Creating Inclusive Communities with Rabbi Dr Benjy Leibowitz and Rabbi Kalman Samuels

For a long time, people with disabilities have been excluded from communal life, either due to an inability to physically access communal buildings and activities or due to other challenges that present themselves in communal and ritual life.

We sat down with Rabbi Dr. Benjy Leibowitz of Yachad, an international organization dedicated to enhancing the life opportunities of Jewish individuals with developmental disabilities or other learning challenges.  As well as Rabbi Kalman Samuels, founder, and president of Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.

Rabbi Leibowitz is also the editor of the Koren Yachad Siddur, a siddur designed specifically for people with developmental and learning disabilities while Rabbi Samuels is the author of Dreams Never Dreamed which tells the story of his son Yossi and how he came to inspire the organization that has changed the lives of thousands of families in Israel.

Useful links:
https://www.yachad.org/
https://www.shalva.org/
Watch The Shalva Band perform at Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhRewe-uEIw
https://korenpub.com/products/the-koren-yachad-siddur
https://korenpub.com/products/dreams-never-dreamed