As horrible as this story is, how the hell would anyone notice? Only family members & perhaps close friends would notice the girl's absence. As it happens, that is what occured. The grandmother alerted authorities. If this family of monsters avoided close social contacts, no one could possibly notice. These kind of incidents happen all over the world - monsters exist. Stop bitching about Israel - it's getting pretty tiresome already.

who simply do not do their job as it should be done.....

While I agree that perhaps their lifestyle would have made it difficult for people to notice - with the exception of Vivienne's neighbors noting that she was good with Rose - I think the author is pointing out that Israelis have generally been a cut above the rest in terms of childcare, and it doubles the shock.

children who "fall through the net" that was supposed to have kept them safe and alive. We have, in recent years, heard the most apalling stories of neglect and abuse and my heart just aches thinking about the lonliness and pain of these children. As for Social Services, forget it. They have failed time after time. In the UK, there have been many high profile cases, public enquiries yet children are still dying needlessly. .

They do a great job and cannot be everywhere all the time. Maybe they did not even know about her and that monster family. What about Cailee Anthony of Florida? Over a month went by before her grandmother notified the cops.

with my experience, most of them prefer to sit in the office, drinking coffee, and doing everything else but their job!!!! Of course I also blame the neighbors for not reporting it, but then again what would it help as the social worker for that area is "very busy" doing everything else but her/his job!!!!! Of course there are wonderful social workers who do their jobs and this is NOT aimed at them, rather at the people who should make sure the others do the job that they get paid to do!!!!!!!!

These types of people do exist in all countries and one feels sorry for the family.It calls for universal condemnation of inhumanity in the midst of humanity.Sympathies for the family.

I read that the child was not enrolled in kindergarten, so who could notice besides family and maybe neighbors? Her case was not reported until the great-grandmother reported it, and the social services refered it to the police, so they were doing what they should. Social workers are way underpaid, considering the work they do and the fact that sometimes they must endanger their own lives to do it.

It is so typically Israeli to try finding " someone" to blame...... No one is to blame besides those who have generated this situation. Instead of trying to blame people for " not noticing" we 'd be better off together trying to set up the right conditions in this country to ensure that poverty and lack of education are totally eradicated....which is not the case at the moment with 25% of the Israeli population living under poverty line.....Let s not mix " causes" with " effects"....

There are thousands of broken hearts as a result of expulsion of Gush Katif. Why did you remain silent then ???? The question you ask about Rose is heart wrenching but how many people knew about this sick monster. The expulsion of Gush Katif a whole country knew and decided to do nothing. Shame Shame Shame

Of course someone should have noticed that a little girl was missing. Did not the kindergarden that she went to enquire after her absence. And as for the neigbours well you should be ashamed of your selves not to have realised that the sad girls face was not around and if you new of the horror of such a grandfather then it was your right to report such a man or woman. Yes its shocking to think that in these modern times when communication is so open that a little girls life is not worth a dame thing.

I heard of cases in which neighbors had been beaten to a pulp for reporting wife /child abuse and the likes. Police is "too busy" or do not have enough "evidence" to get some beast behind bars. Next day he takes revenge on the "responsible " neighbour.

once upon a time there was a king wandering at night to see about his people .who is hungry .who is weeping ..... it was a story that i heared befor 50 years .sure at that time there were no outsid enemy or rockets no net to read criminal stories and do not care .... it is another time with another humans

And it is an indictment against all humanity. How have we all let the world fall this far? Some talk of nuclear war as if it were nothing. Has the entire world gone insane? How many Roses will be murdered for national chauvanistic pride? It is time the whole world to stop and think. We should all be praying for the soul of Rose and all the other innocent children we have brought into this world. We should be praying we don't destroy all life on this sad planet.

the editor walked up to you and said, Sima, this stinks, I know but it's your turn to do the mea culpa piece. You said, gevalt, and I'm so bad at it. He said, yeah, I know, but it's your turn. So we get to read this piece. Lucky us. Take personal responsibility, Sima, or stop flinging it onto everyone else.

world must be crazy!! it happens all day long, everywhere, unfortunately. we must report them always. the silent of people agree with that type of crime. hard laws must be created. i live in brazil and here this happens a lot. people call a special phone number to the police with no identify. to report children's abuse, torture, to report drugs, kidnapps and that's helps the work from the police. we must be conscious that without reporting them, nothing can be asked for. may them find rose and give her shalom.

to get custody of the child. They had two small children and sold their apartment to do this. When it appeared the child was so damaged psychologically they tried to find an institution for her but were turned down. Don't any of these government institutions bear any responsibility, not just for the fate of the child, but for the rest of the family as well? Now, both parents will go to prison, and that will leave two more small children orphaned to be shuttled between foster home after foster home, and will any indifferent institutions accept them?

I don't get it. Its a sad story. It deserves airtime. But what was the point of this, and I use the term generously, article? A misplaced desire to rail at someone, or invoke an inappropriate chest banging? Pathos for its own sake? All this tells me is that the author may need to get some counseling - and a point. There are monsters out there and we should be appalled, but these things do happen in the world. And what's more, its summer vacation. The only people who would be connected enough to notice and do something would be the family. And that's what happened. The grandmother noticed and took action. As for the rest of it. Its not so simple, or easy, to know what is going on in a family. Yes, we can figure it out given time and attention, but the expectation that a neighborhood be psychic seems a bit over the top. This article amounts to little more than pathos. And what's worse, pathos without much of a point. I hope they find her. The father seems to thing, at this point, she might be alive, so I hope he's right and she's safely returned, but come on. What do you want us to do?

It is difficult for neighbors, local shopkeepers, etc. to know what goes on in one family behind closed doors. From all reports, this child was not enrolled in a kindergarten. It is not know if she saw a pediatrician at all or was immunized at the Baby Clinic (Tipat Halav), or even was tended by a baby sitter who was not a family member. She entered the country with her mother. How could anyone outside her immediate family know? At all event, the media & professionals always lecture us about sacrosanct "rights to privacy". Even her great-grandmother's complaint went unattended by the police. We are not ALL guilty. That is facile, easy and wrong, given the circumstances.

I know a dozen examples of social workers' intrusions into gentle and vulnerable families in order to make the things worse. (Maybe it was not their intention, just brutal combination of incompetence and activism). I DO NOT KNOW a single example of social workers' interference to make the things better.

such painfull and difficult matter....