st Oil' Ridding Ourselves Of False Notions By MARY KORETZ Vocabulary Mary Koretz of Oak Park has taught both children's and adult classes in Yiddish at the Workmen's Circle. neies veil mentshn veib eingenemen por kukn oif vunderlech frei vu nitst hob gebitn I was watching the neies on television veil on a recent visit to Los Angeles. The two anchor mentshn, as it happened, were husband and veib. They were competent, eingenemen and an unusually handsome por. My friend, who was also kukn oif the program said, "Isn't it vunderlech that she feels frei to keep her hands on the desk vu they are so visible. Then, too, she nitst them so naturally in spite of their deformity." I hob gebitn my gaze from the newswoman's ponim to her hent. Indeed they were zayer deformed. There were sach fingers gefelt and other disfigurements as well. I, too, hob getracht it marvelous that she could occupy aza a public position and feel free to display her abnormality. How veit we have come in freeing ourselves from the ridiculous bagrif that anything different, in a physical sense, was to be bahaltn. Not only are the impaired made to suffer a loss ober those of us who are not so disadvantaged farlirn something, too. Vie did we arrive at the idea, az people with physical imperfections, were best not seen? I gloyb that we entertained the primitive notion that azelche conditions were punishment for some evil doing. Perhaps the korbn, or some other member of his mishpoche, was the perpetrator of a sin. But there is genug guilt engendered in normal human behavior to onrirn all people. Why then are we not ale afflicted? I'm grateful for the increased visenshaft that has brought about a change of attitude. I'm dankbar for the street curbs gemacht to accommodate wheelchairs; for the lifts fashioned to hoist such benklech onto trains, buses and cars. When, in a krom, I come upon someone shopping in an electric wheelchair or see a kind mainstreamed, other than being confined to a special class, or participating in the Special Olympics, I'm filled with frayd. After all, if it should happen to me or someone I love, we could still live a satisfactory life. news while people wife pleasant couple watching wonderful free where uses shifted ponim hent zayer a sach gefelt hob getracht aza veit bagrif bahaltn ober farlirn vie az face hands very many missing thought such far notion hidden but lose how that gloyb azelche korbn mishpoche genug onrirn ale visenshaft dankbar gemacht benklech krom kind frayd believe such victim family enough touch all knowledge grateful made chairs store child joy Pesach Family Affair At JARC By RENA FRIEDBERG Changing the dishes. Searching the house for chametz. Shopping for Passover groceries. Preparing the seder meal. And the always challenging, "What to serve for lunch during Passover?!" Common Passover rituals in most Jewish homes, repeated twelve times at JARC. At JARC, the six men or women with developmental disabilities living in each of the twelve Haverim "The seder meal at a Haverim Home has become a meaningful and heartwarming tradition with the guidance and caring of volunteers who lead them." Homes celebrate the Festival of Freedom with their own special traditions and memories just as all families do. Everyone participates in the holiday within the range of his or her abilities and skills — from shopping and preparing the festive meal, to simply enjoying the seder songs. With caring and trained staff, along with many volunteers, Passover is a meaningful and enriching experience for each JARC participant. JARC's links with the community are never stronger than at Passover. Next week, when the homes begin to prepare for the holiday, they will have some very special help. Students from the bar and bat mitzvah class of Hillel Day School will visit several homes to help wherever they are needed — bringing dishes up from the basement, cleaning out cabinets, and Bedichat Chametz, the searching for chametz with a feather and candle. Now a two-year tradition, the visit is part of a year- long cooperative project between the students and the JARC residents. The seder meal at a Haverim Home has become a meaningful and heartwarming tradition with the guidance and caring of volunteers who lead them. Among them is David Barg, who has led JARC seders for 12 years. The group may vary, but at Mr. Barg's seders, one thing is present — lots and lots of singing! Because of his annual contact with JARC, Mr. Barg has a unique perspective on JARC. "One year, I may meet a resident who has recently moved into the home from living years in an institution. He doesn't talk and is very withdrawn," Mr. Barg said. "Next year, he proudly tells me he is working and is doing a lot of things for himself, and clearly is more independent. As if it's time- lapse photography, I can really see what living in the community has meant to this person." And with each seder leader; including JARC board members Harriet Gelfond, Rabbi Bruce Aft, and Seymour Greenstein, the concept of freedom in relation to JARC does not escape them. "Many of the JARC residents came from places where they were not free," Mrs. Gelfond remarked, ". . from institutions where they did not have the freedom to choose, to complain, or to have the opportunity to celebrate Passover." Participants in JARC's DeRoy Independent Living Program and the Maas Supported Independence Program who live independently in their own horns or apartments enjoy their own seders.At last year's pot luck seder for the DeRoy program, JARC board member Bill Cohen and the participants together read from the Haggadah and discussed freedom as it applied to their own lives as persons with disabilities. As they do throughout the year, many temples and synagogues open their hearts to JARC and Passover by inviting residents and participants of the other JARC programs to second-night seders. Community groups also help JARC celebrate the holiday, such as the Orchards Hills ORT chapter which delivers Passover supplies to individuals in the JARC DeRoy Independent Living Program. Even with 12 homes and the two independent living programs, there still remain nearly 300 individuals waiting for placement. Some of these people live in institutions where they have no access to celebrating Passover; others are isolated from the Jewish community. For them, JARC helps bridge the gap by sending Passover packets which contain matzah, a Haggadah and candles, a gesture which provides a link with their heritage. Rena Friedberg is development coordinator for JARC, a Jewish Association for Residential Care for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS L 11 -