Disabilities

Original article published in the JNS

Ronen Bar-Abraham, director of Adraba-The Shirley Lowy Center for Children with Disabilities, says it was founded “to fulfill an unmet need in Israel.”

Two 13-year-olds with autism—surrounded by family, teachers, guests and Rabbi Mikie Goldstein—celebrated their b’nai mitzvah during a special Thursday-morning musical Shacharit service at the Adat Shalom–Emanuel in Rehovot, Israel. Aviv and Yair put on tefillin, carried the Torah scroll, and recited the Torah blessings and prayers with the help of an augmented communication device. The bar mitzvah took place on May 26 as part of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement’s Adraba center, which has been developing and conducting bar and bat mitzvah programs for children with disabilities for more than 25 years now. To date, more than 5,000 children have taken part in the program.

It continues to be a busy season for participants in the program. From Akko to Haifa, Karmiel, Kfar Vradim and the egalitarian area of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, 100-plus teens with disabilities from families of all backgrounds and levels of observance will celebrate b’nai mitzvah at 20 venues between March 24 and the end of June.

According to Ronen Bar-Abraham, director of Adraba-The Shirley Lowy Center for Children With Disabilities, the bar and bat mitzvah program was founded “to fulfill an unmet need in Israel.” Bar-Abraham is proud of the program and its commitment to serve the needs of all Israelis. “The Masorti movement believes that every Jew with disabilities or challenges is a full and equal member of Klal Yisrael and should be included in a minyan as is every Jew.”

Aviv carries the Torah at his bar mitzvah in Rehovot, Israel, on May 26, 2022. Photo by Howard Blas.

Goldstein, the English-born rabbi who moved to Israel in 1989 and has been leading Adat Shalom-Emanuel since 2014, appreciates the unique nature of the program. “It is a rare chance for these children and families to celebrate a Jewish life-cycle event they might not otherwise have thought possible,” he said.

He appreciates that the students come from “all sorts of religious and non-religious backgrounds—from Orthodox to completely secular to celebrate together” and believes “the program shows that pluralism can exist.”

‘It is inspiring every time’

The special day started with Bar-Abraham welcoming the 40 family members, teachers and guests and putting them at ease. “Shalom and mazal tov to all who enter! You can sit where you want—men and women together.” He also reminded excited guests to hold off on showering the b’nai mitzvah with candy until they finish leading the service and reading from the Torah.

Adraba staff shared a PowerPoint and video of the program, which described the curriculum and preparation process for the more than 200 students enrolled in 30 Israeli schools.

Ruth Rubin Lavie, who came on aliyah in 1978, began playing “Hinei Mah Tov” on her guitar. She is a congregant, b’nai mitzvah teacher and singer who regularly volunteers her musical talents by accompanying on guitar at the services. “It is inspiring every time to see the happiness of kids coming to the Torah and of parents’ kvelling,” she said.

Guests used the red, hardcover B’chol D’rachecha accessible siddur, for which the Adraba Center and the Masorti Movement have received awards from the Shalem Foundation (2010) and JDC-Ashalim. The siddur utilizes simple explanations, various colors and fonts, and picture icons that assist those unable to read standard Hebrew.

Ruth Rubin Lavie played “Hinei Mah Tov” at the ceremony on May 26, 2022. Photo by Howard Blas.

Throughout the entire service, Aviv and Yair’s teachers patiently stood next to them with smiles on their faces. The teachers helped their students remain on task and facilitated student reading and singing with their augmented communication devices.

The service kicked off with the young men offering personal blessings. “Thank you, God, for giving me the ability to smile and be with my family.”

Goldstein and the teachers consistently modeled sensitivity, respect and inclusivity for all participants and guests. Prior to the central Amidah prayer, Goldstein asked: “Those who are able, please stand.” When the b’nai mitzvah boys had difficulties remaining at the bimah, a staff member seamlessly walked with them around the room until they were ready to return to the service.

Each boy was called to the Torah by name to recite the Torah blessings. Goldstein served as the Torah reader. Yair’s mother, Iris Elkobi, addressed her son, saying “despite the challenges, you are a leader in all areas. … Your dream is to be a millionaire—always listen to your dreams!”

Iris added, “This program is so special. It is a big mitzvah. The bar mitzvah is important for him and for the family, too.”

His father, Chaim, is proud of all five of his sons, but noted that this bar mitzvah was particularly miragesh, “emotional” in Hebrew. He elaborated, “It was so special seeing Yair in his tefillin. Today is a d’var kadosh—‘a holy event.’ ”

Yair reads Hebrew at his bar mitzvah in Rehovot, Israel, on May 26, 2022. Photo by Howard Blas.

Yair’s school bus driver, Aron, grew emotional when he described the significance of the bar mitzvah. “This program is more important than tanks and missiles,” he said, acknowledging the amount of money Israel spends on defense while also emphasizing the need for ongoing funding to support the b’nai mitzvah program.

At the end of the service, Yair and Aviv received their own personalized copy of the siddur, as well as personalized blessings from parents and teachers. The ceremony took place under a large tallit. The young men were then showered with candy, lovingly tossed by kvelling guests.

The celebration continued with a festive breakfast of bread, salads, cakes and pastries outside in the synagogue’s specially decorated garden.

As the guests said their final “Mazal Tovs,” Adir and Yair left to return to school. The Adraba staff now turned their attention to the 20 students looking forward to celebrating their same milestone before the school year ends. In a few months, it will be time to begin preparing even more Israelis with disabilities for their special days.

The red, hardcover accessible siddur, used by the boys at the ceremony in Rehovot, Israel. Photo by Howard Blas.
The bar mitzvah venue, Adat Shalom–Emanuel in Rehovot, Israel, on May 26, 2022. Photo by Howard Blas.
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Originally published in Jewish Insider

In Short

Birthright Israel’s “Big Tent” approach allows participants from a range of Jewish backgrounds, including families with only one Jewish parent – and, though less-widely known, to people with disabilities and medical issues. 

Isaac Orhring of Danbury, Conn., still can’t stop talking about his unique Taglit-Birthright Israel trip three years ago. “Every Jew should have the right to go on Birthright Israel as a rite of passage, just like a bar mitzvah! Unfortunately, not everyone’s aware of every kind of disability. While some disabilities are obvious, others, including autism, are not. This should not stop young Jewish adults from visiting Israel for free on Birthright Israel.” he said.

Birthright – for all Jews

Taglit-Birthright Israel is well-known around the world for its free trips to Israel for Jewish young adults between the ages of 18 and 32. Since 1999, they have given over 750,000 people from 68 countries, every U.S. state and nearly 1,000 universities the opportunity to experience Israel and Judaism first hand.

Birthright Israel’s “Big-Tent” approach welcomes participants from a range of Jewish backgrounds, including families with only one Jewish parent – and, though less-widely known, to people with disabilities and medical issues. 

The program included people with disabilities and other support needs almost from its inception, with its first accessible trip in 2001. To date, over 2,000 participants have participated in more than 75 trips through various trip provider organizations.

A “Pinch Me” Moment

In 2019, Birthright Israel reviewed its policies on disabilities, developing a mission statement that clarifies its stance that all are welcome on the trips, regardless of disability. “Guided by our Jewish values, we aim to be inclusive of all individuals with disabilities, special requirements, limitations or challenges.”

Potential participants may be considered for participation on a typical Birthright Israel trip, or they may elect to participate in a specially designed trip with support for their needs. The itinerary often includes the usual “highlights” including the Dead Sea, Masada, the Kotel and camel riding. 

Trips support participants with various intellectual, developmental physical and sensory disabilities, medical issues and addictions. Recent trips include a range of themes: American Sign Language, Asperger’s syndrome, inflammatory bowel disorders, physical medical disabilities, twelve-step recovery and others.

Feedback to date has been positive.

Pamela Saeks, mother of an Aspergers trip participant said, “For years we searched for an organized trip to Israel that had the additional support necessary to enable Karly to participate.” Birthright’s willingness to include Karly was a “‘Pinch me, I must be dreaming’ moment,” she said.

Danny Wolf of Los Angeles participated on the Tikvah Ramah trip. He has cerebral palsy with limited mobility and verbal abilities. An aide funded by Birthright Israel assisted with feeding, self-care and communication needs. 

“It sounds corny but he has the same birthright as any other young adult who is Jewish to experience Israel independently without his parents,” Danny’s mother, Michelle Wolf, adds.

Pete, a participant on a Birthright Israel twelve-step recovery trip, reflected on his childhood Hebrew school experience, followed by “a series of events that paved the way for trouble” and subsequent addiction issues.

“Recovery has been my path to taking responsibility and to growing up,” he said. “Coming on Birthright Israel, I knew I would have a chance to have a second bar mitzvah. I brought my tallit and tefillin, which I received for my original bar mitzvah. This trip has given me the chance to have my real bar mitzvah and today I am ready to embrace the responsibility that it entails.”

Building a Special Trip

Most Aspergers trips include a visit to the Holon Children’s Museum “Invitation to Silence” exhibit. During the hour-long tour, participants are taught by deaf guides to use non-verbal communication. Participants gain a better understanding of the Israeli deaf community, and the deaf guides learn of the many strengths of people on the autism spectrum. 

Some trips include visiting army bases to meet soldiers with disabilities as part of the “Special in Uniform” program. The soldiers with disabilities share their experience in the army and national service and of their overall experience as an Israeli with autism. The encounter usually ends with a joint pizza party and the exchanging of contact information on social media.

As Israel’s borders continue to open even more to tourism and as the number of Birthright Israel trips increase, it is a good time to continue spreading the word about Birthright Israel’s commitment to sharing the Birthright Israel experience with every Jewish — with and without disabilities and medical needs.

The authors have been associated with and committed to Taglit-Birthright and accessible trips for many years. Elizabeth Sokolsky is the executive director of Taglit-Birthright Israel. Howard Blas is a social worker, special education teacher, Jewish educator and writer. He has been associated with the Tikvah (disabilities inclusion) program at Camp Ramah for 35 years. He currently serves as the director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network. He has led one Tikvah Birthright Israel trip for participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities through Amazing Israel and four Birthright Aspergers trips through Shorashim.

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Originally published in the Jerusalem Post

Aaron Kaufman has cerebral palsy and learning disabilities, but he is also gifted.

For Jewish communities around the world, February is known as JDAIM – Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month. It is a month devoted to raising awareness and fostering the inclusion of people with disabilities.

For Aaron Kaufman, the senior manager of legislative affairs for the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), every day of every month of his personal and professional life is devoted to disability awareness, acceptance, inclusion, advocacy and changing attitudes.

Kaufman can often be seen walking through Congress with the assistance of a walker, knocking on the doors of elected officials. He often uses his own disability and sense of humor to put members of the House and Senate at ease around the issue of disabilities.

Kaufman, 34, has been an advocate for people with disabilities for as long as he can remember. His expertise comes in part from his personal experience as a person with both visible and invisible disabilities. He was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects a person’s coordination and ability to walk and maintain balance and posture. He is also twice-exceptional (“2e”), meaning he is both gifted and has learning disabilities.

While Kaufman can boast many successes in his career, he is quick to point out that life is not always easy. “I don’t love my disability. Life can be frustrating,” recounts Kaufman. “My parents taught me to channel my frustration and fight for people with more significant challenges than me.”

United States Library of Congress (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
United States Library of Congress (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

He didn’t have to look too far for those people. “My brother has cerebral palsy which is more severe and requires a greater deal of support and assistance.”

Kaufman has always been an ambassador and role model for disabilities. In fourth grade, Kaufman helped raise awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of people who are twice-exceptional; he took honors English and history classes while receiving special education support for math and science.

When he was a senior in high school, he succeeded in making it possible for people in his home county of Montgomery, Maryland to vote in accessible election stations close to their homes.

“I always believed that rather than complain, you should fight to make change,” he says.

Kaufman attended the University of Maryland and proudly received the highest GPA in American Studies. He then held jobs in Maryland’s General Assembly and taught at the prestigious Ivymount School, a school in Rockville for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. At Ivymount, he helped people with disabilities learn job skills and what he refers to as “workplace etiquette.”

HE THEN turned to more focused advocacy work. He spent two years at the ARC of Maryland, a disability rights organization, as a public policy specialist. He then started working at JFNA, which represents over 300 Jewish communities in the US and Canada. JFNA raises and distributes more than $2 billion annually through planned giving and endowment programs to support Jewish communities domestically and in Israel.

“In 2016, I jumped to federal advocacy. Thanks to Jerry Silverman [former president and CEO of JFNA] and Eric Fingerhut [current president and CEO of JFNA], JFNA has made disabilities a key component of their work,” reports Kaufman, who is proud of the commitment JFNA has made to people with disabilities.

“They believe in inclusion in their kishkes! JFNA is one of the leaders in the disability space. We are at the table in important coalitions [he rattles off a long list of coalitions where he represents JFNA]. We are one of the go-to people when it comes to disability policy.”

Kaufman is particularly proud of two major initiatives he has been involved with in recent years. “I played a significant role in blocking a piece of legislation called ADA Education and Reform Act, which would have gutted the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) by transferring compliance from a business to a person with a disability,” he says. “If I couldn’t get into a store, that new law would have given the business 180 days to fix it or make progress to fix it.”

Kaufman laughs as he offers another example. “If I had to go to a funeral at a funeral home and couldn’t get in the building, I wouldn’t have 30 days to wait!” He continues, “Businesses had 31 years to comply.” He is pleased that this piece of legislation was defeated in 2018.

More recently, Kaufman is proud of what he and colleagues at the Strategic Health Resource Center accomplished with the American Rescue Plan. “We fought hard and successfully for $12.67 b. for home- and community-based services for people with disabilities.”

Kaufman points out that the Jewish and general community are more familiar with other areas of JFNA’s work – such as support for Israel and securing grants for synagogue security – than with the organization’s disability efforts. 

“It is important to know that we have a robust domestic agenda – that we are putting b’tzelem Elohim (being created in the image of God) into practice every day.”

Kaufman credits the leadership at JFNA for recognizing his talents while also accommodating and supporting his weaknesses. “Everyone says they want to be inclusive. My bosses at JFNA embraced me for who I am.”

They also provided support and accommodations. In Kaufman’s case, they secured proofreading and editing assistance and purchased the Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition software package. “We all have our idiosyncrasies,” Kaufman adds.

These supports have helped Kaufman succeed. He has worked for JFNA for six years, and his JFNA colleagues and other professionals are pleased with his work.

“I had the great honor of hiring Aaron and supervising him at the Jewish Federations of North America,” reports William C. Daroff, who for 14 years served as senior vice president for public policy and director of JFNA’s Washington office. He currently serves as chief executive officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

“From the moment I first met Aaron, I was immediately impressed by his winning attitude and fantastic personality. While working with him as we lobbied the White House and Congress, it was crystal clear that Aaron is a born advocate,” Daroff says. “He has the preternatural ability to read an audience and to discern how best to make the argument that will win them over.”

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, co-founder and recently retired president of RespectAbility, a national nonprofit that fights stigmas and advances opportunities for people with disabilities, adds, “Aaron Kaufman is a deeply respected leader who brings authentic lived disability experience to policy tables. He is trusted and impactful.

“Jewish organizations need a lot more leaders with disabilities like Kaufman so that the one-in-five Jews with a disability have a voice and can contribute, just like anyone else,” she says.

Kaufman loves his work and notes, “We are at the table at important discussions.” He takes pride in how the work of JFNA is valued. “Sometimes, legislators send drafts to me to read and solicit JFNA’s feedback.”

Elana Broitman, senior vice president of public affairs at JFNA, adds, ”Inclusion is a core Jewish value and a priority of JFNA’s work, each and every day. By advancing policies that break down barriers to inclusion and empowering people with disabilities, we help build a society that is more equitable, just and accepting.”

FOR NOW, Kaufman and his colleagues are hard at work planning the 12th annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD, February 23-24), which brings together members of the disability community, advocates and community leaders to help break down barriers to opportunity and inclusion.

This year’s JDAD advocacy will focus on securing an additional $150 billion in a revised Build Back Better legislative package to expand Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services for low-income people with disabilities, reducing long waiting lists for care, and passing the ABLE Age Adjustment Act – tax-free savings accounts for disability-related expenses for individuals who become disabled before they reach age 26.

The ABLE Act would allow people who become disabled later in life (up to age 46) to establish these tax-free accounts and provide financial stability to 6 million more adults. JFNA estimates that 61 million American adults live with a disability.

Kaufman is pleased with so many aspects of his work but takes particular pride in teaching by simply being himself. “The thing I love about my job is busting myths and misconceptions on Capitol Hill,” he says. “My presence here educates people about not judging a book by its cover!”

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Professor Yaniv Poria’s recent master’s degree course is giving future travel industry leaders the tools to improve travel and recreational experiences for people with a wide range of disabilities.

At first glance, Professor Yaniv Poria doesn’t appear to be the most traditional Jew on the planet. He regularly wears a hat, but it is more Leonard Cohen than traditional Jewish; he sports a goatee beard and he wears earrings. Yet, the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev professor at the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management would proudly argue that his entire career is informed by Jewish values and outlook. 

Through his teaching and writing, Poria works hard to bring the unique needs of often marginalized populations – including LGBTQ, people who are obese, and people with disabilities – to the forefront. His recent course for undergraduate and graduate students from the Beersheba and Eilat campuses, “Impacting Accessible Tourism: Impact Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Making Tourism Accessible for All” is giving future travel industry leaders the tools to improve travel and recreational experiences for people with a wide range of disabilities. 

Poria traces his interest in people with disabilities to a formative experience that happened when he was a young soldier. 

“I was a soldier on Arlozoroff Street with all the real man symbols – a gun, a red kumta [beret], red shoes…” recounts Poria. “I looked up and I saw some young religious Sherut Leumi girls around my age. My first reaction was, ‘Why don’t they go into the real army?” He then recalls observing the girls helping a group of children with disabilities saying goodbye to their parents for the weekend. The curious Poria engaged one young woman in conversation. 

“What if on Shabbat, you need to buy diapers?” he asked. “I will go to SuperPharm and run faster than you!” one replied. Poria was shocked and began to wonder, “What is more difficult – to be on the borders, or to take care of these kids?” Poria was a changed man. 

PROF. YANIV PORIA (credit: BGU)
PROF. YANIV PORIA (credit: BGU)

“I decided that, in my own way, I will make their life better. I will do research and focus on the travel experience and will assist wherever I can.” Now, as a professor, writer, editorial board member and reviewer for many tourism and hospitality journals, he is living up to his word.

Poria has pursued many areas of interest on the way to his very successful accessible travel course. Earlier in his academic career, he researched visitors’ experiences at heritage tourist sites. 

“I focused on management of Jewish heritage sites because people were losing Jewish heritage and Jewish identity.” He proudly reports, “I am a Jewish researcher. I look at Jewish heritage. It is the way I interpret Judaism.” 

He concedes that this and his subsequent areas of academic research could have harmed his academic career. 

“This could have put my academic career in danger!” as they were “of no interest to the mainstream.” He playfully refers to himself as “the rasha  [evil child] of the Passover Haggadah. 

After doing PhD work in the UK and returning to Israel, Poria conducted research on what he describes as “special segments often ignored in the tourism literature,” including gays and lesbians and people with disabilities. He also studied people who are obese. A 2017 paper published in the Journal of Travel Research is titled, “An exploratory study about obese people’s flight experience.” 

“I did a study on obesity which is the new form of disability. Due to their appearance, people suffer from racism. I call it a social disability.” 

WHEN PORIA decided to devote his attention to teaching a course on accessible tourism, he figured literature and course material would be readily available. 

“I made an assumption I‘d find another course,” reports Poria, who planned to adapt and expand material for his proposed course. “I wasn’t looking for a course on technical issues like measurements (i.e. of an accessible bathroom). I wanted a course about dilemmas, a course with a body of knowledge for those who want to manage.” He and a teaching assistant got to work in designing a three credit graduate course—with a five-page syllabus, nine required readings, 14 recommended readings, and 13 sessions. 

“This was different from all of my other courses,” concedes Poria. “Each session started with a meeting with a person in management of disabilities tourism, or a person with a disability – a person who is blind, or deaf, or who has a child who is autistic.” He adds, “The students learned how people are treated in the hospitality and tourism industry. They imagined what it would be like to travel with a disability.” 

One presenter, Omer Zur, knows a great deal about accessible travel. Many years ago, Zur wanted his father, paralyzed during the Yom Kippur War, to join him for the final month of his three-year post-army trip. They jointly designed Paratrek Trekker, a device that can handle off-road hiking without taking away his father’s independence. Zur is founder and CEO of Paratrek and has used the Trekker to successfully help people with paraplegia navigate 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Zur appreciated the opportunity to speak to the class as “until recently, it was thought that people with disabilities should stay home or go out only to specific places.” He has seen a change in recent years but feels the travel industry still has more to learn. “When people who provide the tourism experience know more, and better understand the needs of people with disabilities, they will be able to provide better service.”

Fred Maahs Jr, a wheelchair user who is also chief operations officer for Travel for All and editor of Melange, Accessibility for All magazine, wasn’t able to speak to Poria’s students, but he is delighted to learn about the course. Maahs, who recently returned to the United States after attending Expo2020 in Dubai, notes the many challenges that still exist for travelers with disabilities including lack of adequate accessible transportation. 

“The mere fact that people with disabilities still have to do their own research in order to ensure that their travel destination is adapted and accessible tells you that we still have a lot of work to do.”

Poria’s students found the course, sponsored by the Rothschild Foundation, to be challenging and demanding yet rewarding. The final project involved students speaking with people with disabilities, identifying problems and suggesting a solution that would be affordable and ultimately lead to profits for those who implement it. Poria didn’t want his students to lose sight of the fact that while they are learning to be sensitive practitioners, they are graduate students in a school of business and management. 

ELI LEVY has a close relationship to disabilities and took his final assignment very seriously. 

“I am the son of a disabled father who grew up when there was a very low awareness of the subject.” Levy reports, “My partner and I have chosen to develop a technological aid that will allow the blind to dive and experience an accessible and as close experience as possible to the experience of a sighted diver. As part of the work we were exposed to many stakeholders in the field, diving clubs, product engineers, blind organizations and of course the blind themselves. 

“The experience was challenging and the results were interesting and surprising. It was evident that there was a huge need to make tourism accessible to this population and the enthusiasm as well as the cooperation on their part was immense. It was an experience to be part of a unique and first-of-its-kind course and the feeling was of pioneering in a field that requires a lot of investment and research in the future as well.” 

Levy adds, “Professor Yaniv Poria is an impressive and interesting man and I really wanted to take a course under his guidance!”

Or Dvir felt the course was “unique” and that it exposed her and her classmates to “the gaps that exist between the demands and needs of those we so desperately want to host and the situation and infrastructure that exists in Israel. We have been exposed to the day-to-day challenges of those who want to enjoy leisure and tourism services like everyone else.” 

She reports learning a very valuable practical lesson which will help in her career. 

“I learned that the most important thing is the ability to ask, knowing that the first and most important step on the path to full accessibility for all is an understanding of the real needs of those in front of us. If we do not look our guests in the eye, without shame, and ask them how we can make this vacation fun and easy for them, we are not doing our job as service providers.”

Eli Meiri is no stranger to the disabilities travel industry. The 67-year-old graduate student, Pardes Hanna resident, tour operator and tour guide who specializes in tours for people with disabilities (and founder of Israel4All, an accessible travel company in Israel), enjoyed the course and continues to internalize its message. 

“Accessibility for all is a way of life. I think everybody must have a way to get everywhere. People with disabilities have the right and need appropriate opportunities to get out of their homes for fun and recreation and to participate in all parts of communal life.”

Poria is delighted with the feedback he has received for the course and continues to dream big. 

“I think the course is only a first step. I would like to develop a center focusing on conducting the best research about people with disabilities and travel, tourism, recreation and leisure experiences. Our findings would not be just in academic journals but would be available to all. This can be done easily. This is being an or l’goyim – a light to the nations – and it should be done in Israel, and at Ben-Gurion University, which has a spirit of innovation.”

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