For nine days now, the family of Nachman Keinan, 24, from Beit Shemesh, along with hundreds of volunteers, have been scouring northern Israel trying to get any lead on his whereabouts. On Wednesday, search teams expanded their efforts to the Beit Shemesh area, the city where he lives, amid real and growing fears for his life.
1+Keinan was last documented on Monday of last week near Gai Beach in Tiberias, after telling family members he was making his way to Tzfat to meet his rabbi. Details from the investigation shared with the family show that Keinan spent Sunday night of last week in the Mount Meron area, and the next morning boarded a bus toward Tzfat. For reasons that remain unclear, he later arrived in Tiberias, where his trail was last seen. Police and volunteers, including members of the canine unit, are now searching ritual baths, open areas, and the natural terrain around Beit Shemesh. The family is calling on the public to join the searches and is asking for help from off-road vehicle owners and professional drone operators.
1+Keinan’s disappearance raises fresh concerns in the Tzfat and Meron area—a region where several unsolved missing persons cases remain over the years, including teenager Moishy Kleinerman who vanished four and a half years ago, and young girl Haimanot Kasao who disappeared in Tzfat about 904 days ago. Security officials stress there is no indication of any connection between the cases, but are calling on anyone who saw Keinan or has any information, even marginal, to contact Israel police immediately. Despite the time that has passed, his family members continue to hold onto faith and hope of finding him safe and sound.