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View from the Gates: Shabbat

by Arlene Remz, executive director

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As we continue to celebrate Jewish Disability Awareness Month (JDAM), this special time offers me the opportunity to share with you one of the most gratifying parts of my job: hearing from parents about the many ways – each one as individual as our students – Gateways is changing their children, enriching their families and inspiring their Jewish journeys.

Shabbat is one of my favorite examples of this transformation (Bar/bat mitzvah is another. More on that in next week's blog). Even though Shabbat doesn't feel as special as such heavy-hitting Jewish holidays as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kipper and Passover, numerous commentators over the centuries have argued that this holiday that comes each and every week is actually the holiest – and most important -- of them all.

Here at Gateways we can see why. It's the Shabbat tunes our students hum in the car on their way home, the Shabbat stories they ask to have repeated over and over. Most of all, it's the Shabbat table where so many lessons learned in class come to life (See the three moving stories in the article above).

Each time one of our students sings out loud and proud the blessing over the challah, the candles, or the wine (or, more likely, the grape juice), each time she proudly pulls off the challah cover at just the right moment, it's a victory for all of us – and all of you who make Gateways possible with your support, I hope you enjoy our new, updated website and the Shabbat resources we've provided for you to download and print out to use at your Shabbat table or in your classroom. The wonderful thing is how helpful – and fun – these activities can be for our children, regardless of their learning style.

Stay tuned … for more news, stories and resources from the "Gates" throughout February in honor of JDAM.

Arlene

 

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View from the Gates: Special Needs Spotlighted at National Day School Conference

by arlene remz, executive director

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Just back from the greenery of California (very different from the white vistas here in Boston!), where I was one of three panelists for a fascinating workshop on "Different Models for Different Needs." It was heartening to see the enthusiasm for Jewish special needs education demonstrated by so many of the 600 participants in attendance – a wonderful group of leaders representing day schools across North America – and across the spectrum of Jewish religious practice.

After each of us on the panel described our organizations' vision and scope, I was surrounded by attendees from all over asking how Boston's Jewish community manages to serve so many students with special needs (we operate in 10 day schools, our own Sunday school, bar/bat mitzvah training program and teen youth group and, increasingly in congregational and community schools and Jewish pre-schools.)

I shared that one of the secrets to our success – besides our state-of the-art programs and phenomenal educators, therapists and specialists! – is our powerful partnerships with such generous funders as our wonderful federation Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), the visionary Ruderman Family Foundation and the creative young philanthropists at the Slingshot Fund, naming us one of America's top innovative Jewish organizations for the last two years. Would be happy to hear from any of YOU interested in exploring Gateways' model for inclusion of children with special needs -- and their families – in the sacred work of Jewish education.

 

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Why is Jewish Disability Awareness Month (JDAM) so important? 
by Arlene Remz, executive director

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Why is Jewish Disability Awareness Month (JDAM) so important? The celebration, now in its third year in communities across North America, not only lets everyone in on the wide variety of services available to people with disabilities and their families (too often a well-kept secret) but, just as important, JDAM raises awareness about this underserved 20 percent of our children and families.  

Here in Greater Boston, when you read over the Jewish Community Resources for People with Disabilities you’ll be amazed at how much we already have in place in our community.
  
And when you meet Marie (This issue’s “Voice from the Gates”), you’ll get a glimmer of what, working together, our communal resources can mean to families who have a member with special needs.

This month also saw a very exciting announcement: the foundation of a new Special Needs and Disabilities Network charged with elevating special needs services and disabilities advocacy among Jewish communities around the globe.

Slated to be housed at the Jewish Funders Network, the new initiative is charged with assessing the current state of funding of special needs programs in the Jewish community, identifying successes that can be duplicated on a larger scale, and bringing attention to underserved areas that would benefit from additional funding.

Here at Gateways, we’re delighted that our long-time partners Jay Ruderman and Sharon Shapiro of the Ruderman Family Foundation are the catalysts behind the new network. It grew out of last October’s ADVANCE conference which brought new awareness of the role of special needs advocacy and services within the Jewish world. ADVANCE, which gathered together more than 100 key Jewish funders, was convened by the Ruderman Family Foundation, along with JFN, Jewish Federations of North America and our own Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

We’re also proud of the other Gateways advocates, partners and board members involved in the new network, including Gateways board member and Vice President of Development Rachel and Larry Chafetz and the Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, visionary early funders of our innovative Mitzvah Mensches and B’nei Mitzvah training programs.

As JDAM, this month is a priceless opportunity to engage our synagogues, our schools, our agencies, our children and ourselves in welcoming and serving this important part of the Jewish people.

Even so, for our families and our agencies, and strong supporters like CJP and the Ruderman Family Foundation (See Jay’s powerful op-ed), all 12 months – actually, 13 in the Hebrew calendar this year -- are Jewish Disability Awareness Months too.

We invite you to join us in keeping the JDAM spirit alive. To learn more about our services or to become a Gateways supporter or volunteer, visit www.jgateways.org, e-mail info@jgateways.org or call us at (617) 630-9010.

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Voice at the Gate: Marie Strazzulla

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Marie Strazzulla is a 25-year-old who loves her job. Mostly because no two days are ever the same.

Some days find Marie in the Gateways: Access to Jewish Education office, stamping, filing, collating or her favorite task: shredding (“It’s heavy work but it’s fun.”)

Other days she’s at Gateways Sunday program, where she’s responsible for serving dozens of students their mid-morning snack.  “I like the kids,” she says. “I know a lot of the teen volunteers from Camp Ramah.”

Like so many other young adults in their first real job, Marie is proud of the new skills she’s learning every day.  And, because she has Down syndrome and lives in the Boston area, Marie was able to receive the kind of community support that both trained the Norwood resident and placed her in the job she now loves.

After high school, Marie enrolled in CHAI Works, a program of Jewish Family & Children’s Service designed to give adults with disabilities the kind of grounding in real-life work settings needed for jobs in either volunteer or paid positions. Then they make the match, finding just the right person for the job.

Last summer, when Gateways approached CHAI Works to help them find someone to work in their Newton office, Marie was ready and the “shidduch” was quickly made.  To help with the adjustment, her job coach came along the first couple of times. 

These days, Marie takes care of the office tasks that used to pile up, those chores the staff was always too busy to get around to. And each Sunday the students know Marie will appear in their classroom with a cart laden with tantalizing snacks.    

Marie’s presence has also had a positive impact on Gateways’ staff, reports Executive Director Arlene Remz. “What we didn’t realize in the beginning was that, in order to help Marie be successful, we needed to structure the work and be clear in our expectations, breaking things down step-by-step and making sure we were communicating well. It turned out that this is a skill that makes things better in all the work we do.”

In addition, she adds, “Marie’s success is a very real reminder of Gateways’ goals, the hopes and dreams for independence that we have for our students too.” 

Indeed, things have gone so well in the office that, early last fall, Marie was asked to add Sunday program responsibilities to her schedule.

But, as much as Marie’s loves her job, another topic that never fails to elicit unbounded enthusiasm is “I Love Lucy.” It turns out that, not only does Marie own DVDs containing every episode of the 195s hit series (the ones that make her laugh the loudest: Lucy’s grape-stomping, cupcake-manufacturing and candy-testing misadventures), but she’s also a storehouse of little-known Lucy trivia. A sampling: The exterior of the house used in the show was the star’s actual home, on Beverly Hills’ Lexington Street.  

Surprisingly, Marie says her favorite part of her job isn’t serving snack to the children or even the shredding, but just spending time with the Gateways staff. “It’s seeing all you guys and feeling sort of comfortable,” she says with a shy smile. “Everyone here helps me a lot.”

To learn more about Gateways, call (617) 630-9010, e-mail info@jgateways.org or visit www.jgateways.org. To learn more about CHAI Works, contact Doreen Cummings at (781) 693-5638 or dcummings@jfcsboston.org or visit www.jfcsboston.org.

 

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Jewish Boston's Community Resources for People with Disabilities

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“Beyond the Ramp” of the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston (JCCGB) raises community awareness of the needs of people with disabilities of all ages and their families. Contact Judy Pearl at (617) 558-6508 or specialneeds@jccgb.org

Case Management for Adults with Psychiatric Conditions works 1:1 with individuals with psychiatric challenges providing support in accessing a wide variety of community resources including housing, vocational opportunities, social programs, etc. For more information about this JF&CS program, contact Sandy Slavet at (781) 647-5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

Center for Jewish Special Education at Hebrew College is dedicated to expanding and strengthening educators' ability to support students with special needs through professional development, including online classes, onsite workshops and conferences, curriculum development and consultation. Contact Sandy Miller-Jacobs at (617) 559-8615 or smillerjacobs@hebrewcollege.edu.

CHAI (Community Housing for Adult Independence) of Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS) provides a range of options for adults with disabilities who want to live as independently as possible while enjoying community involvement and pursuing individual goals. Contact Sandy Slavet at (781) 693­5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

CHAI Works is JF&CS’ day support program offering opportunities for volunteering, internships, employment training and paid employment to adults with disabilities. Contact Doreen Cummings 781-693-5638 or dcummings@jfcsboston.org.

Chaverim Shel Shalom at JF&CS connects people with chronic mental illness to the Jewish community, offering holiday celebrations and opportunities for socialization. Contact at (781)-693-5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

Chaverim Chaim: Friends for Life, a program of JF&CS, the JCC and Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister provides monthly activities for adults with developmental disabilities that enhance Jewish identity and foster connections to the Jewish community. Contact Sandy Slavet at (781) -693-5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

CJP Disabilities Housing Initiative works to expand supportive housing in a holistic way so that people can live full lives with access to the wealth of opportunities in the Jewish community. Contact Elizabeth Sternberg at (617) 457-8593 or elizabeths@cjp.org.

CJP Disabilities Trust and Trust II helps families who have a child who have a disability (cognitive, psychiatric or physical) provide financial protection and lifetime personal advocacy. Contact Sandy Slavet at JF&CS at (781)-693-5640.

Disabilities Resource Network at Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS) offers help to access programs and services. Contact Sandy Slavet at (781)-693-5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

Family Futures Planning works with families who have a disabled adult (or older adolescent) plan for housing and support services independent of the family home. This service is provided through individual family consultation as well as group meetings and workshop. This is a program of JF&CS and is funding by the CJP Disabilities Housing Initiative. Contact Sandy Slavet at (781)-693­5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org

Gateways: Access to Jewish Education runs a Sunday school for children with special needs, bar/bat mitzvah training, a teen youth group and support services for students with special needs in day, community and congregation schools and Jewish preschools, plus coaching teachers in various Jewish learning settings to make their classrooms more welcoming to a range of learners. Call (617) 630-9010 or e-mail info@jgateways.org.

Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters (JBBBS) Friend 2 Friend Program matches volunteers and adults with disabilities in one to one friendships. JBBBS also provides caring adult volunteers for children, some of whom have mild to moderate special needs. Contact Jan Klein at 617-558-6548 or jan@jbbbs.org.

Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston (JCC) Special Needs Services offer a wide variety of programs for people with disabilities, including early identification and intervention for children aged 3-5, inclusive day and overnight camps and adapted physical and social programs for children, teens and adults. Contact Judy Pearl at (617) 558-6508 or specialneeds@jccgb.org.

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) advocates on behalf of people with disabilities on the state and federal level with key governmental and community representatives. Contact Aaron Agulnek at (617) 457-8674 or aagulnek@jcrcboston.org.

Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) programs include Connections, assisting Jews with disabilities in career planning, placement and on-the-job support; and Partnership for Careers and Learning, providing employment training to individuals with disabilities. Contact Rebecca Pyle at (617) 399-3204 or RPyle@jvs-boston.org.

K’Sharim: Connecting People with Disabilities to Jewish Life involves teens and adults with disabilities in all facets of synagogue life with monthly programs at area synagogues. Contact Sandy Slavet at (781)-693-5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

Stars of David is a social group for adults with disabilities, sponsored by Temple Emmanuel in Newton. Contact: Pamela Goldstein at (781) 986-0030 or mppg0030@msn.com.

Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities is a social and recreational and educational group affiliated with the Orthodox Union, for older teens and young adults with developmental disabilities and those on the autism spectrum. Contact Peshie Rubin at peshierubin@gmail.com or (347) 882-1512.

Yesodot offers Jewish family support to families with school aged children with disabilities. Yesodot provides social and recreational and respite opportunities for the entire family as well as workshops on such topics as transition planning, guardianship and housing. This is a respite program for children and young adults with Neurological disabilities. Contact Sandy Slavet at (781) 693-5640 or sslavet@jfcsboston.org.

Yom Sport is an annual sports day for adults with disabilities organized by JBBBS in partnership with CJP’s Young Leadership Division. Volunteers and athletes are invited to participate in a variety of sporting events for a day of fun. For more information, contact Jan Klein at 617-558-6548 or jan@jbbbs.org or visit www.yomsport.org.

A Time for Consciousness and Conscience: Jewish Disability Awareness Month
By Jay Ruderman

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Hannah’s mom never thought her daughter could find a Hebrew school that was right for her, much less have a bat mitzvah. But last June, after two years in an innovative bar/bat mitzvah class, Hannah, an honors student with Asperger’s Syndrome, proudly chanted her Torah portion before 100 friends and family.
 
Binny flashed a grin as he accepted his siddur at the ceremony with the other second-graders in his day school. But this moment could never have happened a decade ago for a little boy with Down’s Syndrome.

Third-grader Justin was either exploding in anger during Sunday school or crying in embarrassment, and his teacher was at her wit’s end. Two years later, not only did Justin enthusiastically perform an original song in front of the entire school, he also insisted on going to a Jewish camp last summer. And he had a wonderful time.   

These three Boston-area children – and their Gateways: Access to Jewish Education journeys – have much to teach us about Jewish continuity. What’s more, whether our generation engages – or fails to engage -- the nearly 20 percent of Jewish children and their families who live with a disability will determine how inclusive a community we will become. 

We know Jewish education holds the key to our people’s survival and always has. Making sure every one of our children receives that birthright is a driving force behind my family foundation’s partnership with Gateways, which makes Jewish education a reality for hundreds of children with special needs.

But, as we mark Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month across the country, we’re still up against a powerful enemy: ourselves. Although our tradition commands us, in the words of Ethics of the Fathers, to “teach a child according to his way,” we’ve developed another tradition: Closing our eyes and looking the other way when someone doesn’t measure up. The cost, we argue, is simply too high to include them.

For parents, learning to accept our children with special needs for who they are, and our own frustrations and disappointments is hard enough. But when our Jewish community turns its back on us, when our schools and shuls aren’t welcoming, it’s doubly painful and risks alienating all of us.  

The uphill battle for recognition got a boost this month as 14 national funders announced the birth of the Jewish Special Needs Funders Network. This new team grew out of last October’s ADVANCE: The Ruderman Jewish Special Needs Funding Conference, serving as a clarion call to funders large and small to face these difficult realities and to step up to do something about them.

Locally, the Boston area is already a laboratory for much of what this new network is aiming to accomplish. We have services in place for people with special needs -- not enough, but it’s a beginning -- for housing, job training and placement and social and athletic opportunities. From the unaffiliated to the Orthodox, Gateways and our other agencies transcend our differences by uniting us in a single holy purpose: reaching all of our children with the blessings of Jewish learning and life.

Our community demonstrates what a committed federation, foundations and other funders can do when we partner with direct service agencies to challenge the status quo for Jewish education for children with special needs in a broad range of educational settings.

Now Gateways, already Boston’s central address for special needs Jewish education, is broadening and deepening its reach into the world of congregational and community Hebrew schools and Jewish pre-schools. This expands on the hundreds already served in its Sunday school, 10 area day schools, bar/bat mitzvah program and teen youth group. All of which means an even bigger impact on the vibrant Jewish future G-d promised Abraham so long ago. Just as exciting, Gateways is beginning to share its innovative model with other Jewish communities across North America.

Anyone who contributes even small sums is a funder and the best way we can invest our resources is in high-impact organizations delivering long-lasting, transformative change for our people.  When we begin to respect, accept and educate children with special needs, it reminds us of what we stand for and we become the people our ancient tradition commands us to be.

“I felt sort of like a celebrity,” Hannah said of her special day. “All the encouragement I got at Gateways helped me know I could do it. My whole family was there and my grandmother gave me money for my college fund. I felt so proud and a little more grown-up than before.”

As we all look harder for the best ways to leverage our limited personal, institutional and community resources in ways destined to impact continuity, making sure our Jewish future includes Hannah and Binny and Justin too will make it – and all of us – that much stronger.

Jay Ruderman is President of the Boston-and-Israel-based Ruderman Family Foundation.

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Funders Unite to Launch Special Needs and Disabilities Network

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The Jewish Funders Network has announced the formation of a peer network of funders dedicated to elevating special needs and disability advocacy in the Jewish community.

The network is a 2 year initiative funded by the partners and administered by the Jewish Funders Network. An outgrowth of ADVANCE, the October 2010 conference on special needs held by The Ruderman Family Foundation, JFN, Jewish Federations of North America and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, the network’s goal is to assess the current state of funding of special needs programs in the Jewish community, identify successes that can be duplicated on a larger scale, and bring attention to underserved areas that would benefit from additional funding. The network will feature a dedicated staff director, whose appointment will be announced at a later date.

Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation said, “It is extremely gratifying to see how the ADVANCE conference has catalyzed the funding community around special needs issues. There is no question that a consensus is forming to elevate the whole discussion of special needs programming within the Jewish community, including finding ways to more fully integrate disabled and special needs individuals and families more fully into Jewish communal life.”

The network’s 14 founding members include, among others:

• The Stanford and Joan Alexander Foundation (TX);
• The Ted Arison Family Foundation (Israel);
• The J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation (NY);
• Rachel & Larry Chafetz (MA);
• The Jewish Federations of North America;
• The Karma Foundation (NJ);
• The Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation (NY);
• News Corporation Foundation (NY);
• Pears Foundation (UK);
• The Ruderman Family Foundation (MA and Israel);
• Saul Schottenstein Foundation B (OH); and
• The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc. (MD).

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Attention to Disabilities Seen Changing

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Gateways' partner Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation which has done so much to raise awareness of including people with special needs as full participants in Jewish life, said it all in this week's Jewish Week. In a terrific article titled, "Attention to Disabilities Seen Changing," Jay put his finger on "a critical mass or consensus that's emerging across the agency spectrum."

Gateways is proud to be in the forefront of that critical mass of programs delivering services to those who've been, until very recently, left outside the community for way too long. We're able to offer a Jewish education to children with special needs in a wide variety of educational settings, from day schools to our free-standing Sunday school to bar-bat mitzvah classes to, beginning this year, many of our local congregational and community schools too.

Stay tuned for February – Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month -- as Gateways brings you easy-to-use resources for home and class to help make our Jewish traditions more inclusive to all our children.

To see the entire Jewish Week article, click here.

 

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Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, in response to The New York Times December 4, 2010 article, "Hanukkah, Autism and One Temple's Run at a Miracle," cited Gateways programs and services as examples of what a forward thinking organization can provide for its community:

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Dear Editor:

Thank you for Samuel Freedman’s illuminating “Hanukkah, Autism and One Temple’s Run at a Miracle.” (On Religion, Dec, 4). It brought to light a serious challenge facing us today: making sure no Jewish child is denied their birthright: a place in the Jewish community – and the Jewish future.  

As fundamental as the worship services the Crown family sought for their daughter with autism is her right to a Jewish education that works for her. It’s tragic how many children with special needs have been turned away (“counseled out”) from our congregational and day schools over the years. But if they lived here in Boston, the Crowns could have brought Sadie to Gateways: Access to Jewish Education. The Gateways menu runs the gamut from learning specialists sent into day and congregational schools and preschools to training our educators to Gateways’ own free-standing Sunday school for youngsters with all kinds of special needs and bar/bat mitzvah training. All of us here salute Freedman for sharing this inspirational story, the Crowns for their perseverance and Rabbi Levine for leading all his congregants on the Jewish journey that’s right for them. 
  
Jay Ruderman
President, Ruderman Family Foundation

 

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Gateways thanks our partner, The Ruderman Family Foundation, for transforming the landscape of Jewish education for children with special needs.

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Embrace special needs in continuity conversation
By Jay Ruderman
Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which recently sponsored and chaired ADVANCE: The Ruderman Family Foundation Special Needs Funding Conference wrote the following Op-Ed in JTA:

BOSTON (JTA) -- Since the late 1980s the Jewish conversation -- and Jewish funding -- has orbited around the goal of Jewish continuity. Whether the cause is Jewish peoplehood, intermarriage, education or even Israel, ensuring our Jewish continuity inevitably grounds the discussion.

But one issue critical to continuity has been missing from the conversation for far too long: supporting our disabled and special needs populations.

With 14 percent of children in North America having special needs and an even larger percentage of people (young and old) living with a disability, hundreds of thousands of Jews in North America and around the world must forego Jewish experiences in order to participate in secular programs -- schools, camps, vocational services and more -- that meet basic developmental needs.

Even in major Jewish markets, families with disabled children struggle to engage in Jewish life. This summer, international media reported on the Samuels family of New York, who were forced to choose between providing a Jewish education for their daughter Caily, who was born with Down syndrome, and a secular program that would accommodate her special circumstances.

For a people who value fairness, inclusivity and justice, it's unacceptable that so many of our own are turned away in this manner. We need to tackle Jewish continuity head-on by ensuring that Jews with special needs have a place to live, learn and work within our communities.

As we mark the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I am issuing a challenge to the Jewish community to embrace special needs as a core part of the continuity conversation, and to take active roles in supporting the needs of the disabled. We cannot afford to ignore the issue of special needs because it is expensive or complex. It is critical to the future of our community and deserves to be prioritized.

If Jews with disabilities are turned away from Jewish schools, community centers and synagogues, that means the organized Jewish community is turning away an integral part of our community -- our children, siblings, parents, friends, neighbors and colleagues.

But by moving the bar in this one area, and supporting programs that enable Jews with disabilities to participate in all facets of Jewish life, we can create opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people living with special needs to lead meaningful and vibrant Jewish lives. I can't think of a more meaningful way to support continuity.

We've seen individual examples of programs that are making a real difference across the United States and internationally: * San Francisco's Bureau of Jewish Education has helped preschools, synagogues, JCCs and day schools come together with central agencies to ensure that Jewish learning is available to every student.

• With support from the UJA Federation of New York, the "Reelabilities" film festival has been able to raise awareness and promote appreciation for those with a range of disabilities.
• In Michigan, the Friendship Circle provides assistance and support to the families of children with special needs.
• Gateways: Access to Jewish Education enables more than 500 special-needs children in Boston to attend local Jewish day schools, where teachers and administrators are now trained to work with the children.
• Yachad provides Jewish programming and experiences in educational, recreational and social settings throughout the United States and Canada.
• And in Israel, Israel Unlimited, a partnership of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Israeli government and the Ruderman Family Foundation is engaged in integrating people with disabilities in the community.

These are all examples of pacesetting organizations making great strides on this issue. However, there are no mechanisms -- particularly in the funding community -- for sharing information and pursuing collaborative endeavors that perpetuate these regional programs. When and where it exists, support for disabled populations happens in silos, across regions, age groups, and a great variance of physical and cognitive disorders.

In order to effectively support the needs of our disabled populations, we must break down these barriers, so that shared learning and collaboration can benefit all.

This month, an international group of Jewish funders and nonprofit leaders convened in New York City to examine the opportunity gap that exists for disabled Jews, and to inspire collaboration in which private funders, federations and professionals can actively work together to build a more inclusive community.

The Ruderman Jewish Special Needs Funding Conference was an important step on the path toward building a more inclusive future, but it will require a greater communal response to make that goal a reality. We must commit to making "special needs" a priority topic within the larger continuity conversation, and take action to bring all people with disabilities back into the folds of Jewish life.

(Jay Ruderman is the president of The Ruderman Family Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of people with special needs in the Greater Boston area and Israel.)

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Sweet Sounds Speeches & Highlights

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Annual Sweet Sounds event a huge success! Click here to view highlights.

 

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Gifts from Gateways: Hanukkah at Home

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Posted on 9 December 2010 | 5:55 pm| Rachel S.

The first night of Hanukkah was a little hectic; I was running late getting home from work, the kids were a little wild, and my husband was somewhat stressed from the challenges of having gone back to school as a nontraditional college student.

But in the midst of the chaos, in my possession I had a valuable tool: printouts of the Hanukkah blessings, created in Boardmaker by Gateways special education teacher Rebecca Redner.

Our kids, Joshua (aged 5, PDD-NOS, Gateways Sunday Program student) and Eva (aged almost-3, developmentally typical), thought that these printouts were awesome.  They didn't quite get the following along part the first night, and they were a little confused by not having the third blessing (Shehecheyanu) on the second night. But these didn't matter, because, thanks to the printouts, both of them could participate.  Joshua was able to read the transliterations and translations and see how they related to the whimsical graphics, and Eva was able to look at the graphics and match them to the sung words.  Saba and Granna joined us for the weekend, and the children shared the Boardmaker blessings with them as well.  Each evening, it's been difficult to get them to let go of the sheets and put them away; they want to read them over and over again.

The truth is, both of our children love Gateways. Joshua has huge amounts of fun with Shanna and Miriam and his volunteer Max, who always greets me after class and tells me about the morning.  Eva frequently tries to appropriate Joshua's Gateways art projects, and every Sunday, when I bring Joshua to Gateways, Eva insists on coming with me, saying with great pride: "MY Hebrew school!"

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Gateways FREE Early Learning Series (GELS), Workshops for Parents and Professionals, Kicking Off Dec.15

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Posted on 2 December 2010 | 4:36 pm

Night terrors, distractibility and tantrums.  Playdates, pouting and power struggles.

The behavior of small children can puzzle – and confound -- even the most experienced parent or teacher.

Now Gateways is here to demystify their behavior and help parents and professionals alike navigate even the most challenging situations, and maximize learning during these key formative years.

Starting December 15 at the JCC in Newton is a series of free workshops led by Gateways developmental educators, guest experts and national book authors.    

To fit everyone’s schedules, educators are invited during the afternoon sessions and parents (grandparents too!) in the evenings. Note to educators: You can get PDP credits for these workshops by attending either the afternoon or evening sessions.

Gateways Early Learning Series (GELS)

Workshops for Developing Life Skills in Preschool: Confronting the Questions that Nag Parents &  Professionals*

 

 

 

Inside/Outside: Getting the Kids Ready for Winter
Wednesday, December 15.  3-5 p.m. for Educators, 7-8:30 p.m. for Parents     
Presenter: Gateways Occupational Therapist Shana Krell

Take home activities designed to develop preschoolers’ competence and confidence.

The Power of Pictures and Words Together

 

 

 

January 12.  3-5 p.m. for Educators, 7-8:30 p.m. for Parents    
Presenters: Gateways Developmental Educators Sherry Grossman and Judy Weinberg

Explore the power of visual cues and stories to teach children about the world they live in. Make and take samples to use in class or at home.

Building Relationships through Parent-Teacher Conferences

 

 

 

February 16. 3-5 p.m. for Educators, 7-8:30 p.m. for Parents
Presenters: Gateways Developmental Educators Sherry Grossman and Judy Weinberg

Teachers serve as parents’ eyes and ears during the school day. Learn how both parties can optimize this key partnership for growth.

Is it a Big Problem or a Little Problem?    

Wednesday March 9. 3-5 p.m. for Educators, 7-8:30 p.m. for Parents    

 

 

 

Guest presenters: Judi Greenberg and Amy Freedman, co-authors of Is it a Big Problem or a Little Problem?

Learn when a behavior requires early intervention, and how to work together to ensure the best environment for optimum development.

Another Lens on Preschoolers

 

 

 

Thursday, April 7. 3-5 p.m. for Educators, 7-8:30 p.m. for Parents  
Guest presenter: Gateways and Newton Public Schools Preschool Special Educator Linda Sternberg

Take home a new ‘bag of tricks’ to help with difficult transitions both at home and in school.

What is Play Anyway? 

 

 

 

Wednesday, May 11. 3-5 p.m. for Educators, 7-8:30 p.m. for Parents  
Presenters: Gateways Developmental Educators Sherry Grossman and Judy Weinberg

Play is a child’s job. How do we support children to enter and sustain their play in constructive ways?

*PDPs available for all educators

All presentations are free of charge & open to the public

And held at the Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton Room 409

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What are Gateways Parents and Teen Volunteers Thankful for This Thanksgiving?

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Posted on 30 November 2010 | 10:11 am

  

Thanksgiving has emerged as a day of family togetherness and overeating. But, at its core, it’s an invitation to focus on those things that support and uplift our lives.

And a chance for parents of students in Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, Boston’s central address for Jewish educational programs for children with special needs, to weigh in on what they’re thankful for this year.

Alan Crane, Gateways Board President:

"I’m thankful for the incredibly broad base of support that the Boston community has provided to Gateways as exemplified by the hundreds of attendees at our annual Sweet Sounds event. Our community has truly embraced the fundamental Jewish value of helping those with special needs. I am also so incredibly thankful as both a board member and a parent for the amazing Gateways staff under the leadership of Arlene Remz -- for each member of our staff, Gateways is far more than just a job, it is a passion."

Rachel Sommer:

"Our son has always loved Jewish stories and activities. This year, we are thankful that he's in the Gateways Sunday program, because unlike other programs, he does not have to drop back with the preschoolers or feel like he's being pushed too hard with typical children his age, so we know that he's really learning about Judaism and will be able to build upon his experiences and even learn Hebrew. He loves having his own teen volunteer, and we are comfortable knowing that his volunteer will take good care of him each Sunday."

Elisa Deener-Agus:

"I am grateful for Arlene Remz for her inspired leadership and vision; for Gateways program coordinators for their thoughtful program oversight; for Gateways specialists and staff for their skilled instruction, affectionate support, dedicated perseverance, and unfailing ability to recognize and build on a child’s strengths; and for all of the day school administrators and teachers who partner with Gateways to provide our children with a truly extraordinary Jewish education."

Debbie and Hershel Ellenbogen:

"We’re thankful that our son has such wonderful, caring, dedicated teachers, support staff and therapists who work so well together to make sure that he can have the best possible educational experiences in the SHAS second grade."

And these from some Gateways’ teen volunteers who are such an integral part of Gateways’ Jewish Education Program:

Rachel Warshaw:

"I am thankful for my opportunity to volunteer at Gateways. I am very happy that I am able to enrich the lives of the children with Jewish values and lifelong skills."

Josh Harlow:

"I am thankful for a place to use my music to help people."

Sarah Grace:

"I am thankful for the opportunity for getting to see these amazing kids thrive and grow."

Brett Gershkowitz:

"I’m thankful for the close community in my Gateways class – the kids look out for each other and the volunteers look out for each other too."

And one of the teen volunteers says it for everyone here at Gateways this Thanksgiving:

Ilana Mael:

"I am thankful for the fact that we live in such as warm Jewish community that allows education for everybody."

  

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Gateways: Access to Jewish Education Celebrates Its Past, Embraces Its Future

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Posted on 23 November 2010 | 4:22 pm

What a day! Last Sunday, not only did more than 400 supporters come out to celebrate Gateways' innovative and transformative impact on so many of our children and families, but we were able to salute some very special pioneers of Jewish education for all our children.

There were emotional standing ovations for Jennifer and Erik Bittner,  whose vision and determination ensured that Boston-area children with special needs could receive the Jewish education that's right for them. And for Gateways' outgoing Day School Program Director Sue Schweber, for her years of hard work, partnering with our day schools to welcome students with special needs.

But the real star of the day was Noah Bittner, a proud Gateways graduate who, even after his bar mitzvah, continues to take part in Jewish social action projects in our Mitzvah Mensches teen program.

In introducing his parents, Noah showed us all what a charismatic and engaging speaker he is.  My personal favorite part of his speech was when he looked up at the hundreds of smiling grown-ups in front of him and said, "When I was in middle school, I told my teachers that autistic kids were just like other kids, only they needed more help. At Gateways, when I have a problem, the teachers take care of it…. I learned about being Jewish from my Mom and Dad, and from Gateways."

As our great friend and supporter, CJP President Barry Shrage, told the audience on Sunday: "We need to engage and educate every Jewish soul and, thanks to Gateways, our community now has the opportunity to make that dream come true."

On behalf of Noah and all the other children and families who Gateways reaches each year, I want to personally thank all of you -- our supporters and volunteers, our committed and talented staff and the families who entrust your children to us so we can help, in the words of the Ethics of the Fathers, to "teach each child according to his way."   --Arlene Remz, Executive Director

 

Please join us! To learn how a child can access the Gateways program that's right for them -- or to become a Gateways volunteer or supporter -- call us at 617.630.9010, e-mail us at info@jgateways.org or visit us online at www.jgateways.org!

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Chocolate on Parade: Gateways "Sweet Sounds" this Sunday

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Posted on 16 November 2010 | 12:26 pm

Maybe you already knew that the US produces more chocolate than any other country and that each of us inhales an average of 11 pounds of the sweet, gooey stuff each year, some 1.4 billion pounds in total.

And maybe you already knew that here in the Northeast (along with the Midwest), we consume more of it than folks in the South, Southwest, West or Mid-Atlantic states.

But we’re betting you didn’t know there’s a Jewish Boston historical link to chocolate, the gustatory theme of Sweet Sounds, Gateways: Access to Jewish Education’s Big Event on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 21.

Turns out that Dorchester, the former epicenter of Jewish Boston, was once home to Walter Baker Chocolate. It was founded by baking chocolate pioneer Dr. James Baker who proudly coined the term (and shameless name pun) "baking chocolate."

Speaking of pioneers, you’ll have the opportunity at this Sunday’s Gateways event (4-6 p.m. at Mishkan Tefila in Chestnut Hill) to honor and thank three pioneers of Jewish education for our community’s children with special needs: Jennifer and Erik Bittner and Sue Schweber.

You’re also invited to sample a cornucopia of brownies and mousse, chocolate-dipped strawberries and apricots and of course the perfect classic chocolate chip cookie.

It’s enough to make old Doc Baker proud.

Tickets for "Sweet Sounds: An Afternoon of Jazz and Chocolate" ($50) are still available and walk-ins are welcome. For more on the event (or the menu!), contact Debi Golden at debi@jgateways.org or 617-630-9010, ext. 113.

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Walk-ins Welcome at Gateways' Nov. 21 Afternoon of Jazz and Chocolate

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Posted on 9 November 2010 | 4:45 pm

How to honor Etgar L’Noar founders Jennifer and Erik Bittner, recognize Jewish Special Education Collaborative (JSEC) pioneer Sue Schweber and celebrate the children with special needs who can now get a Jewish education that’s right for them, thanks to Gateways: Access to Jewish Education?

Event Chairs Rachel Chafetz, Dena Rashes and Sharon Shapiro invite the entire community to Sweet Sounds: An Afternoon of Jazz and Chocolate, 4-6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 21 at Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Chestnut Hill. The cost is $50 and walk-ins are welcome! Want to learn more? Reserve your spot? Call Debi Golden at 617-630-9010, ext. 113 or e-mail her at debi@jgateways.org.

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She Wouldn't Take 'No' for an Answer: Sue Schweber

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Posted on 2 November 2010 | 4:59 pm

As a freshman at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Sue Schweber and a few other students convinced the university to give credits for Jewish history classes. But that was just a beginning. Sue later worked with student and faculty groups to establish the Judaic Studies department. Along the way, she helped organize the school’s kosher kitchen in the student union.

That’s who Sue Schweber is, someone who thrives on making things happen against all odds.  

"Maybe I'm stubborn or won't take ‘no’ for an answer, but somehow I always come into something when people are ready to give up," she says with a trademark grin. "Every time someone says it can't be done that spurs me on."  

And those lessons from her UMass Amherst years live on. "What I learned in college is that, to create change, you need to take small steps, be patient and bring the right people together who share the same passion to make it happen."

Though her hard-of-hearing mom dreamed of her daughter going into audiology, Sue chose to pursue the related fields of linguistics, speech and language, education and psychology, with Jewish Studies added when it was finally a department. After finishing up at UMass and completing a graduate degree in Speech and Language Pathology and later a certificate in Language Learning Disabilities, Sue spent a decade creating preschool and early screening programs and working with students of all ages with special needs in the Walpole Public Schools. Later as a key player in creating the mission, philosophy and curriculum of the South Area Solomon Schechter Day School, it was important to her that "the school begin with a strong philosophy of appreciating learning differences."

In 1991 Sue received the phone call that would give her the greatest challenge of her career. It was a Sharon dad named Joel Wine saying he and a few other parents were hoping she’d help them get something pretty ambitious off the ground. They’d heard from Jane Cohen at Schechter that Sue was a speech-language pathologist who loves students with special needs and the challenge of turning vision into reality. What they had in mind: weaving a supportive web to enable kids with special needs to attend Jewish day schools.

 "I love to solve problems," Sue says. "And I loved the idea of helping students get a day school education who wouldn’t have otherwise had that chance."

Meeting with the heads of the three South Area schools, Sue asked them what they were missing to serve every child who comes to them. "The expertise," they answered.

"I said, ‘If we provided you the expertise, do you want it?’ They all said ‘yes.’ I gulped. I had just promised that there would be a program up and running in September."

Though the start-up Jewish Special Education Collaborative (JSEC)’s first goal was to enable at-risk students to remain at their day schools, everyone involved soon realized their special education techniques "could help students who were struggling and maybe even help others attend who would never have had the chance before." 

By the time JSEC joined with Etgar L’Noar to form Gateways in 2006, it had doubled to six schools. Now, 165 children in 11 area day schools receive the special education support they need to be able to thrive there.    

"What amazed me from the first was the trust the parents had in us," Sue recalls. "We had their collaboration every step of the way."

One of Sue’s first rules for administering the growing program was to spend time in the schools.  "I knew I had to be there to really understand their culture and their students, their teachers and their needs." Which is why for most of her years as an administrator Sue insisted on carrying her own speech and language caseload. 

"It’s about working as a team," she adds. "When change belongs to everyone involved, everyone’s excited about it and it’s not just us forcing the change but everyone working together and really wanting it."     

Throughout the years, "When someone says this child can’t learn, it lights a fire under me. There's always a way, we just haven’t found it yet. We can never say, ‘oh well, we tried.’"

Now, as she retires from her role as Gateways Day School Program Director, supervising two coordinators and 19 therapists, Sue says she has every confidence the programs she helped build will continue to grow and make all the difference in children’s lives. And she promises to stay on part-time as a consultant. 

"Our first students are in high school now, and many still use our strategies but don’t need us with them anymore," she says. "Watching our students be successful is one of the most incredible thrills you could imagine."

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Nov. 21: Chocolate, Jazz and Your Chance to Thank Gateways Pioneers

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Posted on 27 October 2010 | 2:11 pm

There are many who can dream a dream, but few can turn that dream into a reality that vastly improves the lives of countless children and families. Twelve years ago, Erik and Jennifer Bittner dreamed their 8-year-old son with autism could have a Jewish education and they never gave up on the dream, or on Nathan.  With six children enrolled, the Bittners started the first Etgar L’Noar class a year later … and they never looked back.

From those original six have sprung a generation of children from around the Boston area who receive a Jewish education that’s right for them, with an innovative menu of multi-sensory strategies in a warm and welcoming classroom setting.

In fact, over the last decade, more than 30 young adults have been able to become bar and bat mitzvah, the Jewish rite-of-passage, a milestone they could only have dreamed of just a few years earlier.

In 2006, Etgar L’Noar merged with the Jewish Special Education Collaborative (JSEC), a program designed to help children with special needs thrive in area day schools. Now Gateways: Access to Jewish Education is the central address for Jewish special education in Greater Boston, offering a menu of programs, services and professional development training and support to help educators meet the needs of all their students.

On November 21, you are invited to enjoy an afternoon of chocolate and jazz, to honor – and thank – the Bittners, and recognize Sue Schweber, a co-founder of JSEC who’s retiring as Gateways Day School Program Director. The afternoon will also be an opportunity to celebrate and support the children with special needs who can now receive a Jewish education that’s right for them, thanks to Gateways.

To succeed in creating this program unlike anything that had ever existed in Boston before, it helped to be a little ‘tone-deaf,’ Jennifer says. "If someone ever said, ‘You can’t do that because it’s never been done before,’ we never were able to hear that. ‘No’ was never an answer we could hear. So if we were pioneers it was only in the sense that we were naive enough to do what had to be done and ignore any negative feedback.

Urging the Bittners on was the realization that their son and other children with special needs want to learn Jewishly, often appreciating the opportunity far more than other kids. "Anyone who’s seen a Gateways kid’s bar or bat mitzvah can’t help but be moved by it," said Erik. "Whether they can chant the entire Torah portion or just the first three words of the Shema, they get it that they’re doing something very special. They enjoy it all: the ceremony, the pomp and the circumstance."

Jennifer and Erik agree there’s great gratification that every Sunday kids from all over Greater Boston gather to enjoy a Jewish education that would have otherwise been denied them. But, not content with their initial pioneering role, the Bittners have continued to guide the growth of Etgar L’Noar, now Gateways, every step of the way. Jennifer was longtime co-president of Etgar L’Noar while Erik served as its treasurer, then, after the merger, as president of Gateways.

"Gateways would not be Gateways today without their leadership," says Gateways Executive Director Arlene Remz. "They had the passion and the vision to see the growth potential of a merged organization and helped guide the entire merger process."

This past summer, five years after he made history with his own bar mitzvah, their son was able to step up to bless the Torah at his little sister’s bat-mitzvah, along with his 14-year-old brother who’s also a Gateways student. "It was a very big deal for them and for all of us, but though there were tears, no one seemed surprised," said Jennifer. "In just 12 years, there’s now an acceptance in our community that all Jewish kids, no matter what their ability, deserve to have a Jewish education.

Sweet Sounds is set for 4-6 p.m. at Congregation Mishkan Tefila, 300 Hammond Pond Pkwy., Chestnut Hill. The cost: $50 per person. For information or to RSVP, e-mail debi@jgateways.org or call 617.630.9010, ext. 113.

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Gateways: Access to Jewish Education Tagged as a Slingshot Top 10 Innovative Jewish Nonprofit

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Posted on 20 October 2010 | 11:24 am

Selected to Receive Slingshot Fund Innovation Grant for Second Year Running

Gateways: Access to Jewish Education has been singled out as one of the nation’s Top 10 most innovative Jewish nonprofits by the Slingshot Fund. Its just-released resource guide for Jewish innovation identifies 50 trailblazing organizations tackling the key challenges of Jewish life in the 21st century.

In addition, Gateways is, for the second year running, ranked in the Top 10 organizations to receive a $37,000 capacity-building grant from the Slingshot Fund. The Fund is the creation of a group of next-generation Jewish philanthropists who launched it four years ago as a collective-giving mechanism to support innovations in Jewish life. To date, the Slingshot Fund has contributed nearly $1.5 million to the most forward-thinking Jewish nonprofits on the scene today.

Gateways, the central address for Jewish education for children with special needs in the Boston area, provides a broad menu of programs and services that create educational opportunities that meet each child’s unique abilities and needs.

"All of us here at Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, our staff, therapists, teachers, parents, trustees and supporters, are deeply gratified to be recognized by a grant from the Slingshot Fund," says Gateways Executive Director Arlene Remz, who accepted the award yesterday at a ceremony in New York City. "It's especially rewarding, given Slingshot's focus on identifying and

nurturing innovation and vision throughout the Jewish community, that they saw fit to award us a grant for the second year in a row." 

According to Remz, the grant will allow Gateways to "further develop and document our ground-breaking program models so they can be shared with other communities to help children with special needs enjoy the Jewish education that is their birthright, and expand our professional development programs. And now we'll be able to work with even more educators in Jewish congregational schools, day schools and preschools so they can better meet the needs of every child -- and family -- who comes through their doors."  

According to Will Schneider, the Director of Slingshot, "2010 was the most competitive year that Slingshot has experienced. Not only are there a greater number of applicants each year, but the extent and complexity of each applicant’s impact has increased. In order to receive a grant from the Slingshot Fund, not only did these ten organizations have to pass the rigorous evaluation process to get into Slingshot ‘09/’10, but were then vetted, interviewed, and analyzed by 30 next generation members of the Slingshot Fund."

The Slingshot guidebook commends Gateways as having "built a remarkable bridge across denominations to knock down the barriers that stand between Jewish children with special needs and a Jewish education. At Gateways, children with special needs are able to attend Hebrew school, become a bar or bat mitzvah, and experience Jewish life in ways they have never before been able to access."

Adds Slingshot member Ariella Lis: "Our Board sees Gateways as paving the way for Jewish education, Jewish culture and a multi-sensory approach to Hebrew, the whole package. Without Gateways, there would be no Jewish education for so many children."

To learn more about Gateways, call 617.630.9010, e-mail info@jgateways.org, or visit www.jgateways.org.

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Meeting a Community's Special Needs: First-ever Ruderman Foundation Conference Challenges Jewish Funders

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Posted on 15 October 2010 | 2:04 pm

Next week, as more than 100 funders gather in New York to consider how the community can meet the needs of some of its family members with special needs, history will ADVANCE toward a more inclusive Jewish future.

ADVANCE: The Ruderman Jewish Special Needs Funding Conference is the first of its kind: a clarion call to funders large and small to face some often difficult realities: an estimated 20 percent of all Jews have some sort of disability and, as a community, we have a tradition of looking away.

The Ruderman Family Foundation is determined to change all that, as evidenced by years of funding programming for Jewish youngsters with special needs in the US and Israel. Now it is hosting this conference to challenge other funders and professionals in the field to follow suit. Partners include such heavy hitters as The Jewish Federations of North America and Jewish Funders Network, along with Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Included on the panel on Formal Educational Opportunities will be Alan Oliff, Director of CJP’s Initiatives for Day School Excellence and Arlene Remz, Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, Greater Boston’s central address for Jewish education for children with special needs.

"The Jewish community is very concerned about continuity, but we can not afford to ignore our children with special needs," says Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman. "If a synagogue or a JCC or a day school or Israel program turns away a child with special needs, they’re not only rejecting that child, but turning the entire family away from Judaism. That’s not something we can afford to do to 20 percent of our families."

To learn more about ADVANCE and the Ruderman Family Foundation’s work on behalf of Jews with special needs, visit www.rudermanfoundation.org. For more about Gateways: Access to Jewish Education’s innovative programs for Jewish children with special needs, visit www.jgateways.org. 

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Step Up to GPS (Gateways Project Shoe)

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Posted on 12 October 2010 | 3:55 pm

   

Gateways Executive Director Arlene Remz donates the first pair of shoes to GPS: Gateways Project Shoe. Bring YOUR gently used shoes to LimmudBoston Oct. 31 and, not only are you doing a mitzvah, but you also can win a prize!

Those shoes that you haven’t worn for a while, the ones tossed in the back of your closet, just might fit someone who’s barefoot on the other side of the globe. And in what may be its most creative ­­-- and sole-ful -- fundraiser yet, Gateways is ready to make the match.

Now, through its new GPS (Gateways Project Shoe), Gateways: Access to Jewish Education is collecting gently used shoes of all sizes for those in Africa who need them most (no boots, please!) while, at the same time, supporting Jewish education for Boston-area youngsters with special needs.

Your old shoes can also make you a winner. GPS will "kick off" at LimmudBoston on Oct. 31, and anyone who brings in shoes qualifies for prizes at the GPS Donor Raffle, to be held that day. (And, no, you need not be present at the drawing to win).  

Not only do you have the satisfaction of helping two worthy causes: families who will appreciate having the shoes and children who need Gateways’ educational programs and services to enable them to receive the Jewish education that’s right for them … but you end up with lots more room in your closet.

Want to hear more? Contact Deborah at deborah@jgateways.org or 617.630.9010, ext. 114 or Debi at debi@jgateways.org or 617.630.9010, ext. 113.

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Gateways Mom Speaks her Heart - and her Hope - to CJP Leadership

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Posted on 5 October 2010 | 4:22 pm

 

As featured speaker for its Annual Meeting and Campaign Kick-Off, Combined Jewish Philanthropies could have chosen a superstar to wow their hundreds of supporters with erudition, charm and power.

But instead the person CJP selected to address the crowd from the dais at New Bridge on the Charles Sept. 21 was a mom whose life, family and future have been transformed in deep and lasting ways by one of the smaller agencies CJP supports: Gateways: Access to Jewish Education.

"When I walk into Gateways on Sunday mornings, it does not feel simply like a program that is trying to accept various children with special needs," Cindy Kaplan of Newton told the audience, in a voice both soft and strong. "It feels like a place where truly every special child belongs and deserves their Jewish education."

Cindy spoke of her daughter Mira who, at nearly 9, is beginning her third year in Gateways’ Sunday program.  "When we first learned about Gateways several years ago, I was a bit hesitant to send Mira at first because everything in Mira’s world was integrated and Gateways was specifically for children with special needs."

Mira has cerebral palsy, she explained. "And, while she continues to make progress in many areas, on her own timeline, she is not yet walking on her own and is non-verbal.  Vocal? yes. Verbal, no," she added with a grin as the crowd sat in rapt attention to hear every one of Cindy’s words and watch the photos of Mira in her Gateways classroom flash on the screen.

"When Mira was about to enter first grade, a time when many children start attending Sunday school, I thought to myself, ‘This kid loves her Judaism!’  She beams when we sing Bim Bam as we welcome Shabbat into our home, she bounces with joy as we sing the blessings and she takes pride in her role of removing the challah cover.  Enrolling her in a typical Sunday school program would be difficult, if not impossible, so we decided to give Gateways a try." 

Cindy recalls well the Sunday she took the plunge -- and brought Mira in. "I remember handing her over to her high school volunteer her first morning at Gateways and being struck by the fact that I told this young woman less about my child than any other caregiver we have had, yet somehow I felt incredibly secure, trusting and relaxed. .. While Mira does not speak, she is very expressive and we know that she loves going to Sunday school every week. She enters and leaves with a smile on her face. 

What Mira learns in the classroom with her peers, blessings, songs, holidays and rituals, she carries over to our home, our synagogue, and beyond … Gateways has helped Mira learn that Judaism belongs to her, each member of her family and the larger community."  This feeling of community works in another way as well, she added. "When Gateways held its Purim carnival this past year, my older son helped out with both set up and running a station. He did not want to leave. It is a great feeling knowing that all three of my children are very comfortable and welcomed at Gateways."

Cindy mentioned another Gateways benefit as well. "Rather than taking an existing curriculum and adapting it for the kids, the Gateways curriculum has been developed from the very start in a way that figures out how to provide access for each child in the program.  We even brought one ritual from Gateways to Mira’s public school." 

"This year we will start to prepare my son for becoming a Bar Mitzvah.  I also know with complete confidence that in a few years, with the support and education of Gateways, we will begin planning for Mira to become a Bat Mitzvah as well.

o learn more about how Gateways helps children get the Jewish education that’s right for them, contact Jewish Education Programs Coordinator Nancy Mager at nancym@jgateways.org or 617.630.9010, ext. 104.

Watch Mira in her Gateways Class!

This video featuring Mira and her classmates was made last spring for Rachel, a fellow student who was in the hospital.

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Swinging Open the Gates for a Different Kind of Bar/Bat Mitzvah Training

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Posted on 27 September 2010 | 2:45 pm

A bar or bat mitzvah is something a Jewish child really looks forward to. But is a large-class setting right for every child?  Meet Hannah who, like so many others, was able to celebrate this important Jewish milestone thanks to Gateways' innovative Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program.

 

June 13 of this year a very special event took place at the Marriott in Newton, Massachusetts. Hannah Trombly was certainly not the first area teenager to have her bat mitzvah there, but that day was the culmination of a transformative two-year journey for the Newton eighth-grader.

Her mother Amy Trombly, tutor Michelle Gary and Hannah herself all agree: Hannah did not want to join the bar/bat mitzvah class at Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, which provides Jewish learning programs for children with special needs.

"I kept telling them I didn’t belong there," Hannah says now. "I didn’t care about being Jewish and I definitely didn’t want to go to that class."

It was by all reports a slow thaw for Hannah, an honors student who has Asperger’s Syndrome, a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum. "We witnessed an amazing change, from Hannah simply standing up, to mouthing the words, to reciting them and eventually singing the prayers," Gary recalls. "She even started coming to Gateways’ Mitzvah Mensches, an inclusive social action youth group program."

Hannah’s favorite part of Gateways? "You do fun stuff and you’re always welcome there and the teachers are so nice and friendly and encouraging. There were lessons I learned there that I can use later in life." 

One of those lessons, says Gateways Jewish Education Programs Coordinator Nancy Mager who was in the third row that June day, is that students in this class learn what it means to be a Jewish adult. "We want them to understand the responsibilities to take care of themselves, their family and their community, to be a good citizen and good role model," she says. "In addition to learning to read Hebrew -- using Gateways’ innovative multi-sensory technique -- her Torah portion and the prayers, I saw Hannah learn that the values she always had are actually Jewish."

As the day she’d worked so hard for arrived, Hannah admits she was "very nervous."  She knew her family and Gateways teachers and friends would be out front and Rabbi Luchans would be by her side.  "But I had trouble singing in front of my Hebrew teachers so 100 people would be 100 times worse!"

But it wasn’t.

Like generations of bar and bat mitzvah kids before her, Hannah recited flawlessly the prayers and the Torah portion she’d practiced so many times in  class and at home.   

"I felt sort of like a celebrity," Hannah says of that day. "And all the encouragement I got at Gateways helped me know I could do it.  It was kind of emotional for me…. All my family was there and my Grandma gave me money for my college fund.  I felt so proud and a little more grown-up than before."

"Somehow, the practice, support, encouragement and love all came together," says her mom. "I saw Hannah grow up before my eyes. Looking at the young woman who, two years ago, refused to participate in class, standing in front of a crowd of close friends and family, reading her Torah portion and chanting her prayers, was a moment that was so full of pride and love, it is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I know how hard Hannah worked and how much effort she put into those few moments … Hannah learned what I already knew, that if she can do this, she can do anything else she sets her mind to."

There are still openings for this fall’s Gateways Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program, which prepares kids with a variety of learning disabilities and other special needs who, like Hannah, would benefit from its small class size and individualized learning plans. The class welcomes students age 11 and up from across Greater Boston, and runs each Thursday afternoon from 4:30-6:00 in Newton.    

Want to hear more? Contact Jewish Education Programs Coordinator Nancy Mager at nancym@jgateways.org or 617-630-9010, ext. 104.

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Apple Picking with Gateways

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Posted on 20 September 2010 | 12:16 pm

   

Last Sunday was unseasonably cool and cloudy for early September. But the chill in no way detracted from the warmth of the day for the 67 kids, moms, dads and even a few grandparents gathered at Belkin Family Lookout Farm in South Natick as personal guests of owners Joan and Steve Belkin.

It was a kick-off event for Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, which provides Jewish educational opportunities to children with special needs across Greater Boston. And youngsters wearing windbreakers over their purple Gateways T-shirts could be found reaching high into trees for apples and pears destined for pies and cobblers.

   

While picking fruit, kids and parents greeted each other and caught up on how they’d spent their summers. But it was when the farm shuttle dropped them at the children’s play area that the fun began in earnest. Featuring a petting zoo, a burlap maze and rope climb, the area also offers rides on real-live ponies -- and one remarkably patient camel.

Indeed, there was so much to do that mom Debbie Berechman described the event as "a wonderful opportunity to more than fill Eitan’s sensory needs." 

And sometimes even to push themselves beyond their own limits. With her dad David close by her side, Diya Holladay made her way slowly up to the top of the rope climb despite her significant visual impairment. "Diya definitely knows this is part of the Gateways program," her father said afterwards. "And she’s having a great time."

Indeed, Dena Rashes, Co-chair of Sweet Sounds, Gateways’ Nov. 21 annual event, saw her family’s morning at the farm as "providing a unique opportunity to be together in an activity where everyone can participate equally and find their own success."

It was also a sweet and social way to transition from summer to fall, said Amy Cory, on hand with husband Ethan and sons Jesse and Jacob. "We love seeing everyone having fun before easing back into the school year."

Getting the chance "to chat with Gateways families outside the classroom" topped Marni Levitt’s list of benefits. Whereas for son Ari it was the chance to watch the baby goats and ride on the camel which, he pointed out, "is actually a dromedary."

And the fact that the families enjoyed harvesting apples together was a tangible reminder of where we are in the Jewish year, says Nancy Mager, Gateways Jewish Education Program Coordinator. "It brings home the celebrations of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot in ways they can experience, enjoy and remember for years to come." 

For one Gateways family, the reunion had an even greater poignancy. Rachel Murphy had missed the second half of last school year, having spent months in the hospital. Now that she’s out and ready to return to her Sunday Gateways class, the whole family is celebrating.

"We’re all excited about the new year," said her mom Elisa. "This is a wonderful re-introduction to all her friends and one of the best weekends we’ve had as a family. "What a gift you are to us!"

   

To find out how you can get involved, and learn more about Gateways programs, call 617-630-9010 or e-mail info@jgateways.org.

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Gateways Debuts Expanded Professional Development GATES

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Posted on 14 September 2010 | 2:16 pm

At a recent two-day teacher training workshop at Maimonides School, Gateways: Access to Jewish Education swung open its new GATES.

GATES -- Gateways Access to Training for Educational Success – is the new name for Gateways’ professional development program.  But it’s not just the name that’s changed. GATES deepens and expands Gateways’ former professional development model to help even more schools and educators meet the educational needs of all their students.

In sessions on such topics as Developmental Milestones, Memory, Social Cognition and Attention, Gateways experts both broadened and deepened the understanding of educators from six area day schools about the range of different learning styles they will encounter with their students.  Now, as school begins, participants will take Gateways’ expertise on how to teach to a range of learning styles and challenges into their classrooms. All of which will benefit everyone -- teachers, students and families.

In fact, local educators – and increasingly those beyond the Boston area – can look forward to finding in GATES (developed in partnership with New York’s successful Hidden Sparks program) a powerful tool to help them deliver appropriate Jewish learning models to each and every child.

Gateways will accomplish this through an expanded menu of state-of-the-art and integrated professional development programs, including classroom observation, consultation, and coaching; facilitated team meetings for collaborative teamwork and additional cross-school workshops and collaboration around student learning.

Modeling that kind of real-life strategy was exactly what workshop organizers were hoping for. "Here at Gateways, we’ve seen first-hand how vital professional development is for student learning as well as school success and teacher morale and satisfaction," says Executive Director Arlene Remz. "By expanding into GATES, we’re maximizing our impact in every ones of those areas. In addition, when teachers develop a shared vocabulary and framework for approaching student learning, they gain a deeper understanding of learning styles that helps them in their work with all children, not just those who have identified special needs."

Besides the schools in attendance – Maimonides, South Area Solomon Schechter, Bais Yaakov, Jewish Community Day School, Torah Academy and Cohen Hillel Academy – Gateways is also presenting on-site workshops this fall for the staff at Shaloh House, Metrowest Jewish Day School and Cohen Hillel Academy.

In addition, the GATES model will be used to expand Gateways’ work into congregational and community religious schools and preschools, with workshops and materials adapted to the needs of the staffs in those settings.

 

To learn more about GATES, contact Gateways Professional Development Coordinator Julie Gordon at julieg@jgateways.org or (617) 630-9010, ext. 120.

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Gateways Presents Rosh Hashanah Greetings in Sign Language

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Posted on 3 September 2010 | 2:33 pm

Marie Strazzulla is using her fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) in a new, creative way. Her dad and her aunt are both deaf, and ASL is the way she has communicated with them since she was small. Marie, who was trained and placed in her new job as an administrative aide at Gateways: Access to Jewish Education by CHAI Works, a Jewish Family & Children’s Service program that serves adults with disabilities, is sharing her ASL expertise in time for Rosh Hashanah.

Gateways volunteer Rochelle Lipper has worked with Marie to film her signing six key Rosh Hashana phrases. Here you will learn the signs for everything from "happy new year" to "apples dipped in honey." And stay tuned: Rochelle promises Marie will be adding more Jewish vocabulary words – and even some basic prayers – to her video dictionary.

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Massachusetts Synagogue Council honors Arlene Remz, Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, with Community Service Award

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Posted on 27 May 2010 | 9:03 am

As an employee of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, I was quite moved to watch Arlene Remz, our Executive Director, receive the honor of the Community Service Award from the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts for her work in leading our organization to improve the quality of Jewish education for children with special needs.

Arlene Remz, Governor Deval Patrick, Rachel Chafetz

Reflecting on the significance of this wonderful evening, I greatly appreciated reading Daniel Levenson's remarks. He appropriately pointed out that "one of the things that makes the Massachusetts Synagogue Council unique is that it consistently brings together Jews of different denominational affiliations to not only talk about issues of common concern, but to engage in learning and celebration with one another." 

I certainly agree with his point and I want to add that by honoring Arlene Remz, Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, the Council has recognized our agency’s ability to also serve families across the denominational spectrum, as well as recognized the importance of including families who have children with a diverse range of learning styles and abilities.   Gateways provides Jewish education to children with special needs in a variety of settings – day schools, synagogue and community programs, and specially designed programs for children who would benefit from highly structured programming, individualized attention and smaller class sizes. Our client families identify as Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and unaffiliated.

The Synagogue Council of Massachusetts and Gateways: Access to Jewish Education are vibrant models of organizations identifying an important community need and working for the greater good to create services and programs for all Jewish families.

Arlene Remz with Gateways staff at Synagogue Council Annual Meeting

For more information about Gateways: Access to Jewish Education please visit our website and become a fan on facebook.

Sonni Bendetson
Program Associate
Gateways: Access to Jewish Education

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Gateways: Access to Jewish Education Student Recruitment

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Posted on 6 May 2010 | 10:30 am

Gateways: Access to Jewish Education’s mission is to make Jewish education accessible to all children who have special needs so that they can become participating members in the Jewish community. 

Gateways: Access to Jewish Education is committed to working with Jewish day schools, congregational schools and preschools to support efforts to include students with special learning challenges in these programs. Please contact Sherry Grossman, sherry@jgateways.org, for further information.

Gateways also offers the following Jewish educational programs for students with special needs who would benefit from highly structured programming, individualized attention and smaller class sizes. 

The Sunday Program offers a multisensory, thematic curriculum that is taught through every modality and includes holidays, Bible study, Hebrew language, music therapy, creative arts, and Jewish culture.  Classes are taught by special education teachers and all students receive one-to-one support from teen aides who receive weekly training in working with children with special needs. Classes for our younger students (ages 5-10) will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and for our older students (ages 10-18) from noon to 1:30 p.m. Classes take place at 60 Stein Circle in Newton (Solomon Schechter Day School, Lower School).

The B’nei Mitzvah Program prepares students with special needs for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah with a combination of individual tutoring, classroom activities and a weekly prayer service. Students with a variety of special needs benefit from a small class size and an individualized B’nei Mitzvah learning plan. Our on-site reading specialist customizes lessons for each child and closely monitors their progress. Our experienced special education teacher plans lessons that teach specific B’nei Mitzvah and Synogogue skills. This class accepts students ages 11-13 and takes place on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Newton.   

The Mitzvah Mensches Teen Program is a fully inclusive educational youth group in which students learn about mitzvot and social action while practicing social skills in a fun, relaxing, yet structured setting.  Our uniquely trained special education teachers and program coordinator lead students and teen peer models in weekly activities that promote friendships, responsibility and Jewish values.  We are expecting that the class will meet from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on Thursday evenings at the Jewish Community Center in Newton.

Our classes are in session for a few more weeks; if you are interested in visiting, please contact Nancy Mager, nancym@jgateways.org.  

• The Sunday program is in session on May 16  at the Solomon Schechter Day School (Lower School) in Newton
• The B’nei Mitzvah Program is in session May 13
• The Mitzvah Mensches Program is in session May 11 and 25

The video below illustrates some of Gateways' programs and best practices. It was created as a mid-year report to the Slingshot Fund, from whom Gateways received a generous grant and our fabulous Flip camera. Slingshot, A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation, is an annual compliation of the 50 most inspiring and innovative organizations, projects, and programs in the North American Jewish community today.

To watch videos from Gateways and to learn more about the services we offer, please visit us at www.jgateways.org/videos.html

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Gateways Playgroup for Toddlers and Preschoolers with Special Needs & Their Families

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Posted on 3 May 2010 | 3:07 pm

Learn about Shabbat with Gateways: Access to Jewish Education!

Toddlers and preschoolers with special needs are invited with their families to join Gateways for multi-sensory, fully accessible, highly structured shabbat-themed activities.

Pre-registration is required. Social stories with pictures to prepare children will be provided upon registration. For more information or to register, please call or email Nancy Mager (nancym@jgateways.org, 617-630-9010 ext. 104).

Watch our Purim Carnival video to hear from parents at our last event:

To learn more about Gateways, watch our videos at view+videos

We hope to see you on the 16th!

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Gateways Teen Volunteer Recruitment 2010-2011

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Posted on 20 April 2010 | 2:32 pm

Gateways: Access to Jewish Education is a Boston-based organization whose mission is to ensure that children with a range of learning styles and abilities have access to a Jewish education. Gateways supports students in Jewish day schools, supplemental Jewish education programs, congregational schools and Jewish preschools. Gateways Jewish Education Programs offer weekday evening and Sunday school classes for children with moderate to severe special needs.

One of the unique aspects of the Gateways Jewish Education Programs is our Teen Volunteer Program. High school students in grades 10 through 12 (as of Sept. 2010) are paired with a student as a one-on-one aide or are assigned to a class to provide overall support. Other volunteers contribute special skill sets, such as photography, videography, music, dance and art. Teens can participate in Sunday or weekday programming. Weekly training and on-site support is provided.

Prospective teen volunteers are invited to come to an Open House at Gateways on Sunday, May 2, 2010. Please contact Sonni Bendetson (sonni@jgateways.org, 617-630-9010 ext. 109) or Nancy Mager (nancym@jgateways.org, 617-630-9010 ext. 104) for more information or to RSVP.

Watch our video to learn about the Gateways Teen Volunteer Program and to hear from current volunteers: