20 | JANUARY 9 • 2020 Jacob Blumenstein, center, with the help of his siblings, Reuben and Alana, started KidsRead2Kids. Young Jews Making Moves: Jacob Blumenstein J acob Blumenstein’ s educational path hasn’ t always been the easiest. “Growing up, I struggled heavily in school because I couldn’ t read,” Blumenstein says. “My teachers didn’ t understand dyslexia and I didn’ t even know I had dyslexia until I was diagnosed in fifth grade.” With the help of his parents, Carol and Richard, and resources provided by his school, Blumenstein was able to realize his full potential. “In the beginning, I felt humiliated and stupid,” Blumenstein says. “But as I grew up and learned how to take control of my dyslexia, I realized I could excel at many things besides reading.” Blumenstein discovered many students were unaware of their learning disabilities or didn’ t have the same support system. In 2017 with the help of his siblings, Alana and Reuben, Blumenstein launched a free educational nonprofit, KidsRead2Kids, designed to help children with learning disabilities learn to read. “We use YouTube videos where we read abridged classic novels and decodable books chapter by chapter so anyone can follow along at their own pace,” Blumenstein says. “Because I was ashamed for being different, I wanted to be very open about my dyslexia on our website because I wanted our readers and listeners to know they are not alone.” Blumenstein attended the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) conference in Portland, Ore., this year where he had applied for the Remy Johnson Certificate of Merit. He felt the award description represented him because he does not make excuses due to his dyslexia and doesn’ t let it define who he is. Blumenstein unfortunately lost by one point but received a call from the CEO of the IDA, Sonja Banks, who had a different position in mind. “She read my application and was upset that I didn’ t win the award,” Blumenstein says. “She was inspired by my story and wanted to offer me the position as president for the Youth and Young Adult Advocate Program that she was creating.” Blumenstein accepted the role as president at the IDA Annual Conference in November. In this role, he is responsible for program development and educating students, parents and teachers about dyslexia. “I have two goals for this position: My first goal is to spread my message of empowerment and to change the narrative of dyslexia,” he says. “The second part revolves around us acting as a consultant group to different businesses to help make technology easier for dyslexics.” Blumenstein also gave a speech at the IDA annual conference where he shared his story. “I may always have to work harder, but that’ s not such a bad thing,” Blumenstein says. “In fact, working harder has pushed me to be better and become a more compassionate person.” CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER Jews in the D JACOB BLUMENSTEIN Jacob Blumenstein The Detroit Jewish Community Center is among eight communities and local organizations selected to par- ticipate in the first strand of a three-part research project addressing the recruitment, retention and development of educators working in Jewish settings in North America. The research is led by CASJE (Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) and conducted by Rosov Consulting. “Through our partnership with these eight communities we will gain deeper insight into the lived experiences of Jewish educators in the United States,” says Arielle Levites, managing director of CASJE. The local partner organi- zations in each community will play a critical role in the study’ s first phase, known as On the Journey (OTJ), helping researchers connect with Jewish educators from a variety of sectors — includ- ing day schools, supplemen- tal schools, youth groups, camps, adult education and more. The partner organiza- tions also will assist research- ers in getting as accurate a count as possible of the total number of Jewish educators in each community. Detroit JCC Selected for Major Study on Jewish Education