There have been dozens of webinars these past few weeks addressing the topic of employment and people with disabilities. Five which I have personally attended are listed here. Topics have addressed everything from big companies like JP Morgan and Cintas speaking about why they hire people with disabilities, to remote work opportunities in the Covid and post-Covid area.
Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post
“I almost feel like Neil Armstrong right now, the first person there doing this. A small step in moving the journey forward, sharing best practices and keep going!”
On the same day that a small senior delegation from the United Arab Emirates, including ministers of economy and finance and two deputy ministers, met in Israel, more than 650 people from 83 countries met on Zoom and Facebook to also make history. They participated in a four-hour conference sponsored by Access Israel, featuring Dr. Ayesha Saeed Husaini, founder and director of Manzil from the United Arab Emirates.
Husaini’s presentation on PRIDE (People Receiving Independence and Dignity through Empowerment), the Manzil employment program for people with disabilities, was part of the international webinar, titled “Employment of People with Disabilities – Challenges, Solutions, Technologies and Best Practices.” It was simultaneously translated into Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic and American Sign Language and was closed-captioned. The webinar included attendees from the United Arab Emirates.
Michal Rimon, the CEO of Access Israel, met Husaini in February 2020 in Austria at the Zero Project Conference, which brought together accessibility leaders and organizations from around the world. Rimon was particularly impressed with Husaini and the work she and her team were and are doing at Manzil, and began wondering how the organizations might work together.
“We discussed what options do we have? I have an American passport, someone there has Portuguese citizenship. You know, maybe we can meet and collaborate,” reported Rimon somewhat ironically, as she had no idea that in a few short months, Israel and the UAE would sign historic accords.
“The changes that have occurred… the peace treaty that was signed, opening the doors, making connections possible, overcoming barriers, this is for us really an exciting time, and I can tell you that when I met Dr. Aisha I was really impressed by what they were doing.”
Alison Brown, deputy cultural attaché of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, was particularly pleased with Husaini’s participation as she addressed the audience from her home in Tel Aviv.
“I would especially like to extend a special welcome to Dr. Husaini,” Brown said. “Her participation in this conference is one of the fruits of the recently signed Abraham Accords, the historic agreement between Israel and the UAE and between Israel and Bahrain, which will make it possible for people of all walks of life, of all abilities and all religions, to connect with each other and build a more secure and prosperous future in the Middle East.”
Husaini began her remarks, “I almost feel like Neil Armstrong right now, the first person there doing this. A small step in moving the journey forward, sharing best practices and keep going!”
Participants enjoyed Husaini’s presentation and appreciated the significance of her participation. Attendee Debra Ruh noted in the chat, “This is a historic moment. So proud to see the collaboration. Makes me hopeful for the world. We are stronger together.”
Jamie Lassner, executive director of Friends of Access Israel, a collaborative partner of Access Israel, said, “October 20, 2020, is a date that will be forever be etched in our hearts as a giant step was taken by our sisters and brothers at Access Israel and Manzil, who joined in a united effort to make our globe accessible for all. May their efforts be blessed, inshallah, to serve as a catalyst for global change.”
The ITF Seniors World Championships are the pinnacle of the ITF Seniors Tour and include both individual and team competitions across three age categories, Young Seniors (30-45+), Seniors (50-60+) and Super-Seniors (65-90+). In 2020, it was announced that 30 and over, and 90 and over, categories will be introduced in 2021 to provide age-appropriate competitive levels to our existing and future playing communities.”
Every year, I teach my students some of the more creative laws of sukkahs, the temporary “booths” Jewish people sit in for the 8-day holiday now in progress. The Sukkah Handbook (by Rabbi Hadar Margolin) has a great picture of an elephant being used as a sukkah wall. Check it out! It is right there in the Shulchan Aruch 630:11), the highly regarded Jewish Code of Law. And if you are wondering, it is also ok to build a sukkah on a wagon or boat (Shulchan Aruch 628:2, Mishna Brurah 11, 14), on a camel or on a tree! (Shulchan Aruch 628:3).
There is more room to be creative in building a sukkah than people may think. This comes in handy during this most unusual Covid-19 year.
For those who live in the suburbs, building a sukkah in an ordinary year is no big deal. There are snap together kits for sukkahs of all sizes, and it is easy to buy a schach mat (bamboo, etc) for the top of the sukkah.
For those who live in a city like Manhattan, it is more complicated. The sukkah must be outside with a clear view to the sky—with nothing hanging over it. That means no trees, no roofs, no balconies. For that reason, there are very few sukkahs in the city.
Manhattan residents usually go to their synagogue for communal meals. Or they go to a restaurant with a sukkah. One can argue that the sukkah is an early prototype of the perfect outdoor dining spot for these Covid days! Jews have been eating outside in the somewhat hilly autumn for years!
Other Manhattan residents are lucky enough to spot a Chabad sukkah in a public park or along various walkways on the Upper East Side. Here is a piece I wrote 3 years ago for Chabad.org about sukkahs on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They playfully called it “When a Private Sukkah Costs $4 Million, Where Do We Eat?” People are free to drop by and use it anytime.
There are also Chabad bicycle sukkahs, and sukkahs on the back of pickup trucks.
But this year, there are extra challenges. I want to thank Chabad and JLIC, the OU's Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) at Binghamton University, for creative, safety-minded thinking. They have come up with ways to build a sukkah which allows for maximum openness and flow of air.
See the pictures below for photos of a Chabad sukkah in Tel Aviv which is open on the sides and has “private pods” for diners to eat in family units, distanced from other sukkah guests. The next photo is of sukkahs offered to students at Binghamton University with the “minimum” number of walls required by Jewish law. The next photo is of a sukkah at Manhattans’ Bagels and Co—for one or two diners at a time. The final sukkah is a common site around the country—Chabad sukkahs for one or two—on a pickup truck.
Enjoy a happy, safe Sukkot. It is nice to know there are ways to ensure both!
