Brett Gershkowitz, Gateways Teen Volunteer
Voice from the Gates: Honoring Erik and Jennifer Bittner

Hello my name is Brett Gershkowitz and I am a teen volunteer with the Gateways Sunday program.  Growing up in a household with four kids and two dogs there is never a dull moment. There is lots of noise and action.  We host many parties and watch many sporting events on tv at home with our friends.  We attend dance shows, soccer games and cross country meets.  While my two sisters and I participate in these events, my younger brother is on a different path.  He cannot do the same sports and activities that we take part in due to his visual impairments and disabilities.  He does therapeutic activities such as horseback riding, swimming and he also participates in the Special Olympics.

However, everything is different on Sundays.  Sunday mornings, my brother has the same routine as my sisters and me.  We all leave the house and pile into my car to head to our Jewish education.  After picking up a few other neighborhood kids, our first stop is the Prozdor and Makor program drop offs at Hebrew College.  Then it is on to Gateways for me to participate as a teen volunteer and my brother to participate as a student.

Volunteering at Gateways has a special meaning to me because I grew up with a brother with disabilities. He’s having a Jewish education is something my family could have only dreamed of in the past.  Each week I see how excited he is to be part of the Gateways family.  He especially loves learning new songs and prayers.  He enjoys snack time and socializing with other kids in the program.  Although my brother is a man of few words, he recently greeted my mom after his Gateways class by saying "Shalom Mommy I love Gateways!"  That really says it all.

I began volunteering this year for Gateways in the Sunday morning program after a year of training through Prozdor.  The experienced teachers and staff have provided me with the guidance to give my student the support he needs to succeed. I am matched with a 5th grade student, who I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know.  Like my brother, this student is always happy each week to be part of this program.  We are like two peas in a pod!  He really enjoys learning about roads and directions, and anyone who knows me knows I really love cars!  He learns from me and I learn from him…

Our family believes strongly in developing a Jewish identity through education and Jewish experiences.  Standing here in this temple, I am reminded that I began my Jewish education and have had many social times right here at Mishkan Tefila.  I love this temple!! There are so many fabulous families that I share great times with. I attended the preschool and the Hebrew school, before going to the Rashi School.   I have taken an active role in my Temple’s USY group, I had my bar mitzvah here and I participated in my sisters b’not mitzvah this past June. 

We are excited that our brother can share in the joy of having a bar mitzvah someday.  It is important to realize that he faces many obstacles each and every day that are strenuous and tiring.  But on Sunday morning he is just a young Jewish boy getting a Jewish education just like other Jewish kids.  Parents and siblings of a special needs child always worry about the child’s needs, but Gateways has provided families like ours with support and comfort knowing that a child like my brother can receive a Jewish education surrounded by volunteers and teachers that truly care.