Yachad Opens Branch in Five Towns

Photo by Naftoli Goldgrab

New Facility Houses a School, Adult Day and Vocational Program, and More!

The Long Island branch of Yachad held an open house on September 11th with a celebratory kickoff for the newly opened school, adult day and vocational program, and other services and resources for people with disabilities and their families in the Five Towns and neighboring communities.

Photo by Naftoli Goldgrab

Community members, caregivers, local rabbis, and parents of children with disabilities attended the event, which highlighted the school, the adult day and vocational program, parent support group, and social and recreational programming at the community center. It’s located in Ohr Torah, 410 Hungry Harbor Road, North Woodmere, where Yachad houses their school, offices, adult day and vocational program, a therapy room, and an open area for programming and support groups.

The open house was a warm and welcoming evening, with sushi and refreshments for family and friends of Yachad, where those new to the program had a chance to tour the facility and meet staff.

Rabbi Ahron Rosenthal, the Director of NY Yachad, gave a short presentation and a brief recap of how the Long Island branch was established. “We were approached by families in the community about ten months ago seeking a number of needs, including an elementary school, adult day and vocational program, and local programming,” Rabbi Rosenthal said, “and we were able to put those programs and service together in under a year.”

Photo by Naftoli Goldgrab

Dr. Lichtman, the International Director of Yachad, then spoke about the broader vision and mission of Yachad, which is to ensure that every individual has a place in the community. “They are our children and we want them to be a part of our community,” he said.

“We are now a community resource for the Five Towns and surrounding communities and are here for the community and responding to their needs, whether the school or adult day and vocational program or as a center for the community,” Rabbi Rosenthal concluded.

The Long Island branch of Yachad is open and operating now and is a welcome place for all members of the community. If you would like more information on the school, adult day and vocational program, or any of its programs, contact Meira Samet at sametm@ou.org or 516-730-9255, or call the main number for Yachad, 212-613-8229.

This article was written by Amy Lerner, Yachad Content Writer.

Connecting the Lessons I Learned From Yachad and Diller

By Natanya Rosen for New England Yachad, featured in JewishBoston

The first important lesson I learned this summer involved gluten-free animal crackers: If the first ingredient of the crackers is pea starch and they went bad a few months ago, they are still animal crackers, so eat a few before you realize that it is probably best to throw them away.

In all seriousness (not that that lesson was not serious, because I strongly recommend you take my advice), learning is always something I have felt a strong love for. I have always looked forward to the first day of school, school shopping is the highlight of August, I hate it when class is canceled, and, yes, I have read parts of my textbook for fun. Classroom learning is what I love, I love filling my brain with facts, I love looking over my notes to see what I have learned that day, and having brain-hurting, thought-flying, absolutely amazing classroom discussions where the class continues the discussion in the hallways because the bell cut the discussion short. This traditional classroom-based environment is what I have always thought of when I heard the word “learn.” I have always known in the back of my mind that experiential learning is important and enjoyable, but I had never understood or experienced just how important and fun it is until this summer.

There have been two parts of my summer that have worked hand-in-hand to teach me all of these lessons. One of them has been my internship at Yachad and the other has been my experience as a Diller Teen Fellow. Yachad is an organization that plans activities for individuals with disabilities as well as mainstream individuals. The goal of these programs is to bridge the gap between mainstream individuals and those with disabilities. Needless to say, this goal is achieved for anyone who attends a Yachad event. When you go to your first Yachad summer event, it can be scary interacting with people who are different than yourself and communicate in a way that is different than what you are used to. However, within the first 10 minutes, all of those fears disappear as you are making new friends and learning new lessons left and right. As a Yachad intern, I complete small tasks such as putting together the yearly calendar, putting receipts in order, and dismantling projectors to learn what bulb type it needs. However, that is not all I do: Josh and I have also been tasked with planning some of our own events and attending summer Yachad events, such as Pizza and Parsha and Zumba.

As a Diller Teen Fellow, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel to further explore the four “Diller Pillars:” Leadership, Tikkum Olam (bettering the world), Jewish Identity, and Israel, as a part of a 15-month program. Diller is a Jewish, pluralistic, leadership program that connects high school students from Israel and communities all over the globe, including the U.S., Canada, Argentina, England, South Africa, and Australia. Through this experience, I practiced my leadership and group skills and engaged in interesting conversations with people from many different backgrounds, while learning about myself and having a good time. Both of these organizations focus on bringing together people who are different: Yachad brings together people of different abilities and Diller brings together people of different parts of the globe as well as different streams of Judaism. Other than that scarce commonality, if it weren’t for this summer, I never would have thought that I would have learned similar lessons from these two experiences. So, tell me, before you read on, how do you think these two widely different experiences, an internship and a trip to Israel, managed to teach me similar lessons?

I will begin to answer this question by explaining how it is that I have come to learn so many lessons, which can be explained in two words: variety and experience. This summer I have had a variety of experiences that have all come together to teach me the lessons that I have learned. This summer I have formed new friendships, toured Israel, played new card games, worked with a group to complete a set of goals, watched a few airplanes take off, engaged in discussions about God and religion, how different cultures are similar and different, and what it means to be bigger than yourself. I have also numbered receipts, organized boxes, explored hidden rooms on top of ominous ladders, planned and facilitated a number of Yachad events, Facebook messaged a few billion people asking them to come to Yachad events, and personally attended a number of Yachad events. I don’t know what you’re thinking at the moment, but when I read that list I think: “Wow, that is a lot of different things to do!” I am quite satisfied with the fact that I had great variety in my summer experience, because each individual experience taught me something itself and, believe it or not, this all came together to teach me a few valuable lessons. If I were to sit here and write about every lesson I learned this summer, it would take me a few hundred years to write and the book would be longer than the entire encyclopedia, so here I will address a few of the lessons that I learned this summer. Read on and you will learn what lessons are!

One of the most challenging lessons I have learned this summer is what it means to thoroughly plan an event. Events are much more than coming up with something that sounds like it would be fun and going to do it with no plan. Through my experience as a Diller fellow, I have learned how to set a mission, vision, and goal for my event and what necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that the event runs smoothly. I have learned the importance on knowing when, during the program, I need to step up, and when I need to step back. I learned through an educational team-building workshop during a part of Diller called Congress (Congress is where all the Diller partnerships from around the world come together for a few days), how important it is to read the group and try and understand how people are responding to the program. If a group is not working together to understand the thoughts of other group members, little will be accomplished.

Those two lessons are practical programming—and life—skills that can be applied to any program, which has only made planning Yachad programs easier. However, when it comes to planning a Yachad program, I learned how important it is to look at what the program is and how it connects to the participants. When planning a program for Yachad, we do not just go ahead with what sounds fun, we dig deeper than that. We need to ask ourselves if this is something peer volunteers will want to attend; we want to know what skills will be gained from this event, and we want to make sure that every activity at the event is something that people of all different abilities will be able take part in. Between Diller’s general program-planning skills and the considerations to take into account when planning a program that I learned from Yachad, I feel knowledgeable when it comes to, not only planning a program, but working in a group on a project or even smaller tasks such as trying to figure out what it is my family and I want to do on a Sunday.

The second, and definitely one of the most important lessons of the summer, was learned through the time I spent learning how to engage with others across any boundaries that may exist, something that I learned through both Yachad and Diller. A core part of Diller is connecting with our cohort’s Israeli partnership, Haifa. At first thought, trying to form a lasting friendships and work together on projects with someone who speaks a different language and lives halfway across the world may sound impossible, but it is far from that. There are two reasons for this: the first is that the language and cultural barriers, although interesting (I will get to that in a moment), are irrelevant when it comes to connecting with one another. Yes, they can lead to interesting discussions, but they can also disappear as you form friendships that you know will last you a lifetime. We all want to form bonds, we all want to have interesting discussions, and we all just want to have fun.  We all have a common goal, we are all teenagers, and we are all Diller Teen Fellows. That is why I know that I have a home in Israel, Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Cape Town, Brooklyn, Buenos Aires, and London, even if I am not in touch with people in all of these cities because this is where I have a Diller family whom I know and whom I am yet to meet. A teenager is a teenager, and a Diller Teen Fellow is a Diller Teen Fellow, no matter where you come from and that is more important than any boundary. Bringing together people from all over the world forms stronger friendships because when you live in a different timezone than your friend, it takes effort to stay in touch, and when two, three, or four people are willing to put in the effort to keep in touch, unbreakable friendships are formed.

Secondly, our differences that are based on the fact that we come from different parts of the world and different backgrounds lead to fascinating discussions and can be overwhelmingly educational. I have never learned so much about how different people practice Judaism or how different people live their life as I did when I was at Congress with Diller Fellows from around the world and when I was living with a host family in Haifa. Through Diller, I have come to learn what it means to connect across cultures, a skill that I know will aid me in my continued learning through Yachad. Yachad teaches me how to build connections with people who have many different abilities, forms of communication, and backgrounds, which is a core part of Yachad. When a peer volunteer and a Yachad member are together at an event, the difference of abilities plays no part in  obstructing a wonderful friendship. Like I said about making friends that live miles away, when you have to overcome barriers to form a friendship, that friendship is strong and unbreakable. At first, it may not seem simple for two people who appear different and have different abilities to find common ground, but it is there, I promise. It may take some time to find a way to communicate or you may have a few moment where you think all hope is lost, but everyone has something in common with someone else, and if nothing else exists, you are both at that particular Yachad event for a reason and you have that in common. Once two people find their common ground and build a friendship off of that, it is unbreakable and smiles do not disappear.

Participating in the Yachad events that I have been to in the past few years have taught me that everyone has a way of forming a friendship with some else, you just have to find that first spark, which may be hard to find at first but is there. Prior to this summer, the fear of letting those differences get in the way of a friendship got in the way of building a strong friendship with people at Yachad events. However, through my time going to Pizza and Parsha this summer, as well as my comfort-zone-stretching time at Diller, I am prepared to take all that Yachad has to offer and find that common ground with people at future events and build those friendships.

Yachad and Diller have both taught me how important it is to learn from our differences. I mentioned before that Diller provided a place to discuss our cultural, religious, and personal differences, which I greatly value because it provides a space to learn about other, learn about yourself, and to just think. Yachad, on the other hand, provides a place to learn from one another through practice. Everyone at Yachad events has different abilities, which means that everyone does one task a different way. From this I have come to learn that every task has a thousand different ways of completing it. The way I complete a task is just one of the ways that the task can be completed, but sometimes it is important to try another way. I have learned that a task is completed by making the most use of the abilities that you have. From this I have learned how important it is to utilize the skills that I have, but also try something new every once and awhile. That is why Yachad events are so successful, Yachad provides a space for everyone to have fun and participate in different activities in their way, in a way that works for them.

The last lesson that both Yachad and Diller have given me is the feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself. For Diller, it was pretty obvious. When I was standing beside 600 other Diller Teen Fellows, I could see the large puzzle that I was a part of. I saw the bigger picture right there, I saw what and who I was contributing to and learning from. Teenagers from all over the globe came together to learn from one another, teach one another, form friendships, and learn about and connect with the global Jewish community. This was something that I was able to see with my own eyes, but realizing that you are part of something bigger is not always so clear.

For Yachad, it was clear at some points of our internship that we are a part of something bigger, but it not always crystal clear how much of an impact my actions have on the greater Yachad community. When Josh and I are facilitating our events, it is evident that we are making an impact on the lives of peers and Yachad members. We know that these events will bring people together and teach them useful skills, and that knowledge is what makes planning the event a blast! However, it is not always obvious that I am part of a larger puzzle when I am adding up how much money Yachad spends every year on pizza (Yachad spends a lotttt of money on pizza!). But when I go to events, or I see someone sign up for an event with a great amount of excitement, I see why it is that sat there on Google Spreadsheets for a decent amount of time adding up pizza expenses. I spend a lot of time doing small tasks because these tasks allow for an efficient and effective organization. All of these small task allow for the larger events to take place. We need to know how much money we spend on pizza so that we can run Pizza and Parsha efficiently, and we need a yearly calendar so that more events can be planned around the existing schedule. These small tasks allow for the smiles I see when people come to Pizza and Parsha, the excitement people feel when they sign up for a new event, and allow for everyone to learn from one another at these events. The small tasks I complete throughout the day allow for more events to be planned smoothly allowing for peers and participants to have a good time and learn. The impact of all of these tasks is not always straightforward, but it is there. It is there when you see how much of an impact Yachad has on the lives of many different people.

“So, tell me what you did this summer?”

“Why, I spent the entire summer learning.”

“Did you take a few classes?”

“Nope, I learned through a variety of experiences!”

The lessons I mentioned above are not ones that could have been learned in one of my favorite places in the world: the classroom. These are life lessons, skills, and experiences that I know I will take with me for the rest of my summer and life. Actions, experiences, and times when you stretch your comfort zone are the most impactful and individual. There is nobody else that is going to go through these same experiences, not even Josh who has the same summer schedule as I do. These are lessons that I have learned and can only try and utilize and teach others. With that, if you take nothing else from this blog post, know that you should not eat stale food that has pea starch as its first ingredient, because that is the most important lesson here.

A Sparkling Wedding Miracle

In this community, many have the good fortune of being invited to weddings all the time. Some are more memorable than others. However, I can rest assured that no one in attendance will ever forget the sparkling event that took place at the Atrium in Monsey on Tuesday, August 22.

Tamar Schlanger of Teaneck, daughter of Esther and Jackie Schlanger, was married to Chaim Goldman, son of Tzirl and Shmuely Goldman of Crown Heights. Rabbi Baruch D. Lesches, rabbi of Chabad of Greater Monsey, was the officiating rav. Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, the international director of Yachad, addressed the couple under the chuppah. Later in the evening, Jackie Schlanger, father of the kallah, very succinctly and emotionally spoke of the challenge of parenting children with special needs. He mentioned that it is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, but in this particular case, as only parents of children with special needs know, it takes an army.

The path Tamar and Chaim followed that eventually led to this magnificent wedding began years ago. As young children they both attended SINAI Schools programs. At the time they were both totally unaware of each other. As years passed, Tamar with a diagnosis of Down syndrome and Chaim, who is developmentally delayed, went their separate ways. As they grew older they would meet at Yachad events. As it often happens at Yachad functions, young people get to know each other through participating in various programs. They developed a friendship. Tamar, as she became older, moved into a HASC group home for women in Brooklyn and Chaim joined a HASC home for men.

It was when Chaim began attending the Yachad Day Habilitation program at which Tamar was already a participant that a social worker took note of the fact that a real friendship was developing between them. She noted that a true sense of caring among them was being established. This was not a shidduch but a couple who had truly found each other. Her observation led her to call both sets of parents and ask them if they would consider the possibility of these two special people entering into what could be a serious caring and loving relationship. Both sets of parents were called to meet with each other, along with the social worker. As the possibility of their children with special needs ever having anything similar to a real boyfriend/girlfriend relationship was far from their minds, they each skeptically attended this first meeting.

However, as the conversation ensued, they realized that maybe, just maybe, this could work. Between Tamar and Chaim they saw a sparkle that they had never seen in either one before. They decided to wait it out with a good deal of encouragement. They began to date, keeping in mind that neither Tamar nor Chaim is able to drive, so most things in life must be prearranged for them. Every time that they went out, their group home managers would have to arrange for someone to drive them and accompany them wherever and whenever they went out. The young couple decided that they loved to go to various eateries, but it was then decided that it might make more sense for them to go on more experiential dates. This also worked—they loved it. The dating process was over a period of two to three years. During this time, HASC provided relationship counseling for each of them separately. Eventually, the counseling was done with them together as a couple.

It was SINAI Schools that gave both of these young people the fortitude and confidence to believe in themselves and their future. In Tamar’s case, the Jewish Education for Special Children (JESC) experience imbued in her a continued love of Yiddishkeit; and through their involvement in Yachad and HASC, both the chatan and kallah grew into the amazing people that they are today.

As I have often said, every young person involved in these organizations, as well as the amazing people at the helm of each, are total tzadikim. There is no way that any family faced with a child or children with special needs can ever repay HASC, Friendship Circle, Yachad and all of the organizations dedicated to the participants and families who have members with special needs.

In particular, parents of young adults with special needs realize that most dreams that they would have thought possible for their children prior to their birth will never come to fruition. In the case of both Tamar and Chaim’s families, there was never an inkling that such an event could ever take place. That Hashem’s hands were working for this miracle to take place is evident every day.

Both Tamar and Chaim are employed. They still attend the Day Habilitation program run by HASC, and Tamar is employed as well by Yachad and travels three times a week to the OU offices. Chaim is working for Yachad Gifts. They will be living in a HASC-supervised apartment designed for a married couple. How great is that?

The smile and sparkle that lit up Tamar’s face when Chaim was brought to her for her badeken will not be forgotten by anyone who experienced it. His concern and love for her is evident to all. They love the idea of being called Mr. and Mrs.

Both the chatan and kallah left the Atrium to begin their new life together in what was a whimsical request of theirs—a shiny white stretch limousine awaited them. Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Goldman were off to share a beautiful life.

Mazel tov. May each day of their lives be as sparkling as their wedding.

This article was written by Nina Glick, staff writer for Jewish Link of New Jersey.

Read the original article here.

Team Yachad Wins CMEK Summer League Championship

Last week’s quarterfinals of the CMEK Summer League saw Team Yachad facing Team Lucky 7s in an epic battle. In the final half, Yachad stared elimination in the face as Team Lucky 7s, led by Josh Malkin and Jonathan Marks, buried free throw after free throw as they tried to put Yachad away for good. Somehow Yachad managed to chip away at the lead and cut it to three with four seconds left in the game. That’s when Team Yachad’s Dan Poleyeff forced OT with a deep 3-pointer which started an incredible Yachad run.

“I believed throughout the season that we could come out on top,” said Poleyeff, who shared playoff MVP honors with Ari Mitnick. Poleyeff grew up in Englewood, went to Moriah and TABC, and now plays for the YU basketball team.

Mitnick, the co-MVP, was unstoppable offensively all season, especially in the finals. Mitnick hails from Englewood, and went to Frisch and MTA. In the championship game he took the smaller guys in the post and the bigger guys outside. Every one of his 29 points came in different fashion, and when he was doubled, he found the shooters who connected on ten 3-pointers.

Team Yachad’s swingman Dovid Katz was also an instrumental part of the team all season long. Katz, who grew up in Monsey, played basketball at MTA, and now resides in Teaneck, explained a little more about the team name. “Yachad in Hebrew means ‘together.’ Yachad, The National Jewish Council for Disabilities, is a wonderful global Jewish organization, promoting inclusion for children and adults with disabilities in the broader Jewish community. We have dedicated our team name to Yachad, since we completely support and stand behind their vision wholeheartedly. After all, ‘everyone belongs!’”

“Together” was indeed the difference. Yachad lived up to the team’s name, with a well executed strategic plan that they carried out to perfection.

Noam Block, the team’s catalyst, grew up, and currently lives, in Teaneck, went to school and played ball for Moriah, then TABC and then Yeshiva University. Block poured in 18 points and shared the team’s strategy.

“Our game plan was to slow the game down, get good shots, not turn the ball over and play tough defense. While they had size advantage, we felt that gave us our own mismatches we could exploit as well on offense. We tried to make that team take shots they didn’t want to take. If they had a guy who liked to dunk and take it in, we tried to turn him into shooter. If there was a guy who was shooter, we tried to make him drive. Lastly, big focus was everyone boxing out and crashing rebounds as we didn’t want to give them second chances.”

Ronnie Kimmel, who went to TABC and lives in Hillside, and is the current and two time Yeshiva League 3-point champion, hit a big layup down the stretch and swished two clutch free throws. Big man Josh Gottlieb contributed four big points early and grabbed big rebounds. Gottlieb is from Edison, went to RTMA and played for YU. Josh Schiffman, who was awesome throughout the season, went to Kushner, YU and Einstein Medical School. Schiffman’s stellar play in the high post and around the boards was a big reason the team chemistry was so strong. Team captain Benjy Singfer, who resides in Hillside and played for RTMA, led his team to the title when nobody thought it was possible.

In the championship game against Team VFP, Yachad managed to contain Team VFP’s star, Paul Little Jr. (who recently returned from Las Vegas as he was participating in a showcase for future NBA hopefuls), to a season low 10 points. Other than Pedro Burgos, former league MVP, who scored 33 points, every other player on Team VFP was held in check.

For the third straight time, there is a new league champion: Team Yachad.

CMEK runs various programs, clinics, travel teams, camps birthday parties and special events for boys and girls of all ages in Paramus, Teaneck, Tenafly, Englewood and Cresskill. The Men’s League runs in the fall, winter, spring and summer and features divisions for players of varying experience. For more information, contact Chad@CMEK.com or visit www.CMEK.com.

This article was written by the JLNJ Sports Desk.

To view the original article on Jewish Link of New Jersey, click here.

Registration is Open for Team Yachad Miami Marathon

Registration is now open for the Team Yachad Miami Marathon and Half Marathon on January 28, 2018, now in its 9th year. Yachad is Hebrew for “together.” To find out more and to sign up, click here.

Last year, almost three-quarters of the runners were from NY/NJ, making the marathon a huge destination race for a great cause. “Crossing the finish line for the second time as part of Team Yachad was truly amazing!” said Danielle Dorfman of Riverdale, NY. “After running 13.1 miles and crossing the finish line ‘hand in hand’ with my friend, I felt very accomplished and proud knowing that I am supporting a great organization. Running 13.1 miles for Yachad is such an amazing and inspiring experience that I hope to participate in every year.”

All monies raised will go directly to help those with disabilities attend many of our famous Shabbatonim, summer programs and an array of other inclusive activities. Registration is open now and the fundraising goals extend through January 22, 2018. Training for the race generally takes three months.

Once runners reach the fundraising minimum of $3,000, Team Yachad provides:

• Roundtrip airfare to Miami (if applicable)
• Local transportation in Miami
• Three nights at the Newport Beach Resort
• Meals to include Friday breakfast through Sunday lunch as well as Pre-Race Pasta Party and Post-Race BBQ
• Guaranteed race admission and registration
• Official Team Yachad running jersey and swag bag
• Personalized training regimen created by our very own Coach Jaz and team
• An unforgettable experience

For More Information or to Join Team Yachad, visit our website, email us or call us at 212-613-8301.

Chicago Yachad’s Evening with the Stars Honors Vocational Program

Chicago Yachad’s annual Evening with the Stars was held on June 22, 2017, at Kehilat Chovevei Tzion in Skokie, IL. Ken Saibel from National Yachad spoke at the dinner to an audience of nearly 150 people. This year’s dinner recognized the pioneering employers and employees of the vocational services program.

“Yachad members are no different than anyone else,” Elliot Cohen, director of Chicago Yachad said. “They want to belong, and part of that is having a job.”

Yachad members take pride in their Employee Recognition Awards: Left to right: Stan Gertz, Chicago Yachad’s Advisory Board Co-chair; Jack Bartky, Arie Crown and Imbibe; Michael Gilbert, Rosseto; Elliot Cohen, Yachad’s Director of the Chicago Region; Mayer Zucker, Robinson Financial Group; Chana Polisky, Hillel Torah

The June 22 dinner honored the 4 Yachad members currently working in the vocational program and the 7 businesses that work with Yachad. The 4 Yachad members are:

• Jack Bartky
• Michael Gilbert
• Chana Polisky
• Mayer Zucker

The 7 businesses honored are:

• Arie Crown Hebrew Day School
• Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School
• Imbibe
• Integra Healthcare Equipment
• Robinson Financial Group
• Rosseto Serving Solutions
• Skokie Yeshiva/HTC

Left to right: Part of the Robinson Financial Group team: Elliott Robinson, Gina Landini, Frank Jozefczak, Mayer Zucker, Ami Robinson

Chicago Yachad started 13 years ago with a focus on social and recreational programming. Three years ago, co-director Shira Wiesenberg saw the need and opportunity to further serve Yachad members in the community and started a grassroots vocational program. She hand-picked the businesses that made up the program, placed Yachad members in jobs after a thorough intake process, and ensured that both the employees and employers were fully supported. After Shira left Yachad, the program continued to expand.

Currently, Chicago Yachad’s director oversees the program and it employs one job coach, Zach Messer. As Yachad continues to expand its offering for adults with varying abilities in Chicago, including the addition of an adult day services program in the Fall of 2017, Yachad will be working with new employers and members, allowing for even more individuals to be matched to appropriate jobs. Click here for a video explaining more about the program and featuring each of the Yachad members and their workplaces.

Employers and employees of Chicago Yachad’s Vocational Services Program

Chicago Yachad’s vocational program truly reflects its mission of inclusion, ensuring members’ participation in the full spectrum of Jewish life. For more information about Chicago Yachad, contact its director, Elliot Cohen, at cohene@ou.org or at 844-4-YACHAD.

Yachad’s 2017-2018 Daner Fellows Announced

Six young adults were recently selected as Daner Fellows for 2017-2018. The year-long fellowship, in the intersection of the Jewish community and the disability inclusion movement, supports the fellows’ development in working as part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team aimed to meet the social and inclusion needs of Jewish individuals with diverse disabilities.

The fellows will work with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental challenges, deaf and hard of hearing, physical disabilities, and medical health and mental health needs and will also work to educate the broader community and increase disability awareness. Their work will focus on community leadership, education, and direct care in one of the following locations:

• Yachad’s main office in New York City
• The Individualized Vocational Development Unit school in Brooklyn
• Day habilitation in Brooklyn
• New Jersey Yachad in Teaneck
• New England Yachad in Brookline, MA
• Yachad Israel in Jerusalem
• Chicago Yachad in Skokie, IL

The fellows will join Yachad staff at these locations and work with mentors to acquire proficiency in disability culture and Jewish organizational leadership.

The Joel Daner Yachad Communal Fellowship (JDYCF) aims to shape emerging leaders who plan to go into careers in social work, psychology, medicine, education, not-for-profit management, development, public relations, policy planning or organizational leadership; or those who hope to serve the broad Jewish community in a lay leadership capacity.

Rachelle Belne

My name is Rachelle(i) Belne. I’m from Toronto, Canada. I just graduated from Seneca College with an Honours Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation. I have spent several years working with children with special needs, which got me involved with Yachad, and has developed into a passion of mine. This past winter I went on Yachad Birthright, and this summer I am looking forward to working at Moshava Bair Toronto with the Yachad division. In my free time I love to cook and bake (especially donuts!), eat ice cream and make people smile. I am very excited to be a part of the Joel Daner Fellowship, as I look forward to my continuing involvement with Yachad and spreading the message of inclusion that I feel so passionately about!

Judah Gavant

My name is Judah Gavant and I am thrilled to be joining this year’s group of Daner Fellows! Originally from Memphis, Tennessee and later Baltimore, Maryland, I now reside in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan. I am a recent graduate of Yeshiva University where I studied psychology and theatre. While at YU, I was involved with a variety of Yachad programs including regional shabbatons, staffing Yad B’Yad and Yachad Birthright. Many of my professional goals have been inspired through my involvement and work with Yachad and I hope to pursue a degree pertaining to my work with Yachad in the coming years. I am passionate fan of theatre and acted in several of Yeshiva University’s biannual theatre productions. I am eagerly looking forward to the coming year serving as a Daner Fellow and the opportunity to work within an organization as incredible and meaningful to me as Yachad.

Rachel Gozland

Hailing from Riverdale, New York, I am a recent graduate of Stern College for Women, pre-health, with a degree in Biology. Throughout college, I have had the privilege of being a counselor at Camp Kesher for one summer and at Camp HASC for two summers, a direct support provider at a respite home during the year, an advisor for numerous Yachad events, and the founder of Project IncludED at Yeshiva University. I am an avid reader, writer, Broadway fan, and devil’s advocate, and I dabble in piano, sketching, painting, Krav Maga, and puns. I cannot wait for the opportunity to contribute to a field for which I care deeply as a Joel Daner Yachad Communal Fellow.

Brandon Lurie

My name is Brandon Lurie and I was born and raised in the sunny beaches of Los Angeles, California. Following my four years of high school I attended a yeshiva in the Old City called Yeshivat Hakotel for one year. Pursuant to that I continued my academic studies at McGill University for two years where I in turn transferred to New York University to finish up my major’s degree in History and minor degree in Judaic studies. During my summers I spent many months working for and traveling with Yachad as well at interning at venture capital, finance, and marketing firms. I’m making aliyah this August and am excited to be the Joel Daner Israel Fellow for the upcoming year working to expand and impact Yachad’s Israel chapter. In my free time I enjoying learning, reading non-fiction, playing tons of basketball and hanging out with friends.

Yoni Mintz

Jonathan (Yoni) Mintz hails from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He recently received a BA from Yeshiva University, with a major in psychology and a minor in business. Over his time at YU, he was involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, including being president of the Psychology Club, Project Sunshine (which brought “sunshine” to sick children by visiting and entertaining them), and the Family Discovery Club. Yoni has traveled to Haiti, New Orleans, LA and Darlington, SC during school breaks, assisting the poor and those who have suffered from natural disasters. During summers, he has worked as a counselor at Moshava and Camp HASC. This coming summer, he will be head counselor at a camp devoted to teaching English and empowering at-risk youth in Southern Israel. Yoni enjoys talking about psychology, biking, swimming and meditating. He is very excited to be joining the Yachad family as a Joel Daner Fellow.

Alessandra Rigamonti

Originally from the great city of Baltimore, MD, I graduated from Cornell University in the spring of 2017  with a degree in archaeology.  Growing up with an older brother with special needs, I have always been perceptive to the need for inclusive programming and creating a more receptive community. I am thrilled to be joining Yachad’s New England chapter this fall and giving back to an organization that has played such an important role in my family’s life . My long term plans  for after this fellowship  include medical school. Outside of school and work I have been a competitive figure skater for the past decade. My other interests include photography, cooking, and travel which I plan on using to develop new programs for Yachad New England participants.

This article was written by Amy Lerner, Yachad Content Writer.

Shabbaton for Jews Who Are Deaf-Blind Convenes in Baltimore

Baltimore, MD – Eighteen Jewish Deaf-blind adults from across the United States, Canada, and Israel joined together for a fully-accessible Shabbat to socialize and learn about their shared heritage at the Pearlstone Retreat Center this past weekend, June 16-18, 2017, as part of Our Way, a division of Yachad.

The 5th biennial Deaf-blind Shabbaton is a unique endeavor. The entire program is orchestrated around their unique needs that are dissimilar to any other population. Upward of 70 volunteer staff, including interpreters, Support Service Providers, and Deaf rabbis joined the group to make every aspect of the Shabbaton accessible.

Focusing on the theme, “Building a Jewish Deaf-blind Community,” participants experienced workshops run by Deaf, hearing and Deaf-blind leaders. A Jewish Deaf-blind SPRINT representative demonstrated how SPRINT can service the Deaf-blind community and help them stay in touch. Hands-on workshops such as braiding challah and Deaf-Blind friendly prayer services introduced the participants to Jewish concepts and traditions. To wrap up the weekend, a conversation was led by a Deaf-blind retired pharmacist on how to make and sustain a Jewish Deaf-blind Community throughout the year.

The need to interact with people who have shared challenges and experiences as well as a shared religion cannot be overstated.

Although Deaf-blind people can be productive members of society, they are typically isolated from each other and from most Jewish opportunities. When this was recognized by Rabbi Lederfiend, director of Yachad-NJCD’s Our Way, 10 years ago he approached the Louise D. and Morton J. Macks Center for Jewish Education in Baltimore and Dr. Sheryl Cooper, director of Towson University’s Deaf Studies Program. From their very first conversation, CJE CEO Rabbi Larry Ziffer, COO Mrs. Amian Kelemer and Dr. Sheryl Cooper were eager to make it happen.

Registration fees were kept to a minimum so that no person should be excluded. Donations from the Crane Foundation, Vital Signs, LLC, and individuals help fund the program. The core committee is comprised of one paid staff member, Yael Zelinger, Disability and Inclusion Associate at the CJE and co-chairs Mrs. Sara Leah Kovacs, who is Deaf-blind, and Dr. Cooper. One participant captured the sentiment at Shabbat candle lighting one year, “I have not been together with family in a long time. Tonight, I feel like I am with family.”

This article was written by the OU Staff.

To view the original article, click here.

Warner Fund Generously Extends Grant to IVDU for Technology Upgrade

As the school year comes to a close, Yachad’s Individualized Vocational Development Unit (IVDU) Schools, located in Brooklyn, would like to express thanks to the Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund for a generous grant of $15,000. The Warner Fund’s donation at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year enabled IVDU to buy three SMART Boards and six new computers to outfit classrooms that didn’t have them. Students have been able to publish their work online and to achieve even more depth in their learning thanks to the interactive technology integrated into lessons. As but one example, Simcha, one of this year’s graduating students, was able to publish all of his newsletters onto an internet blog.

IVDU teachers have used the SMART Boards in a variety of ways this year. The frequent utilization of visual aids – including photos, illustrations, maps, graphs, games, and video – has significantly enhanced the way the students process class material. Additionally, differentiated learning styles are made possible as students have the option of not only observing a lesson, but also dynamically participating in the lesson using the touch-based features of the Smart Board. Especially at a time when smartphones often steal students’ attention, the sophisticated, savvy and interactive style of the Smart Boards enables learning to be more fun and engaging than students could have ever imagined.

“It brings out a personality in the students that you don’t see on a pen and paper,” said Dovid Jankelovitz, a teacher at IVDU. Daniel, an IVDU student, enthusiastically agrees. “It makes class more interesting because we get to take a break from looking in books, and get to see real footage.”

The extent to which this grant has helped the IVDU Schools is incalculable. We’d like to publicly thank the Warner Fund for supporting the growth and individual learning needs of our students, and for better enabling us to provide tools for their future success and independence.