APRIL 29 • 2021 | 23

OUR COMMUNITY

J

CC Detroit’s Opening 
the Doors (OTD) pro-
gram holds its 25th 
Anniversary Celebration 
virtually on Tuesday, 
May 11, at 7:30 p.m. 
Event honorees include 
Anita Naftaly, Susie 
Citrin and Peggy Frank.
OTD enables children 
with diverse learning 
differences and abilities 
to participate in inclusive 
Jewish education with 
their peers. Master level 
special educators and 
para-educators are pres-
ent in preschools, con-
gregations and religious 
schools to engage students 
and empower staff with 
strategies. 
OTD also provides 
disability awareness and 
resources for families, 
educators and profession-
als through development pro-
grams, community conferences 
and a teen leadership program.
OTD has increased its impact 
over the years through collab-
orations with Jewish schools, 
hospitals and mental health 
clinics, Jewish Federation, 
Friendship Circle, JVS, JFS, 
Kadima, JARC and more.
The honorees have been 
with OTD since the beginning. 
Naftaly was the original director 
and founder of the program, 
Citrin was the chair of all the 
OTD committees and Frank 
was involved in OTD com-
mittees and was almost like its 
“historian,
” according to Ellen 
Maiseloff, OTD’s senior director 

since 2007.
“We believe each child was 
unique, had their own ability, 
and we had to help them 
reach their potential.
” 
OTD helps people reach 
that potential with more 
than 10 different programs 
within the umbrella, such as 
Doors to the Future, fund-
ed by the Jewish Women’s 
Foundation where para-ed-
ucators provide one-on-
one, short-term early inter-
vention for students in early 
childhood centers. 
OTD’s School Inclusion 
Program, partially fund-
ed by the Zuckerman 
Klein Family Support 
Foundation Grant, pro-
vides students with full-
time classroom assistants 
for Jewish day school 
education. 
The Enhanced Learning 
Initiative provides day school 
teachers with professional 
development and other services. 
The program is partially funded 
by the Jewish Fund.
A featured film for the event 
will be The Influencer, featuring 
discussion with Elaine Hall, 
founder of the Miracle Project, 
an inclusive theater, film and 
expressive arts program for 
individuals off all abilities. 
“It’s exciting for us to have a 
public forum and share what we 
do, but we’re really hoping other 
families will say, ‘Hey, I didn’t 
know. Maybe I will give them a 
call,
’” Maiseloff said. 

For information, visit jccdet.org/otd25. 

JCC’s “Opening the Doors” has helped 
kids of varying abilities grasp Judaism.

Inclusive Learning
Program Turns 25

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Anita 
Naftaly

Susie Citrin

Peggy 
Frank

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