Bringing Holiday Sweetness to a Special Needs Boy in Zaporozhye
Nataliya is a single mom struggling to support her son with cerebral palsy. Find out how JDC brought this desperate family relief—and a sweet surprise—this Rosh Hashanah.
Feature Stories
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Hebrew Learning Program Opens Doors for Israel’s Disabled Immigrants
Igor K., 40, is an invalid who came to Israel less than one year ago from Luhansk, Ukraine. Since childhood he has struggled with diabetes, and today he can barely walk; with his knee distorted by a 30 degree angle, he is fully reliant on a crutch to support the right side of his body. When asked about his day-to-day challenges in his new homeland, he says his biggest impediment is isolation.
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Jewish Camping Builds Community across Europe and FSU
This summer, thousands of young Jews across Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are coming together to explore their Jewish identities—many for the first time. From Belarus to Bulgaria, take a virtual tour of JDC’s acclaimed camp programs.
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Family Retreats Offer a Helping Hand to Special Needs Kids and Their Parents
For Vladimir and Irina, parenting two young children with debilitating illnesses is a daily struggle. Learn how JDC’s family integration camp connected them to new resources and renewed their strength.
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Strengthening Father-Son Bonds in the Face of Disability
When Haled discovered his son Muhammad was born with severe mental and physical impairments, he felt angry, guilty, and afraid he wouldn’t be able to connect and communicate with his child. Learn how JDC helped this struggling dad in Israel see the joy in his son’s smile.
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Walking—and Dreaming—Again in Haiti
Ever since Oscar was old enough to kick a ball across a dusty sports field in Port-au-Prince, his dream has been to play professional soccer—and also follow in the technological and philanthropic footsteps of his idol, Bill Gates. Those aspirations were very much alive for Oscar, now 23, in the moments just before the January 2010 earthquake tore through the walls of his three-story high school, killing all but two of his classmates. Oscar escaped with his life, but he lost 250,000 of his Haitian brothers and sisters—and his right leg—to one of this century’s worst natural disasters.
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JDC Brings Possibility to People with Disabilities Around the World
In time for disabilities awareness month, meet people who have been empowered by JDC's global programs for the mentally and physically disabled.
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JDC Helps Haitian Teenager Rise Above the Rubble
Jennifer A., a 16-year-old Haitian girl with nine siblings, recently took her first steps—for the second time. On January 12th while Jennifer was studying French literature, the walls of her classroom shook until they collapsed. In her flight for safety, Jennifer’s leg was crushed and she lost consciousness. When she awoke, her leg had been amputated. But Jennifer learned she was one of the lucky ones; many of her classmates had not made it out of the rubble alive. Still, she had little hope of ever standing again until she met a JDC-supported Israeli medical team at Haiti’s University Hospital and received the treatment and encouragement she needed.