"My Mission to Israel": Sarah Blitzstein Shares Her Experience

Today's post comes from Sarah Blitzstein, JFS Director of HaMercaz & Special Needs Programs. Sarah recently returned from a weeklong mission to Israel with families, professionals, and other leaders of the disability rights community here in Los Angeles. The goal of the mission was to foster a collaborative relationship with our Israeli partners that will ultimately serve the adults with disabilities in both our communities.

Take it away, Sarah!

On July 20th I joined 35 members of the Los Angeles special needs community on a first of its kind trip to Israel. Sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, social workers, therapists, parents, educators, community activists and young adults with special needs embarked on a journey through Israel to learn about programs for young adults with autism and special needs. 

Beginning in the hills of the Galilee we visited Kibbutz Kishorit, home to over 100 people with special needs where they breeds prize winning schnauzers and beautiful hand-made toys, two of the many micro-enterprises that generate income for the kibbutz. In the Negev desert at Aleh Negev we saw people with severe special needs living productive lives in a long term care facility, each room designed to meet their specific needs. In the coastal city of Ra’anana we toured Beit Issie Shapiro, a world class research and therapeutic facility where children of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to participate in aquatic therapy, occupational therapy and more. In Jerusalem we visited a sensory garden at Israel Elwyn, engaging each of the senses so that every person could experience the garden in their own way. 

As a group we bonded over delicious Israeli breakfasts and long bus rides through the hillsides and highways of this ancient and yet modern country. We appreciated being disconnected from our work emails and having the ability to experience and learn from the programs we visited and from each other. We came together from different places, looking for magical solutions to the challenges we face here in LA.  

 

There is no magical solution, the answer is in each of us, and as we return to our daily lives here in Los Angeles we know that no matter what happens, we are forever changed from the 7 days we spent together in Israel.  

Please click here to view the daily journals from the trip!

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