of Chaveirim Rockland
This article is an apt description of you and your Co-volunteers! We’re incredibly proud of you’re dedication and perseverance!
Totty & Mommy
As the sister of the coordinator of Chaverim of Rockland County, I read this letter with deep emotion—but not surprise.
What you witnessed in Los Angeles is exactly what we see every single day. The calls at all hours, the quiet leaving in the middle of family time, the constant sense of responsibility for people they may not even know—this is simply who they are.
Watching my brother, Yossi Margaretten carry this role, I’ve seen firsthand what true mesiras nefesh looks like. It’s not dramatic in the moment. It’s consistent, steady, and often unseen. It’s the willingness to drop everything without hesitation, to think clearly under pressure, and to keep going long after others would stop.
What may feel “unbelievable” from the outside is, for them, a deep sense of achrayus and commitment to every Yid, no matter where they are.
So while I’m incredibly moved to see this recognized from across the country, I also feel a quiet pride knowing that this is the standard they hold themselves to every day.
May Hashem bentch all those involved with continued strength to keep doing this vital work, and may we only share good news.
— A proud sister
Yehudis Grunwald
Thank you for your letter.
I wish Monsey Scoop can put it on their FB page without the shkutzim YMSH going batty like they do all the time. I don’t know why Scoop allows those bhaymos YMSH to post hatred ALL THE TIME.
Chesed knows. No bounds.
You failed to mention the volunteers of LA , residents of Fairfax, La Brea, Hancock Park , Pico, Beverlywood,and Valley areas that spent countless hours coordinating and searching as well.
Really great work! Perhaps LA can incorporate this method of personally checking facilities in the future as standard protocol. With the current woke culture, this information will not be given by phone. Experience has shown you need on site visit over and over until the person is found.
We are incredibly proud of our son, Yossi. His dedication to the community, his deep sense of commitment, and his constant willingness to show up for others are truly inspiring. He gives of himself with such heart, consistency, and humility—it does not go unnoticed.
May his askanus continue to be a zechus for his family and for the entire community.
We feel deeply grateful and s to be his parents.
Tatty & Mommy Margaretten
Thank you for your clarity !
Beautiful !
So emotional to understand what was going on behind the scenes !!