For families of Jews with disabilities, Shabbaton retreats provide respite and support

By Hiram Reisner for JTA

Shmuel and Rivka have a 3-year-old son, Moshe, with Down syndrome. As Hasidim who live in Borough Park, Brooklyn, they have struggled with how to explain their child’s special needs to others in their community.

When an opportunity came up to attend a weekend retreat for Jewish families with family members who have disabilities, they weren’t sure what to expect and were nervous about going.

“But once we arrived, we met many other parents and quickly became good friends,” said Shmuel, who asked that his last name be withheld for privacy. “We needed a change of scenery with our family from the daily stresses of caring for Moshe. And we realized that every family we met had their own unique challenges — some more than others — and we could all gain from each other’s approach and ideas.”

The retreat, held in Stamford, Connecticut, was organized by Yachad, The National Jewish Council for Disabilities, which operates under the auspices of the Orthodox Union. Held throughout the year in regions across the country, the Yachad weekends, or Shabbatons, are meant to provide relief, camaraderie and support for families who have children with disabilities.

There were educational workshops and networking opportunities for parents at the Connecticut retreat, including sessions focused on everything from developing resilience to spotting “triggers” for children with special needs to tips about getting government and financial support.

Simultaneously, individuals with special needs and their siblings participated in activities like ice breakers and team-building games. The 1,000-plus participants came from both Orthodox and non-Orthodox backgrounds. Everybody came together for meals, prayer services, a Saturday night music concert and a Sunday morning bubble show.

“The purpose of Yachad is to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities, and their families, in all the different aspects of Jewish life,” said Rabbi Ahron Rosenthal, Yachad’s New York director.

“At the Shabbatons, professionals talk to parents about care and support of the child with special needs and how to manage those needs. There is a great need for such programs.”

Shmuel said he was particularly gratified to see his other children discover the world of inclusion.

“My other children saw that there’s a whole world out there for children with special needs,” he said. “We got such ‘chizuk’ [strength] and appreciation for our lot in life on this Shabbaton from the lectures and, even more so, from other parents we schmoozed with.”

Yachad — Hebrew for inclusion or togetherness — began about 30 years ago, when the Orthodox Union realized there was a dire need for programs for Jewish children with special needs and their families.

“When Yachad started it was truly revolutionary,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, Yachad’s international director and a psychologist. “People were not aware of Jews with disabilities. They were often sent to programs far away and were not included in communal life – in shuls, schools, businesses. There was very little interaction.”

The social recreational programs with which Yachad launched remain core to its mission. From the outset, those programs sought to include both special-needs individuals and their mainstream peers. Today the organization runs everything from summer camps to employment programs for adults with disabilities.

It also educates and trains synagogue and youth leaders about inclusion. The Connecticut retreat included a leadership program for some 30 able-bodied eighth-graders nominated by their schools to receive leadership training and hands-on opportunities to engage with individuals with disabilities.

Saadya Ehrenpreis, a 34-year-old with Down syndrome, has been to many Yachad Shabbatons and activities, including vocational training and summer camps. But until three years ago, his mother had never joined him at a retreat for families. Ahava Ehrenpreis was concerned that it would be too overwhelming for her.

But she finally gave in, and found the weekend helpful and enjoyable. To date, she has gone on three retreats.

“It’s a warm, very relaxed, upbeat atmosphere,” Ahava said. “It’s also been very lovely to meet and give faces to the Yachad staff, who I usually see only as email addresses. The mentors are enthusiastic, caring young people whose joy and affection for the Yachad members is palpable. What parent does not want to see that up close and personal?”

She credited a Shabbaton last year with transforming Saadya’s life because she learned of a new program for adults with special needs that was opening at Yeshiva University. Saadya ended up enrolling in the program, called the Makor College Experience, which provides opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities to experience college life, explore interests and develop skills as they transition into independence.

One of the greatest challenges for individuals who have disabilities is attaining jobs as adults, according to Lichtman. The problem isn’t so much limitations to their abilities, he said, as it is employers who can’t see beyond their disabilities.

“Too often people with disabilities are rejected because employers think they can’t do something or they won’t,” Lichtman said. “But more often than not they can and they will, if given the chance.”

Individuals in Yachad’s vocational program start by getting a work placement according to their skills and interests. An onsite job coach helps them acclimate to the environment and the work. Participants gradually progress to the point where they no longer need the job coach.

“A common thread with them is that they are so dependable,” said Hillel Tuchman, who has employed three Yachad-affiliated individuals at the Atlantic Freight Brokers Corp. in Brooklyn. “Once they are set up there is rarely an issue. I know if we give them something to do they will get it done.”

Yachad: A High School Peer Perspective

Abby Bessler, a senior at the Maimonides School and Yachad club co-president, shares her insights on the value of Yachad’s programs.

Yachad advisors and participants including Abby (top left) enjoy dinner after Shabbat (Courtesy photo)

New England Yachad is an inclusive organization that serves people of all ages with disabilities. But it is much more than just that.

The word “Yachad” means together. It means inclusion. Inclusion is a crucial part of our daily lives, and throughout my experience with Yachad I have really learned how important it is to make sure everyone feels like they belong.

Yachad is a huge part of who I am as a person today. I first became involved in Yachad in ninth grade, when I attended my first of many Shabbatons.

On Friday night, someone came over to me and asked if I could help one of the Yachad participants because his advisor was having difficulty during meals. I went over, introduced myself, and watched as the advisor would take little pieces of bread, put them in water, and feed this boy on the right side of his mouth, because he has very little mobility.

I sat down next to the boy and his advisor and began talking to them. I soon realized the boy couldn’t speak, and I began doubting whether he could understand anything I was saying. This made it difficult to keep trying to have a conversation. I soon offered to feed him, so his advisor could get something to eat.

Left to right: Yachad advisor Gabi Nachman, participant Mira and Abby arrive for a Shabbaton (Courtesy photo)

After about seven minutes into the conversation, I said something and the boy looked me right in the eyes. I froze. I suddenly realized he understood everything I was saying. Then I said something about Ed Sheeran, and I saw a slight smile on his lips. I immediately felt a tear on my cheek, and turned away to hide my tears. I became very emotional. This boy understood everything I was saying, and the whole time I had doubted him. I felt horrible. I was in shock.

Throughout the weekend we got closer and closer, and soon we were able to communicate fully, without him saying a single word. I soon learned that he has an amazing sense of humor, and would make me laugh out loud.

I also started to see how he would often be left out of things, or not paid attention to, since he wasn’t as loud or funny as some of the other participants. People would sometimes talk about him, in front of him, not realizing he understood everything they were saying.

I realized that we assume someone is not capable of something unless we see it. We assume that because we haven’t witnessed it yet, it’s not possible. But Yachad has taught me to believe in other people, and their abilities, despite how someone may look on the outside. Never judge people from the outside, because they WILL surprise you.

People talk about inclusion a lot these days. Whether it’s entertaining someone at a Shabbaton, or including all abilities, races, or cultures in our communities.

A very important thing I learned from Yachad is that it’s the little things, like inviting someone over so they don’t feel left out, or sitting next to someone who is alone during lunch, that make a really big difference. This is why Yachad is so important in our communities.

Yachad participant Emily (left) and Abby at an event at Launch Trampoline Park (Courtesy photo)

Rabbi Akiva teaches us to “love our neighbor like we love ourselves.” Yachad has really taught me how to do this because I learned there is no difference between a Yachad member and myself.

Whether I have ADD or my friend has autism, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. For them, their challenges may just be magnified, but we are the same. Whether someone struggles with controlling their emotions, or with communication, it’s nothing that we don’t deal with in our everyday lives. It’s really important to be able to relate to everyone, and not think you are different because of external factors.

I think that there is something very special we can learn from many of the Yachad participants. We are often products of our society, always trying to conform to societal norms and “fit in.”

However, most of the Yachad participants are just their pure, natural selves. They often don’t care what others think, or try to do what everyone else is doing, which is very special and pure because you really get to see their true selves. It makes for some real connections and bonds that are able to be formed when people are honest and open about themselves. There is always so much to learn from the people around you.

I am thankful for everyone involved in Yachad who helps run this amazing organization, changing the lives of so many people. But most of all, I am thankful for all the friends I’ve made in Yachad, all the participants who have taught me so much about myself and other people. They have taught me that we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we are all special in our own ways. I will cherish these friendships forever.

This speech was written by Abby Bressler for New England Yachad. Click here to view this post on JewishBoston.com.

Sheva Brachot B’Yachad: A Beautiful, Inclusive Celebration

By Arielle Zellis Paley

His voice becomes increasingly more confident as he reads the words of Sheva Brachot from the bencher. Naftali Stubin finishes the Bracha and sits up straight, looking towards me and Netanel in awe, seemingly surprised at himself.

His eyes open wide and his lips curl into a grin as he exclaims,

“That was the first time I ever was asked to say one of the Sheva Brachot!”

Naftali Stubin

At that moment I peered at my new husband, and looked at all the participants of the Mendel Balk Yachad Adult Community Center, while they sat around eager to continue the excitement. And I knew that Yachad was exactly where I wanted to celebrate the last night of our Sheva Brachot.

At the beginning of the night, Netanel and I had come into the vibrantly decorated Yachad Center and separated into our designated dancing circles. I held my hands out to girls, who I spend many nights a week with at the center. Each of them were genuinely beaming back at me. I danced to the melodious tunes of a simcha with pure happiness, which seemed to fill my entire being.

After the majority of the festivities had passed, and we found ourselves answering Amen to Naftali’s Bracha, I noticed that on the table in front of us was a wedding card enveloped in white. Corinne Blyumin, a participant for whom I have grown to care deeply for throughout our time at the center together, had quietly placed the card in front of us. We looked up from reading the beautiful card to find Corinne smiling so infectiously.

From left: Avi Tsadok, Arielle Zellis Paley, Netanel Paley

Later in the evening, Avi Tsadok, a participant who stood tall with confidence, opened up a folded piece of paper as he spoke to a room full of listeners. Avi spoke of his relationship with Netanel and me. His best wishes and thoughtful words left me feeling proud. Proud of the strong bond that Avi and all the other Yachad members so obviously feel towards us as they danced and sang together.

And I thought, “If this is not inclusion, I don’t know what is.”

Inclusion because I wanted Naftali to recite the Bracha just as much as he wanted to participate.

Inclusion because I had felt that I needed to dance with Corinne at my wedding, a week before, but because she could not attend, I pushed for a Sheva Brachot at the Yachad Center, in order to dance with her now.

And inclusion because these were people whom Netanel and I wanted to celebrate with, just as much as anyone else in our lives. Disability or not, it was irrelevant because they are our friends.

This Sheva Brachot was something that I did not just want to happen, but rather I needed to happen. I remember thinking, a few weeks before my wedding, that having a Sheva Brachot at the Yachad Center would be a fantastic idea. The idea turned into a necessity I could not stop pestering my colleagues about.

Is it going to happen? Who will make it happen?

The questions piled up along with all the other pressures that come with getting married in just a few weeks.

But why was having this Sheva Brachot so important to me?

My need for this event to occur is actually as personal as it gets. My own twelve-year old brother, who has Down syndrome, lives in an inclusive world, a world where Yachad’s mantra echoes everywhere – in my family’s home, in my brother’s school, in his entire community. Because everyone belongs. A world where someone like my brother is not labeled or pitied, but rather seen as equal. Equal in that you can dance with me at my simcha, no matter what kind of challenge you have. You can speak at my simcha, no matter if you have autism, Down syndrome, or any other disability. In my mind, we are all human beings who deserve to be full participants in the world around us.

And so it actually startled me when Naftali said this was his first time ever participating in a Sheva Brachot. It opened my eyes to the unique opportunity that having my Sheva Brachot at the Yachad Center gave to each member. And while Netanel and I sat at our table looking at all the people we hang out with on a daily basis, the realization hit: this needs to be the future of our lives.

Not just mine, because I have a sibling who has a disability. And not just Netanel’s because he now has a brother-in-law who has a disability. But this needs to become the norm for everyone. Because people are people and have so many other pieces to their puzzle of their human existence besides their disabilities. Each of us should live as equals amongst each other with Yachad’s mantra humming through the sounds of our daily lives, because everyone belongs.

We all deserve to celebrate not only this simcha together but all smachot together as we celebrate life itself B’yachad.

Yachad Gifts Retail Store Opens in Brooklyn

Yachad opened its first retail gift storefront on November 27, just in time for the Chanukah and holiday season. The new store, Yachad Gifts, is located at 1545 Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, NY, open Sunday- Friday.

Team excitedly watches employee Rosa Barr cut the ceremonial ribbon

The Yachad Gifts team, Yachad staff, JUF vocational team, IVDU School students and teachers, and community members joined together for the official store opening ribbon cutting ceremony. Yachad Gifts’ employee Rosa Barr had the honor of cutting the ribbon and welcoming the public into the bright and shiny gift basket storefront. The grand opening event included door prizes, raffles and contests for customers and guests.

Spirited Yachad members, who work as part-time or full-time employees in the new store, were beaming with excitement as community members entered the gift store for the first time. They were quick to assist in answering questions about products and what makes Yachad Gifts different from other gift basket stores.

Chaim Goldman displays a Chanukah gift basket

Yachad is the global organization dedicated to the needs of all Jewish individuals with disabilities and ensuring their inclusion in Jewish life. Yachad Gifts serves as part of that mission, providing vocational training and employment to individuals with developmental disabilities. The members that work at Yachad Gifts hold various roles within the Kosher gift basket hub in Brooklyn, including stocking inventory, production, packaging, shipping, data entry, sales and customer service. When asked how they felt about working at Yachad Gifts, all were happy to express their excitement to be a part of the store opening. “Yachad Gifts feels like home,” said one new employee.

Yachad Gifts has a rotating roster of individuals with developmental disabilities that have volunteer and paid positions. The store sells a variety of themed kosher gift baskets, and has done so for the past several years via its website, prior to the new store opening.

“Chanukah and Purim have been our busiest seasons,” said Yachad Gifts’ Manager Stuart Gourdji. But with the new storefront our assortment has expanded. Yachad Gifts has added wonderful and creative selections thanks to creative designer Ava Lang. She has designed gift baskets that broaden the store’s inventory to include gifts for Teacher Appreciation, Thank You, Baby Gifts, Shabbat Host/Hostess Gift sets and more.

Students from IVDU Girls’ School fill out tickets to enter the raffle for a free gift basket

Customers are also encouraged to ask the Yachad Gifts team to create custom gift baskets. Although Yachad Gifts has had an online presence for the past 3 years, the retail store is a great extension and even better window into the amazing work that is done by Yachad on a daily basis.

“The main goal for the retail store is to create a safe and productive employment and vocational training environment for individuals with disabilities, and spread awareness in the community about Yachad and the work the organization does to ensure that people with disabilities are fully included,” said Retail store manager Ariel Bluman.

Purchasing a gift basket from Yachad Gifts is more than just a gift buying experience—it supports individuals with disabilities in the community, allowing them to grow and develop job skills and lead fulfilling lives.

“Thank you to the entire team for their hard work in getting the store prepared and ensuring a great start. It was a successful, fun-filled week celebrating this exciting new chapter for Yachad Gifts. Be sure to stop by the retail storefront and visit their online website (Yachadgifts.com) to deliver delightful gifts to family and friends this holiday season!” added Stuart Gourdji.

Yachad Gifts Store hours: Sunday 11am-6pm, Monday-Wednesday 10am-7pm, Thursday 10am-9pm, and Friday 9am-two hours before sundown. Contact info: 855-505-7500 or info@yachadgifts.com.

Thirty-six Staff and Volunteers Represent Yachad at Ruderman Inclusion Summit

Yachad volunteer and self-advocate Jonathan Spiller with other community activists

Sixteen staff members and twenty volunteers from Yachad, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities, including Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, Rabbi Ahron Rosenthal, Ken Saibel, Liz Offen, Tzivia Jofen, Batya Jacob, Becca Zebovitz, and Rina Hoffman, attended the Ruderman Inclusion Summit. The summit, held November 19 -20 in Boston, brought together over 1,300 disability advocates from around the world to inspire, network, motivate each other, learn about advances in disability inclusion, and listen to speakers including Marlee Matlin, Dr. Joyce Banda, Mandy Harvey, and Senator Maggie Hassan.

“Participating in the Ruderman Conference was a great opportunity to celebrate inclusion with other supporters of that goal,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, the International Director of Yachad. “It was also a wonderful platform for me to offer a presentation of our unique Yad b’Yad Summer Program as a model of full inclusion for teens and young adults.”

As a grant recipient, Yachad was invited to be a co-promoter, helping to get the word out, taking part in activities at the summit, and providing volunteers–high school and college students and young professionals who have been involved in Yachad as peer participants and who are committed to inclusion for people with disabilities. Yachad members like Jonathan Spiller also volunteered and attended workshops and met influential individuals. Jonathan was very active in his role at the summit and even wrote a song about his experience. He volunteered at the art station where an enormous mural was created.

Liz Offen, Director of New England Yachad, organized a panel on Inclusive Social and Recreational Programs as part of the segment of Affinity Groups. Panelists included Chenine Peloquin, Director of Access Recreation, Dan Minnich, Co-Director of Waypoint Adventures, and Charles Baldwin of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Left to right: Ahron Rosenthal, Ken Saibel, Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, Liz Offen, Tzivia Jofen, Batya Jacobs, Becca Zebovitz, and Rina Hoffman

The panel discussed how to work with partners to collaborate on inclusive social and recreational programs, an area where Yachad has been successful. They discussed ways state and nonprofit agencies can work together, and how people of all ages and all abilities can participate in sports and cultural programs as well as after-school and weekend programs. There was a lively debate about what “inclusion” means and what constitutes a disability.

Ilana Kruger and Alessandra Rigamonti from Yachad attended the summit’s Link20 networking day. Link20 is a leadership network for young disability advocates that began in Israel and expanded to Boston, New York, and Washington DC this year. Its goal is to develop a young, cross-disability movement, one that links all disability communities. Link20 works to raise awareness and shatter stereotypes about people with disabilities.

“The goal of the summit was to show that we have the power to create change and to highlight some of the successes in disability rights around the world. The summit stressed that this is a civil rights movement and how vital it is to elevate the issues around disabilities and uplift the narrative about inclusion,” added Ms. Offen.

Presenters from across the world included politicians, Hollywood actors, athletes, models, business entrepreneurs, writers, and singers, mixed in with agency heads, community organizers, members of synagogue inclusion committees, educators, camp personnel and self-advocates. It was a unique and thought-provoking two day summit that brought together more than one thousand powerful voices to sing and shout and talk together about a common theme—disability rights are important issues and the time for change is now.

New OU Summer Camp Program in Israel Fully Integrates Campers with Disabilities

Camp Dror, the Orthodox Union’s (OU) summer camp in Israel, has teamed with Yachad, OU’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities, to offer a new program for campers with disabilities that encourages integration and inclusiveness for children with disabilities while building a sense of unity and caring among all campers.

This unforgettable experience will provide a unique combination of summer fun, Zionism and Torah learning, completely accessible to campers with and without disabilities. Campers with disabilities will be fully integrated into every activity at the camp. All will bunk together and participate in activities side by side.

This type of Yachad program has been a success at other summer camps. Ronit Landsman, a Yachad-trained counselor at Camp Moshava, said her other campers “were not even aware that one of the campers was receiving support from Yachad.”

Campers in the Camp Dror program receive an individually tailored amount of advocacy and support, making the program a huge opportunity for maximizing each camper’s potential.

“Integrating Yachad members into summer camps is a vital part of Yachad’s mission, to include everyone in all walks of Jewish communal life,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, International Director of Yachad. “Partnering with Camp Dror is an opportunity for us to meet the high demand for Yachad programming and services for Israeli children with special needs. It is especially satisfying and effective to partner with our very own OU Israel chapter and program.”

Camp Dror is a sleepaway camp located on the Golan Heights. Camp runs for two and a half weeks this summer, from July 3 through July 19, 2018, for boys and girls from Israel and around the world entering grades 6 through 10. The boys’ camp is located in Hispin and the girls’ in Moshav Keshet.

Jewish spiritual growth and learning are integral elements of the camp program, and campers participate in hiking, kayaking, Chesed projects, swimming, sports, arts and crafts, and much more. Campers learn about themselves, their heritage and homeland, and about other Jewish communities and traditions. The new program exemplifies Shiluv, Hebrew for inclusion, an essential element of Camp Dror’s values and commitment to welcoming all members of the Jewish Family.

“Mirroring the Jewish people, our camp is one big family,” said Chaim Pelzner, Programs Director of OU Israel. “In each family there are children who are different. We need to learn to respect everyone on their own terms, and like a family we must always keep together,” he explained.

While Yachad’s first summer camp program in Israel with an emphasis on mainstreaming is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Jewish youth, Yachad has other programs in Israel including a vocational program at Camp Amichai, a Bnei Akiva sleepaway camp on the northern coastline, Israel Free Spirit, Yachad Birthright, and Yad B’Yad, as well as a full Yachad chapter to support

Israelis with disabilities. These offerings are vital to the mission of Yachad because they allow young Jews with disabilities to truly experience life as their peers do while forming deep bonds with Eretz Yisrael as all Jews should.

Contact Pearli Brown at BrownP@ou.org or (054) 929-1540 for more information on the Yachad and Camp Dror partnership.

Yachad and Moshava Wild Rose Team Up to Offer Integrated Program for Campers with Disabilities

Yachad has established a new summer partnership with Camp Moshava Wild Rose in Central Wisconsin. This is the first Yachad Summer Camp Program directly connecting the highly successful Chicago Yachad chapter with a camp valued throughout the greater Midwest and the rest of the country. It’s a synthesis of Yachad’s commitment to integration for campers with disabilities and one of the country’s most respected and loved summer camps.

Camp Moshava Wild Rose is a camp affiliated with Bnei Akiva, the religious Zionist youth movement. Yachad also partners with the other Bnei Akiva-affiliated sleepaway camps: Moshava IO, Moshava Ennismore, Camp Stone and Moshava California.

“Moshava Wild Rose has a long history of promoting inclusion in their camp,” said Joe Goldfarb, Ph.D., Director of Summer Programs at Yachad. “From day one we knew how critical this value was to them. We are absolutely thrilled to begin working together in educating the camp community and the Jewish community as a whole.”

Eli Jacobs, co-chair of Camp Moshava Wild Rose said, “we are extremely proud and excited about the opportunity to partner this summer with Yachad and Moshava Wild Rose. This will be an amazing experience for all of our campers.”

Camp Moshava Wild Rose will offer a camper integration program for the camp’s four-week and six-week sessions. Campers with special needs will be fully integrated into a typical bunk together with a supportive Yachad-trained counselor to facilitate and promote meaningful socialization and inclusion. The four-week camp runs from June 25 – July 23, 2018, and the six-week camp is from June 25 – August 6, 2018. The camp is open for boys or girls ages 9 – 15. Visit the camp website.

Yachad currently offers 26 different summer programs, and the Camp Moshava Wild Rose partnership is the 15th camp that Yachad will now be partnering with to promote inclusion and provide opportunities for campers with disabilities.

“The board is commited and excited to work together with Yachad to welcome the campers as part of the Moshava Wild Rose family,” said Josh Zwelling, Director of Camp Moshava Wild Rose, noting that inclusion is “such an important, integral part of who we are. There’s no greater organization than Yachad that does this type of work and we look forward to partnering with them for years to come.”

Registration for campers with special needs is open. Please contact Gayle Abrams, LMSW at abramsg@ou.org or 646-241-5099 for more information. Staff who want to work with campers with disabilities should apply here.

This article was written by Amy Lerner, Yachad Content Writer