Yossele Shumacher, Abducted Israeli Boy, Discovered in United States

Yossele Shumacher, the Israeli boy abducted in Israel three years ago, has been found in the United States and is now in the protective custody of the U.S. Immigration Service, it was made known here today. His mother, in Israel, has been notified, and is on her way here to make formal identification. She will, presumably, be permitted by the American authorities to take him back with her to Israel.

Yossele was abducted in Israel in 1959. He is about 10 years old now. Israeli authorities have searched for him on three continents. His grandfather, in Israel, was jailed for refusing to reveal the boy’s whereabouts. His uncle, Nachman Shtarkes, is in jail in England, awaiting a court ruling on Israel’s petition that he be extradited for kidnaping the boy. Israeli authorities have contended since he had been missed by his parents in 1959 that ultra-Orthodox persons abducted him for fear that his parents might not give him a sufficiently Orthodox education.

Recently, Israeli authorities found that a youth in Israel was receiving mail from a woman in the United States who seemed to have Yossele in her custody. Israeli officials traced her address and notified American authorities who, thus, located Yossele in this country.

It is understood that the woman who had charge of Yossele had traveled with him in various countries, using various false names for the boy. She had brought him to this country under the name of “Yaacov Gertner. ” It could not be determined today whether U.S. authorities are planning prosecution of any person or persons responsible for the child’s illegal entry into the United States.