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Special in Israel

Rabbi Shmuel Jablon

he Haggadah speaks of four types of takes seriously the need to educate all unlikely to cooperate with going
children, to each of whom we are children, including those with special away for a sleepover. We decided to
obligated to teach the story of the needs, as well as the need to assist their request special permission to bring
TExodus. The final example is the families. Currently, we receive support in someone to our home for some Shab-
ל ֹוא ְ ׁש ִל ַע ֵד ֹוי ֹוני ֵא ֶ ׁש, the child who does not several ways: batot to help take care of Yehuda,
know how to ask. Typically, we think of which would allow us to experience
this child as one who is too young to ask • In Israel, all children are entitled to a more normal Shabbat. Permission
even the most basic of questions. Others education, and children in special was granted.
education are served until age 21.
say that this is a child who does not care
to ask. Perhaps, though, the Haggadah is Yehuda attends a religious school in In Israel, the State cares for people with
Jerusalem for children with autism,
describing a very different child – a child special needs for their entire lives. We
who, due to his disability, is unable to ask. where there are typically three staff know Yehuda’s older siblings will do all
The Haggadah reminds us that we also members with six children. School is they can to help him, while caring for
year-round, other than a two-week
have an obligation to do all that we can their own families. Hopefully, Yehuda
to educate this precious child. break at the end of the summer. will progress to the point where he will
• As a parent of a disabled child, we be able to live semi-independently in a
Eight months before making Aliyah, receive a monthly allowance from group home. But regardless of the extent
we were blessed with our fifth child – National Insurance that helps pay for of his needs, we know there is funding
Yehuda Yair – who brought much light additional services and compensates and a framework to help him throughout
to our family. For the first five years of us for my wife’s inability to work out- his life.
his life he was a typical child. But then side the home. Nothing is perfect. We wish there was
everything changed almost overnight. He even more funding and support for spe-
almost completely stopped talking, forgot • Our oldest son is a paratrooper in the cial needs. And no amount of support can
almost all he had ever learned, and had a IDF, yet the army grants him extra change the difficult reality with which
complete behavioral regression, requiring days off so that he can come home parents of profoundly disabled children
24/7 supervision. Like any good parent, and help care for his younger brother. must live. Still, we are blessed to live
we did our best to try to find out what • It’s not easy having a nine-year-old in Israel, where even the children who
had happened and how to help him. He who needs 24/7 supervision. Shab- cannot ask have a place at the table – and
was diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, bat is a particular challenge. In a nation to care for them.
autoimmune encephalitis and an addi- Efrat, an incredible group of teenage
tional diagnosis of late onset autism. All volunteers take special needs chil-
of these are quite rare, particularly for dren like Yehuda every Shabbat for
someone who was a normally developing a 90-minute program – providing
child for five years. Meanwhile, he has both children and parents a needed
undergone many medical treatments, all respite. Many other communities
with the hope of regaining at least some provide similar opportunities for
of his prior function. Hoping, working and special children and their families.
praying for a miracle, we gave him a third Rabbi Shmuel Jablon
name – Nissim. Sadly, there has been only • In Israel, parents of autistic children is the Executive Director of Shapell’s /
slight improvement. For reasons only He are entitled to at least 15 “vacation Darche Noam and Midreshet Rachel
knows, Hashem has decided that Yehuda days” where their child can spend a v’Chaya in Jerusalem. He and his
wife were recently blessed with
Yair Nissim will remain a low functioning day and night with another family their third sabra grandchild.
autistic child. or at a special program (like Shalva).
The idea is to give parents a break. In Join me at the
One of the many blessings of living in our case, it is hard to take advantage World Orthodox Israel Congress Est. 1902
Israel is that we live in a country that of this as Yehuda is an anxious child orthodoxisraelcongress.org 120 YEARS OF RELIGIOUS ZIONISM

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