Providing Support for All Israelis
ewish National Fund is working to help all
Israelis experience the beauty of our home-
land. Due to terrorism, military conflict and
traffic accidents, almost 15% of Israelis have
some form of disability. Throughout the coun-
try, JNF is working to make all existing parks and
recreation facilities inclusive and welcoming to
people with and without disabilities, and to help
inspire inclusive practices throughout Israel. In
the Negev, JNF is helping build Aleh Negev, a
state-of-the-art rehabilitative village that will
provide services to the severely disabled.
J
Inclusive Parks
JNF is working to make all of its parks not just
accessible, but inclusive – providing the same
experience for all who use it, so that families and
friends can enjoy nature together. Donor funds
will provide a variety of enhancements, includ-
ing adding new playgrounds and picnic equip-
ment suitable for people who use mobility
devices, redesigning education centers, re-grad-
ing walkways and paths, installing accessible toi-
let facilities, reconstructing buildings, installing
elevators and providing assistive listening
devices and signage in Braille or large print
type. Itzhak Perlman, the world-famous violin-
ist, is the JNF spokesperson for the Inclusive
Parks Project.
Aleh Negev
Far from the major cities of Israel, the entire
Negev population suffers from a tremendous
shortage of medical, therapeutic and special
education services. As part of the Blueprint
Negev initiative, JNF is partnering with Aleh, an
organization that helps children with disabili-
ties realize their full potential through high-
level medical and rehabilitative care, to help
build Aleh Negev. This state-of-the-art commu-
nal rehabilitative village in Ofakim will make a
major impact in the region by bringing much-
needed services and jobs to the area. The village
will meet the needs of the severely disabled
throughout their lives, making them feel com-
fortable and instilling a sense of belonging.
Aleh Negev will be home to over 500 residen-
tial adults with disabilities and serve over 12,000
children and young adults with disabilities each
year on an outpatient basis. Until now, those with
severe disabilities have grown up in hospitals,
with no sense of home or societal framework.
The village will provide vocational training,
occupational therapy and medical facilities.
A project of Aleh Negev's magnitude will
also help build up the economy in the south by
offering over 1,000 employment opportunities
in a large variety of fields. The village will
attract doctors, caregivers, teachers and others,
stimulating the local economy and playing a
vital role in lowering the high unemployment
rate in the area.
The Negev offers space, freedom and a sense
of well being that cannot be duplicated in major
cities, which is a tremendous advantage for dis-
abled young adults. Through fundraising efforts,
JNF will support and enhance this remarkable
facility by building a central park and green
spaces for the village.
Hollywood, Horses, and Israel
William and Elizabeth Shatner Launch Initiative with JNF to Help the Disabled
-w illiam and Elizabeth Shatner are part-
nering with Jewish National Fund to
create the William and Elizabeth
Shatner/Jewish National Fund Therapeutic Riding
Consortium Endowment for Israel. The goal is to
raise $10 million to support therapeutic riding
programs and provide scholarships, so that no one
who would benefit from a therapeutic riding cen-
ter is denied that opportunity because of the cost.
Shatner, best known as Star Trek's Captain
Kirk, has supported therapeutic riding for nearly
two decades in the U.S. Now, he is looking to
advance it internationally and "by helping one
child, one person at a time," to foster better rela-
tions between different nations in the region.
"Good will is in short supply," he said, "and we
have to build it. And that requires money"
The William and Elizabeth Shatner/Jewish
National Fund Therapeutic Riding Consortium
Endowment for Israel will fund many thera-
peutic riding programs that exist throughout
the country. The goal is to raise $10 million to
support these unique programs and provide
scholarships for anyone in the region who
would benefit from a therapeutic riding pro-
gram. It is an ideal way to facilitate coopera-
tion between Israelis of all backgrounds,
Jordanians and Palestinians.
This spring, the Shatners spent a week in
Israel with JNF, visiting historic sites and four
riding centers across the country. They were
impressed by what they saw and moved by the
people they met who are benefiting from thera-
peutic riding. "In addition to healing the minds
and bodies of the people in the therapeutic rid-
ing program, we also seek in a small, tiny way, to
heal the nations of the area," he said. "We need
help from every corner, from Israel and the
world, especially America—that's what we're
about. I learned these words here: 'Sussim osim
nissim – horses do miracles.'
You can find more information
about this initiative online at
www.jnf.org/riding or by calling your
local JNF office at 248-324-3080.