Yachad Presents Purim PowerPoint Megillah Readings for the Deaf & Others with Special Needs

This Purim, which begins Wednesday night, March 4, Yachad will once again be offering its PowerPoint presentation free of charge to synagogues and organizations interested in promoting Inclusion for all who wish to be part of the mitzvah of listening to Megillat Esther. The presentation is directed at the deaf and hard of hearing, the visually impaired, and children with focusing and attention challenges and other disabilities.

Now in its eighth year, the PowerPoint presentation uses visual aids to indicate when to stamp out the name of Haman. Already, more than 600 synagogues have signed up for the program, as well as the Orthodox Union’s Seif Jewish Learning Initiative program on 21 university campuses across North America.

Yachad provides unique social, educational and recreational programs for individuals with learning, developmental and physical disabilities with the goal of their Inclusion in the total life of the Jewish community.

Says Batya Jacob, Director of Educational Support Services of Yachad, “As we are finishing the month of February, Yachad’s North American Inclusion Month (NAIM), we should be focusing on continuing to include all members of our community regardless of their abilities or disabilities. TheMegillat Esther PowerPoint program allows synagogues to open their doors to every person who would like to be part of the joyous community celebration of Purim.”

Mrs. Jacob said that this year’s presentation includes enhanced animated graphics, making themegillah reading even more interactive and visually appealing.

Click here to view the trailer of the Purim PowerPoint presentation.

To receive your copy of the Purim PowerPoint Presentation disc or for further information, call 212-613-8127 or email naim@ou.org.

This article was written by the OU Staff.

To view the original article on the Orthodox Union website, click here.

Camps promote inclusion, job skills with burgeoning vocational programs

Aaron Epelbaum shelves books at the Eagle River Library. Photo courtesy of Ramah Wisconsin.

Like many 22-year-olds, Ben Nadis has somewhat murky career goals. Though he likes his job at the Kroger near his house in Farmington Hills, Mich., he doesn’t want to work there forever. Maybe he’ll be on TV instead, he jokes – he’s not sure.

But Nadis isn’t like most 22-year-olds. He was born with developmental disabilities and has trouble following instructions, thinking abstractly and communicating sometimes. His father, Ronn, said he was “always hopeful” that his son would find a job, but also “feared that there would be no way into the workforce.”

Nonetheless, for the last year and a half, Ben has woken each morning, showered, brushed his teeth and driven to work on his own.

“I feel good about myself. I feel independent,” he said in a recent phone interview. He thought for a moment, and added, “And I get paid too, which is great.”

Ben is a graduate of Camp Ramah Wisconsin’s Atzmayim (Hebrew for “independent”) program – one of the Ramah Camping Movement’s four vocational programs designed to strengthen the social and independent-living skills of individuals with disabilities aged 18 to 25.

An extension of Ramah’s Tikvah program, which serves approximately 320 campers with learning, developmental, cognitive and social disabilities throughout the Conservative camp network’s eight facilities, Atzmayim is part of a growing phenomenon in the Jewish camp sector: camp-based vocational programs. In addition to Ramah’s four programs, there are at least 18 other Jewish camp-based vocational programs, plus at least three new ones opening this summer.

Howard Blas, the Tikvah director, says he gets calls “all the time” from camps interested in implementing their own vocational programs.

Many camps see vocational education as the logical next step for the inclusion programs they already have in place for youth with disabilities.

“I think that for a young person who grew up in the camp and who knows camp, it’s an ideal place to do this,” said Bobby Harris, the director of the Reform movement’s URJ Camp Coleman, which added a vocational program for the first time last summer. “So many opportunities exist at camp where these young people really excel: putting the silverware together, getting things organized. These things can make people feel really accomplished.”

Lisa Tobin, the director of disabilities initiatives at the Foundation for Jewish Camp, says the programs are proliferating to meet increased demand from parents.

Blas explains what he describes as an “exploding” demand this way: “I think everyone is thinking about what happens to their children as they get older and how they are going to have a meaningful life.”

Blas has extended the cut-off age for vocational program participants at Ramah New England from 22 to past 25 and brought in personal job coaches to work with them.

The programs vary at each site. Camp Ramah in California, for example, has an in-camp cafe run entirely by individuals with social and cognitive disabilities. Camp Ramah Wisconsin partners with local businesses in the nearby town of Eagle River. Ben Nadis worked as a bagger at Walgreens and later at the local grocery store. Other participants in the Ramah Wisconsin program have catalogued books in the library, taken orders at cafes or worked in Eagle River’s children’s museum.

For the participants, the learning experience is as much about honing daily life skills as it is mastering or executing tasks.

“We are not just working on technical skills, we are working on getting up on time, asking questions, how to follow rules, dealing with anger management,” said Ralph Schwartz, Ramah Wisconsin’s director of special needs. “All the things that you and I take for granted, we deal with.”

Interest in vocational programs reflects not only the Jewish camps’ broader effort to be a more inclusive community, but also the uphill battle that many people with disabilities face when looking for work; the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is over 80 percent.

“Employment is a positive thing for anyone, but for people with disabilities, having a job and a role can have a tremendously positive impact on life satisfaction,” said Joe Goldfarb, the director of summer programs at Yachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities.

Yachad, an organization under the auspices of the Orthodox Union, provides a range of programs, services and training for people with physical, social and cognitive disabilities, and consults with various Jewish summer camps to implement vocational programs.

While interest in these programs has “increased exponentially” over the past five years, Goldfarb worries that camps may rush to create a vocational program without the proper infrastructure in place.

“I would love if every place has a vocational program, but there is much more to be done than saying, ‘OK, you are welcome to work in my camp,’” he said.

Ramah’s Blas takes a more sanguine approach.

“I would rather people jump in and start doing it as opposed to not. If you wait to get everything perfect, nothing will happen,” he said. “We have been doing this for 30 years and we are far from perfect.”

No matter how many camps start new vocational programs, the number of people they serve remains quite small: the entire Ramah network of vocational programs serves only 50 participants each year, and Yachad accommodates approximately the same number.

However, the programs are as concerned with changing attitudes as they are with improving employment statistics.

Ramah Wisconsin’s Schwartz says his program benefits not just the campers and staff, but the community at large.

“People build friendships, learn about difference, and see that people with disabilities can and should work,” he said.

“In the early days, we were practically on our knees begging the businesses in Eagle River to try this out. Now I have business owners telling me, ‘Don’t ask me if I’m going to participate this year, ask me how many participants I’m going to have.’”

This article was written by Raffi Wineburg for the Jewish News in Arizona.

To view the original article, click here.

Honoring Her Children, A Yachad Parent Runs For Glory

Nicki Taller finished the ING Half Marathon in Miami.

After seeing some posts on Facebook a few months ago, I called my husband, David, and told him that I was thinking of running the Miami Lifetime Half-Marathon with Yachad. His first response was “You know you don’t run,” soon followed by “You are out of your mind,” and finally(sigh,) “Just let me know where and when.”

He’s a great guy. I explained to him with glee that we would finally be spending Shabbat on a Yachad Shabbaton—and didn’t that sound amazing!? He agreed that yes, it sounded great, but reminded me, “You know you don’t run, right?”

He was correct. I’m not runner. I’ve never been a runner. I’ve been a spinner, a karate-er, a kick boxer, a stepper, a tennis player, a weight lifter, a Zumba-er, but never a runner. I’d see runners at the gym and think, “God that looks boring.” Watch a race on TV? Not in my lifetime.

So how did I get here?

We have four children, three with special needs. About eight years ago, musing to a friend that I didn’t know what I was going to do with my oldest, Max, for the summer, she immediately encouraged, “You should send him on a Yachad summer program!”

Me: “What’s Yachad?”

Her: “Oh my, this amazing special needs organization that is part of the OU!”

Then came the kicker. “You should start sending him on some Shabbatons so they can get to know him and he can get used to being away.”

Wait a minute. Did she just say that I should send my baby…away for Shabbat…without me? Is she insane?

Well, she wasn’t. I sent him, and eight years, four involved children, and many programs later, here we are.

Let me briefly recount some of the many Yachad programs my children have participated in. Max, our almost 20-year-old, went away for that first weekend and never looked back. He hasn’t missed a Shabbaton since his first. He looks forward to the Leadership and Simchaton programs all year.

He was an inclusion camper at Yachad’s partnership with Morasha and Moshava, and has been a vocational participant at Moshava for the past two summers. Each of these programs has brought him new friends, experiences and memories. He has had countless advisors and shadows over the years—and I assure you he can name each and every one of them—and without fail, they are the most kind, patient, positive and happy people on the planet. He is accepted and cherished, not in spite of who he is, but because of who he is.

Our seventeen-year-old daughter, Ariana, took a slower route.

She begrudgingly went on one Shabbaton to prepare her for a summer at Moshava. Whereas Max gravitated to his peers from the start and loved all attention from them, Ariana was a bit more hesitant.

Well, five summers of Camp Moshava later, with shadows who are now family and a camp director who has a picture of Ariana in her living room, things are a bit different for her.

This brings me to my favorite program. Now let me just preface this by saying here that every Yachad program that we have ever participated in (and we’ve done a bunch) has been incredible, and every person involved in those programs has been amazing. There is however, one Yachad program that is very close to my heart: Yad B’Yad.

When the prospect of Yad B’Yad for Max was first brought to me, my reaction was similar to that of our first Shabbaton. Only this time the exclamation points in my head quadrupled: “You want me to send him where? For a month?”

However, when your observant children go to public school, friendships can be a challenge. The children and their parents have always been lovely, but when you don’t run in the same social circles, and Shabbat and kashrut come in to play, it’s very difficult for your child to make real friends. So a chance for Max to spend a month alongside Orthodox peers was not an opportunity I was going to pass up.

Nicki and Max prepare for the race.

Enter the summer of 2011: He left one child. He came home another.

Forget for a moment the incredible tours of Israel and the experiences there. My son came home with capital “F” friends.

Orthodox boys who live where we live were now calling Max and stopping by on a Shabbat to say hi. These are things that my friends’ kids had and took for granted, and now my son was part of that club. There is nothing like seeing the excitement in your son’s face when he has spent time with, or simply spoken to a friend.

It is what I’ve been wishing for him his whole life.

Then came the summer of 2014: Ariana’s turn.

Remember, Ariana is no Max. She tends to growl at people who annoy her (pretty much everyone). This is the girl who threw up her hands and screamed “Stay back!” when the girls at camp would greet her on the first day. Sadly, due to the tensions in Gaza last summer, Israel was not in the cards and Yad B’Yad rerouted to the West Coast.

Yet, once again, Yad B’Yad worked its magic and sent home a different girl.

My new Ariana may still growl from time to time, but she also texts her friends, meets them for pizza and bowling, goes to the movies and into the city with them. At first, the kids would contact her and try to convince her into joining them. These days, she calls them.

For her birthday in November, we made her a surprise party. Eighteen kids showed up. Some from as far as New Jersey (we live on Long Island). Eighteen kids came to be with my growly daughter on her birthday. If that isn’t magic, what is?

It goes without saying that there would be no magic without the staff.

Max and Ariana are as different as can be, yet the unbelievably incredible supervisors and counsellors managed to connect with them equally. They infused kindness, excitement and humor into every part of the summer. The staff is kind, eternally patient, finds the humor in everything, is ridiculously responsible, organized and prepared, giving and genuine. So much so, that this summer, I’m sending child number three on Yad B’Yad to enjoy the same benefits as Ariana.

Jake, Ariana’s twin, is my most sensitive, my most introverted child. God willing, he and Ariana will be joining the group this summer this time to Israel. I can’t wait to meet my new kids when they get home.

The Taller Family of Woodmere, from left: Mackenzie, Max, Nicki, Jake, David and Ariana

My youngest, Mackenzie, is chomping to join the Yad B’Yad tour as a typical participant. Living with three special needs siblings, Mackenzie has witnessed first-hand what an amazing organization Yachad is, and gets involved at every opportunity.

Which brings us full circle.

So what in God’s name could ever have gotten me into padded socks, an unsightly headband, dripping sweat, on a treadmill four times a week, sometimes for more than two hours at a time? Me, the woman who was never going to run, who is now a runner?

One word—Yachad.

This post was written by Nicki Taller.

To view the original article on the Orthodox Union Website, click here.

Yachad Celebrates 30th Birthday!

New York, NY – Yachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities, dedicated to inclusion for all Jewish children and adults, is celebrating 30 years of service to local, regional and international communities. Yachad, which, translated from Hebrew, means “together,” offers those with special needs a way to participate in events and programs which help weave them into the fabric of everyday life within their communities, day schools, colleges, summer camps, and more.

According to Dr. Jeff Lichtman, International Director of Yachad, “This 30^th anniversary is certainly a meaningful milestone, as Yachad has continued to grow and expand with national and international chapters in cities where we had not previously had a presence. However, its not a signal to rest on our laurels. There are still many children and families not being served, and we need to reach them. When people learn about the hundreds of programs and activities we run throughout North America and Israel, they begin to realize just how important Yachad is.”

Yachad helps special needs children, adults and their families through many and diverse services including: social programming for all age groups; counseling services for individuals and families; weekend retreats; extensive parent support services; sibling support services; vocational training and job placement; professional advocates and case managers to ensure all appropriate educational and social services resources are tapped; summer camps for members of all ages; special needs yeshivas; shabbat programs; Adult day programs; Birthright Israel trips for persons with mobility and/or special learning needs; social skills development; lobbying for pro-disability legislation on the local, state, and federal levels; high school and university leadership programs, among others. They currently have a presence in more than 30 US cities and 3 countries.

“Over the past 30 years together we have celebrated more than 5,000 Shabbatons. Through our summer programs more than 5,000 children and teens have had the opportunity to travel throughout North America and Israel. Our programs in association with 10 mainstream summer camps have taught children and teenagers that while someone may appear different from themselves, we are all the same,” says Eli Hagler, Associate Director of Yachad.

Yachad relies on a talented group of staff who work diligently to coordinate activities and weekend retreats on a regular basis. In addition, volunteers help host Shabbatons, join event committees, and serve as counselors and companions at local summer and travelling camps. These activities provide Yachad members with opportunities for personal growth and experiences that enrich their lives. The inclusive aspect is designed to allow this special group of people to assume their rightful place within the Jewish community, while helping to educate others about our members’ abilities and strengths Our volunteers give so much more than time. “Through establishing meaningful friendships, they generously provide our members with opportunity for social experiences, feelings of acceptance, and confidence. In return, our members teach our volunteers invaluable lessons about themselves and how they come to appreciate others,” says Rebecca Schrag, Director of School and Community Programming.

Yachad reaches out to families, friends and corporate sponsors to help in its fundraising efforts to provide much needed scholarship support so no one is ever turned away. Notably, Team Yachad offers an opportunity for anyone to participate in endurance races that take place annually in Miami, Toronto, New York and Jerusalem. To date more than 1,800 have run hand in hand for disability inclusion, and have raised more than $2.7 million.

March 4^th marks the festival of Purim, when Jews commemorate the downfall of Haman and his evil cohorts who had plotted to slaughter the Jews throughout Persia. To celebrate, Jews read the Megillat (Book of) Esther aloud in synagogue, give charity and bring gifts of food and wine to friends and relatives. Each year Yachad brings the miracle of Purim to the deaf and hard of hearing through its Megillat Esther Power Point Presentation, providing a CD-ROM and complementary materials so that all can participate and celebrate.

At this time of year Yachad offers Purim charity cards – combining aspects of both the charity and gifts called for by Jewish tradition, donors receive attractive cards they can send to friends & loved ones indicating that a donation was made in their honor.

Yachad raises funds while providing vocational training through YachadGifts.com, offering custom, ready-made gift baskets for Purim and all occasions — developed, assembled and packaged by Yachad participants.

Yachad, The National Jewish Council for Disabilities, is dedicated to addressing the needs of all individuals with disabilities within the Jewish community. To find out how you can join, volunteer, donate, or order Purim cards or gift baskets, please contact 212-613-8229 or visit www.yachad.com

Camps promote inclusion, job skills with burgeoning vocational programs

Atzmayim participants Rachel Palmer, right, and Shelby Marcus bagging groceries at Trig’s, a supermarket in Eagle River, Wis. (Courtesy of Ramah Wisconsin)

(JTA) — Like many 22-year-olds, Ben Nadis has somewhat murky career goals. Though he likes his job at the Kroger near his house in Farmington Hills, Mich., he doesn’t want to work there forever. Maybe he’ll be on TV instead, he jokes — he’s not sure.

Nonetheless, for the last year and a half, Ben has woken each morning, showered, brushed his teeth and driven to work on his own.

“I feel good about myself. I feel independent,” he said in a recent phone interview. He thought for a moment, and added, “And I get paid too, which is great.”

Ben is a graduate of Camp Ramah Wisconsin’s Atzmayim (Hebrew for “independent”) program – one of theRamah Camping Movement’s four vocational programs designed to strengthen the social and independent-living skills of individuals with disabilities aged 18 to 25.

Howard Blas, the Tikvah director, says he gets calls “all the time” from camps interested in implementing their own vocational programs.

Many camps see vocational education as the logical next step for the inclusion programs they already have in place for youth with disabilities.

Atzmayim participant Aaron Epelbaum shelving books at the Eagle River Library in Wisconsin. (Courtesy of Ramah Wisconsin)

Lisa Tobin, the director of disabilities initiatives at the Foundation for Jewish Camp, says the programs are proliferating to meet increased demand from parents.

Blas has extended the cut-off age for vocational program participants at Ramah New England from 22 to past 25 and brought in personal job coaches to work with them.

For the participants, the learning experience is as much about honing daily life skills as it is mastering or executing tasks.

“Employment is a positive thing for anyone, but for people with disabilities, having a job and a role can have a tremendously positive impact on life satisfaction,” said Joe Goldfarb, the director of summer programs atYachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities.

“I would love if every place has a vocational program, but there is much more to be done than saying, ‘OK, you are welcome to work in my camp,’” he said.

Ramah’s Blas takes a more sanguine approach.

However, the programs are as concerned with changing attitudes as they are with improving employment statistics.

Ramah Wisconsin’s Schwartz says his program benefits not just the campers and staff, but the community at large.

“People build friendships, learn about difference, and see that people with disabilities can and should work,” he said.

This article was written by Raffi Wineburg for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

To view the original article on JTA’s website, click here.

A DISABILITIES ACT, LONG IN PLANNING, IS FINALLY LAW

By Joan Vennochi GLOBE COLUMNIST JANUARY 02, 2015

BEFORE LEAVING for Christmas vacation, President Obama signed a law that allows people with disabilities to open tax-free savings accounts to pay for certain life expenses.

That’s a big deal. Until now, people with disabilities couldn’t do what the rest of us can — set aside money, safe from the IRS, for certain purposes. Before this law, money saved outside a trust account disqualified those with disabilities from Medicaid-based benefits and Social Security.

The Achieving a Better Life Experience, or “ABLE” Act, dramatically changes that, said Representive Ander Crenshaw, the Florida Republican who fought for it. Its overwhelming passage in the House and Senate shows some causes ultimately defy partisan warfare. The vote was 404-17 in the House; and 76-16 in the Senate, where it was part of a larger tax credit extension bill.

To read the rest of this column in The Boston Globe, click here.

To see pictures from Yachad’s latest mission to Washington, D.C., click here.

Small Family Foundation, Large Global Impact

Sharon Shapiro (l-r), Jay Ruderman and Shira Ruderman

NEWTON — When the children of Morton and Marcia Ruderman were growing up, they were aware of their father’s “donations checkbook.” Whenever Mort Ruderman was asked to support a charitable cause, he would reach for that checkbook and respond, generously, with a gift. Those gifts went a long way toward establishing a family commitment that was eventually formalized in the years before Mort’s death as the Ruderman Family Foundation (“Foundation”).

Today, the Foundation, which gives away $8-10 million annually, is helping to shape an innovative kind of philanthropy by focusing on the inclusion of people with disabilities in Israel and in the Jewish community worldwide, as well as educating Israeli leaders on the American Jewish community. It is run by Mort’s son Jay, together with his wife, Shira, sister Sharon Shapiro, and several trustees, both within and beyond the Ruderman family.

This rags-to-riches philanthropic tale begins with Morton Ruderman, an entrepreneur who grew up with little means in Malden and became wealthy after co-founding Meditech, a global health care technology firm, and investing in commercial real estate. Mort and Marcia raised three children, Sharon, Jay and Todd, in Lynnfield, while maintaining strong ties to Malden. Three years ago, Mort passed away from Alpha-1 lung disease.

“My father grew up without a lot of money,” said daughter Sharon Shapiro. “After he became successful, he always wanted to help people, especially people who couldn’t help themselves.”

At the same time that Mort began to take on a greater philanthropic role and to express interest in creating a charitable foundation, Shapiro, a dietitian who had been living in New York, returned to the Boston area with her young family and began working for her father, lending a hand with his charitable donations.

“There wasn’t any kind of focus,” she said, adding that her father continued to support favorite charities of friends and organizations like CJP. In fact, it was a request by CJP that first connected the family to the issue of disabilities at day schools.

“It was an area where not a lot of foundations were focusing, and we thought we could have an impact,” said Shapiro, who, together with her sister-in-law Shira, began learning about the needs of those with disabilities as well as the business of charitable giving, not knowing where it would lead.

Her father “really put this in our hands,” said Shapiro, “He wanted this to be our journey.”

Shapiro, who lives in Brookline with her husband Rony, 12-year-old twins Noam and Ella and 8-year-old daughter Hadas, oversees the Foundation’s Newton office and continues to focus on programming that fosters greater awareness of disabilities for the Foundation, remaining involved with the Gateways program (special education services), Yachad (social and recreational events for children and young adults with disabilities; see story on page 2) and synagogue inclusion. She is also passionate about teaching teens about philanthropy.

“The most impactful thing for me is talking to parents, hearing their stories and the difficulties,” she said, adding that she is always moved when parents tell her about finally finding a program that helps. “That to me is very touching; that we could make an impact and help people.”

Shapiro credits the ramping up of the Foundation to when her brother Jay came on board 6-8 years ago. A graduate of Brandeis University and Boston University School of Law, Jay began his career as an assistant district attorney in Salem, and then took some time to live in Israel, where he met Shira, who had finished her service in the Israeli army and was teaching Arabic at the ulpan Jay was attending. After two years in Israel, which included time during the Intifadah in 2000, Jay and Shira returned to the United States.

While Shira and Sharon began to professionalize the Foundation at the urging of Mort, Jay was drawn to politics “to do something that would help Israel.” He became the deputy director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in New England. The couple remained in Boston for four years before returning to Israel, where Jay worked for the Israeli army as the liaison between the IDF and the Diaspora, and continued to work for AIPAC in Jerusalem.

When Jay came on board as president of the Foundation in 2008, he inherited the Foundation’s focus on disability. Already, Shira and Sharon had undertaken a yearlong study of philanthropy, began to think about running a foundation, educated Mort about the subject, and donated $10 million for Jewish education, earmarked for disabilities.

“What interested me was that this area was not being addressed in the Jewish world. This was an opportunity to have an out-sized impact,” said Jay. “Also, my background was in politics, and I saw it as an issue of civil rights …the issue is one of fairness. It is fundamentally unfair that kids with disabilities are excluded from a Jewish education.”

While initially there was no personal connection to disabilities for the family, later Todd’s son was diagnosed with autism. According to Shira, Mort said, “Now I know why this is our mission.”

“Everyone has a connection with a disability,” she added. “It is the largest minority in the world, and people are routinely excluded and discriminated against… Disability is everyone’s business.”

Jay brought a new strategic and targeted focus to the Foundation, a combination of investing in education and advocating, staking out a “leadership position” as philanthropists.

The Foundation maintains offices in Newton and in Israel, and Jay and Shira, who both work full-time for the Foundation, have recently returned to Brookline to live with their four children: Michael, 11; Tamar, 9; Yehonatan, 7; and Ariel, 6.

Beyond the Foundation’s strong presence in the Greater Boston area, it has a global impact, reaching Australia, South Africa, Russia and Mexico, through the Ruderman Award in Inclusion program, which annually awards five $50,000 awards worldwide. In Israel, the Foundation partners with the Israeli government and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in Israeli society.

“It is groundbreaking to have a private family foundation sitting with the Israeli government,” said Jay, explaining that projects will be adopted as policy and continue to be sustained, in the same way that Massachusetts is now invested in the Transitions to Work program. “It is now beyond the Jewish community.”

Shira Ruderman serves as the Foundation’s Israeli director. Born in Israel, Shira grew up with three siblings in a middle class family near Tel Aviv. “My family did a lot of giving and chesed,” she said, adding that she and Jay grew up with the same values. She has taken a leadership role in encouraging philanthropy in Israel, a relatively new concept there.

The Foundation’s reach in Israel involves Jews, Arabs, Muslims and Druze. “We see it as national philanthropy,” said Shira. “In order to make it a human rights issue and social justice matter, we work in all cycles of life — in camps, in schools, in housing. Disability is an issue across the board.”

The Foundation also works to educate Israelis on the U.S. Jewish community, including establishing a master’s program in American Jewry at University of Haifa.

Now, the Foundation is focused on creating partnerships and educating American Jewish leaders, and creating a network of families with disabilities.

“The Foundation is a legacy,” said Shira. “Our impact will be based on the fact that we put our heads down, work professionally, are deeply committed to social activities, and are in a leadership position to change our community.”

“My goal is to put us out of business,” added Jay. “I want to reach the point where we don’t have to do this advocacy. That will come, but it is going to take some time.”

To find out more about the Ruderman Foundation, visit rudermanfoundation.org.

This article was written by Amy Forman, a member of the Jewish Journal staff.

To view the original article on the Jewish Journal website, click here.

Yachad of the North Shore Joins Individuals with Disabilities and their Families

Forty members of Yachad of the North Shore enjoyed a September Salem Harbor Cruise.

Since its launch in March, Yachad of the North Shore, a chapter of New England Yachad, has attracted more than 50 families to its inclusive social and recreational activities for individuals with disabilities of all ages, offering a lifeline for North Shore families.

According to Swampscott’s Alison Licker, Yachad’s outings and drumming circle have enabled her 9-year-old son, Logan Maldonis, who has global developmental delays, to learn about Judaism.

“To bring the Jewish basis into these programs is more than I could ask for,” Licker said. “I know my son will not be able to have the Jewish education that I had or a bar mitzvah. Through Yachad, he sees himself part of a Jewish community and belonging to a Jewish culture.”

Being around families who understand disabilities allows her to relax and enjoy as well. “Sometimes my son just needs to run around,” Licker said. “I don’t feel like I have to explain his behavior to the other parents. They get it.”

For those 16-years-old and older, Yachad Connections is a monthly social group that meets throughout the North Shore. The group does crafts, activities related to Jewish holidays, or meets just to have fun. In October, participants tie-dyed items and created a music playlist.

Through Yachad Buddies, members of the North Shore Teen Initiative and the Jewish Teen Internship also join in Yachad Connections.

“Peer participants not only assist the young adults, but they also do the same activities alongside them. Peer participants are part of the mix, which widens the relationships,” said Bari Michelman-Johnson, who runs Yachad Connections. Peer participants also help at the J-Adventure afterschool program at the JCC of the North Shore. Future plans include engaging students from Endicott College Hillel and Salem State University.

New England Yachad is funded by a grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation. Contact Liz Offen at NewEnglandYachad@ou.org or 646-628-7003.

Upcoming Yachad of the North Shore Events

On November 19, North Shore Yachad Connections will bowl at Kings Bowl, 510 Market St., Lynnfield, from 7-8:30 p.m. The cost is $9 per person. RSVP to bmj.nsyachad@gmail.com or 978-712-8807.

On November 22, Cantor Gaston Bogomolni of Temple Aliyah in Needham will lead a family drumming circle from 6-8 p.m. at Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott. The cost is $18 per family or $9 per individual and includes kosher dinner and dessert. Drums will be available, but participants are encouraged to bring their own or other instruments. Congregation Shirat Hayam is located at 55 Atlantic Avenue, Swampscott. RSVP to Bari Michelman-Johnson at bmj.nsyachad@gmail.com or 978-712-8807.

Visit Yachad New England on Facebook for a full listing of events.

This article was written by Nicole Levy, for The Jewish Journal of Massachusetts.

To view the original article on the Jewish Journal, click here.

“Maybe We Should Teach the Way They Learn” Yachad Veterans Day Conference in NYC

“Train a child according to his way” (Proverbs 22:6) is a Biblical aphorism summing up the feeling of many parents and educators. Inspired by this ever-enlightening teaching from King Solomon, theOrthodox Union’s Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilitiesand The International Jewish Resource Center for Inclusion and Special Education will present, “”Maybe We Should Teach the Way They Learn,” a special education conference for yeshiva and day school educators from across North America. The conference will be held on Veteran’s Day, Tuesday, November 11, at 9 a.m. at Manhattan Day School, 310 West 75^thStreet, New York, NY.

Yachad provides unique social, educational and recreational programs for individuals with learning, developmental and physical disabilities with the goal of their Inclusion in the total life of the Jewish community.

“The theme of the conference, “Maybe We Should Teach the Way They Learn,” reflects the presenters’ topics concentrating on modifying different learning styles in the classroom so all can learn at an ideal pace,” said Batya Jacob, director of educational support services at Yachad. “There will be hands-on workshops about dyslexia, autism, and ADHD. Our major goal throughout the year is to give all children the ability to access Jewish education. We work with educators across the United States and Canada on new technology and techniques to advance learning for students with special needs.”

While in previous years the conference was held on Election Day it was scheduled this year in coordination with the Jewish Education Project, which is hosting its conference on the same day, Mrs. Jacobs said, “because we wanted to give the schools the ability to choose whichever was convenient for them.”

The demographic of the special education conference reaches schools and educators across the country, including participants from New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Florida, among others. To date, over 100 educators have registered.

The keynote speaker, child psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, will present the topic “Collaborative and Proactive Solutions.” Dr. Greene is a renowned expert in the field of special education. He is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and also serves on the teaching faculty at Cambridge Hospital (MA), Virginia Tech, and Tufts University. He is the author of ‘The Explosive Child’ and ‘Lost at School,’ and the founder of Lives in the Balance, a non-profit organization that teaches behavior modification and advocates on behalf of behaviorally challenging children and their parents, teachers, and other caregivers.

Other featured speakers include:

Bill Atwood, Collins Education Associate and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. He serves on the graduate faculty at Salem State College, Endicott College, and Worcester State College in Massachusetts.
Kathy Johnson, MS Ed, started The Hunter School for struggling students and wrote the “Pyramid of Potential” DVD/Workbook Series for families and “Growing Brains Everyday Curriculum for Teachers” and “The Roadmap From Learning Disabilities to Success.”
Jeffrey Lichtman, International Director of the OU’s Yachad/NJCD, Dean of IVDU Schools, Director of NJ Association of Jewish Day Schools and consultant to schools and agencies working with individuals who have special needs.
Jay Lucker, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Howard University, Washington, DC
Clarissa Willis, Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Southern Indiana, senior author of “Learn Every Day: The Program for Infants, Toddlers and Twos”; and “Learn Every Day: The Preschool Curriculum.”

To register visit yachad.oudev.org/specialedconference or contact Batya Jacob 212.613.8127 or batyaj@ou.org.

This article was written by OU Staff.

To view the original article on the Orthodox Union website, click here.

Torontian celebrates special needs bar mitzvah at kabbalistic shul

Toronto’s Josh Kadysiewicz, a 26-year-old with global developmental delay, celebrated his bar mitzvah last week at the historic Beirav Synagogue here, one of the 19th century places of kabbalistic worship in this historic centre of Jewish mysticism. For the 12 Canadian and five American participants aged 18 to 26 in the Taglit-Birthright/Yachad the National Jewish Council for Disabilities tour, Kadysiewicz’s aliyah at the Rosh Chodesh Elul (new moon) service marked the highlight of their free 10-day pilgrimage to Israel.

“I like that people came to see me,” a beaming Kadysiewicz told the Jewish Tribune.

In a heartfelt speech, he addressed his fellow special needs tour participants:

“Thank you for coming to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah. I am so happy that I can celebrate my Bar Mitzvah with all of you in Israel. Although I really miss my amazing family in Toronto, you are all like family to me! This past week on Yachad Birthright has been really, really fun. I loved spending time with everyone and seeing the incredible sights around Israel.

“One of the highlights of this week was becoming an Israeli Army commander. I think that I was a really good commander and it was a lot of fun. Bar mitzvahs are about growing up and becoming an adult. I think that I am becoming more mature and I am happy to finally celebrate my Bar Mitzvah.

“Shabbat was also really great. We prayed, ate delicious food, spent time with friends, went for a nice walk and had a lot of fun activities. I have made so many friends on this trip, and I’m so lucky to be with all of you for my Bar Mitzvah. I think that Israel is a special place to have a Bar Mitzvah. It is a very holy and meaningful land, and there is no better place to celebrate a Jewish milestone like here. I really enjoy Judaism and I have learned a lot on this trip. I like to sing, dance, play games, pray and learn new things.

“The Kotel last week was very special for me, too. I loved how the rabbi came to make a special speech for me, and the singing and dancing for me was great fun.

“Although I am excited to go home, I am really going to miss this place. Fortunately, I have such good memories of this trip and especially my Bar Mitzvah. I’m sure these memories will last with me for the rest of my life.

“I really hope you all enjoy celebrating my Bar Mitzvah with me in Israel. I can’t wait to go back and tell my family all about it. Thanks again to everyone for being part of this occasion with me. You are all such good friends to me, and you make me so happy.

“Thanks everyone!”

Yachad has been bringing special needs adults to Israel every six months for a decade, said Nicole Bodner, a social worker with the New York-based social services agency. She herself accompanied her first special needs trip in 2007, and has been participating in every tour since 2012.

For Bodner, now the staff director, and her 12 North American and three Israeli staff, the bar mitzvah was a transcendent moment.

“It was an unbelievable experience for Josh and for everyone involved,” she said. “We’ve become a family together.”

Confronting the participants’ various disabilities – including autism spectrum, anxiety disorders, developmental delay, OCD, ADD, speech and motor challenges, Tourette’s Syndrome, learning disabilities, and ADHD – wheelchair accessibility was not the problem, she said.

It was a question of overcoming stereotypes and labels.

While in some ways extraordinary, this was also an ordinary Birthright tour, said Bodner. The group toured many of Israel’s most popular tourist destinations, including Masada, the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem’s Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. They had meetings with Israel Defence Forces soldiers some of whom joined them for five days of a well-deserved break from the current Gaza war.

Especially moving was a meeting with special needs adults serving in the Israeli Air Force. As part of the Israeli army’s policy of serving as a social melting pot for the country’s society, the IDF inducts teens in wheelchairs notwithstanding that their profile is too low to qualify to be drafted. For such young adults, service in the IDF is their ultimate challenge in being mainstreamed.

The 10-day special needs Birthright group flew back from Israel last Thursday.

The Beirav Synagogue was chosen as the venue for the Rosh chodesh bar mitzvah service because, unlike the other houses of worship in Safed’s Old City, it has wheelchair accessible. Built following the great Safed earthquake of 1837, the building originally served as a religious academy and was named after Ya’acov Beirav, one of the great rabbis of 16th century Safed. For decades, Safed’s Hungarian community used the synagogue but when their numbers diminished, the synagogue ceased functioning. In the 1990s, members of Safed’s English-speaking community renewed services. Today the Beirav Synagogue is home to a congregation following the musical tradition of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.

This article was written by Gil Zohar, a correspondent for the Jewish Tribune.

To view the original article on the Jewish Tribune website, click here.