Search for Missing American Yeshiva Student Enters Sixth Day

The search for missing American yeshiva student Aaron Soffer entered its sixth day yesterday, with large police teams and hundreds of volunteers scouring the Jerusalem forest where he disappeared last Friday.

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Among the participants in the search were police and border police, the IDF dog unit volunteers from the Zaka rescue and recovery organization and hundreds of yeshiva students. A police helicopter assisted the searchers.

Soffer's parents, who arrived in Israel shortly after his disappearance, met Wednesday with Jerusalem District police head Yossi Parienti, who updated them on the latest developments in the search.

Police appealed to the public on Wednesday for any information that could lead to Soffer's recovery. People with information were asked to contact the police 100 hotline.

The description of Soffer provided by the police was: A 23-year-old male of slight build and medium height, with a short, ginger beard annd spectacles and dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, a black jacket, black kipa and black hat.

Soffer, of Lakewood, New Jersey, disappeared while hiking with a friend in a Jerusalem Forest on Friday. His parents have offered a $28,000 reward for information about him.

Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Tuesday that the police were pursuing all avenues in their investigation, including "nationalistic motives," a phrase tied to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.