Page 26 - TORCH Magazine - Issue #20

The first deaf member of Israel’s parliament
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Shirly Pinto is Israel’s first deaf member of parliament, and she is already making an impact for important causes.
Pinto is a member of Yamina, a conservative right-wing political party in Israel, but she has been welcomed by members from all sides of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). She broke boundaries when she delivered her maiden speech using sign language.
It is always encouraging to see Scripture being used so openly in
Israeli politics. The ‘people of the book’ continue to use the Bible as their guide. Pinto is hoping she will give a voice to the roughly one-million Israelis with disabilities.
In Israel, national military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens when they reach the age of eighteen, however, people with disabilities are exempt from this. As a teen, Pinto voluntarily enlisted after seeing a poster in her school.
She did everything she could to get approved for the IDF, to serve her two- years of service, just like everyone else. Pinto was successful in joining the Israeli
In that speech she signed the Scripture:
"Give ear, O heavens,
and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.” Deuteronomy 32:1