“There are a lot of things I cannot do on my own anymore,” says 89-year-old Yeshayahu. “Sometimes the electricity goes out or my wife needs medical help. It’s very important for us to know we have someone to count on.”
At first glance, Ruth, an American-Israeli journalist living in Jerusalem, and Ibtisam, a Palestinian mother of three from the West Bank, could not be from more different worlds. But last month, as they joined JDC’s COPE Forum for Palestinian and Israeli Breast Cancer Survivors on a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, they cemented a bond that transcends ethnic, religious, and national divides—a bond that can only be understood by fellow survivors of the disease.
“The first time my 14-year-old son saw me using a cane for the blind he went completely pale with shock. That’s when I knew I needed to confront my disability and to find a way to help him deal with it too,” says Ella, 40, a working mom whose sight has been degenerating steadily for the past seven years. “Being a parent and a spouse with a visual disability presents a lot of challenges. I needed help overcoming mine.”
“When I first heard about the JDC-NFTE entrepreneurship program I didn’t think it was for a girl like me—I never considered going into business,” says 16-year-old Rahhef, an Israeli Arab teen who lives in an impoverished Arab village in northern Israel. “But now that I’ve completed the program I’m in love with the world of business and I’m open to so many new possibilities.”
When Malash A., 21, an Ethiopian Israeli, received his draft notice from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) three years ago he was filled with shock and worry. His family had moved from a rural village in Ethiopia to Jerusalem only a few years before and was still struggling to adapt to the cultural realities of life in Israel; his parents did not have the personal experience to advise him through the recruitment process.
JDC's multi-year plan with the Government of Israel is helping Israeli Arabs face these challenges head on through the creation of employment training and placement centers in Arab cities and towns. Through the partnership, 20 employment centers will be built to serve Arab, Bedouin, and Druze communities across Israel. Five of these centers are already up and running and the remainder will be operational by 2015.
An evaluation by JDC’s Parents and Children Together (PACT) physical therapist revealed that Shirel had critical developmental delays in every area. She showed signs of emotional and social trouble; her muscle development was lagging, visible in her dragging feet as she walked. She desperately needed more help than Ilana could provide.
Struck by tragedy, 23-year-old Avigail was raising her three young sons alone. Find out how JDC’s employment training program for disadvantaged Israeli women empowered this Kavkazi immigrant.
Longtime champion for people with disabilities Jay Ruderman just hosted a national Jewish special needs conference. Find out more about this successful event and the Ruderman Family Foundation’s “Israel Unlimited” partnership with JDC and the Israeli government.
Fakhera was only 15 when her father lost his job and she dropped out of school to help her family of nine survive. Find out how JDC’s Turning Point program helped this Israeli at-risk teen gain business acumen and get on track to success.