Two Moms Dream
“We wanted something that wasn’t just babysitting,” says Beth Steinberg, mother to Akiva. “Our kids couldn’t just join the activities at the local community center, what were they supposed to do after school and during vacations?”
“We started with 10 participants in August 2007 and by the following summer, we’d quadrupled in size,” reports Miriam Avraham, mother to Vinnie. “Today, our year-round programs serve 300 participants, ages 6-30, with and without disabilities.”
At Shutaf, inclusion means everyone, all participants of all abilities. Shutaf’s reverse-inclusion model brings together participants with diverse developmental, physical, and learning disabilities (75% of participants), alongside participants without disabilities (25% of participants). Shutaf’s inclusion ethos, professional program planning and staff training ensures an excellent program in a uniquely, accepting environment.
Shutaf is dedicated to providing quality, inclusive services for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities, regardless of labels and perceived functioning differences, while inspiring and educating others towards the acceptance and inclusion of all members of the community.
What We Do
Shutaf Inclusion Programs in Jerusalem offers year-round activities for children, teens, and young adults, with and without disabilities. Shutaf is committed to quality services for all participants of all abilities, regardless of labels, financial limitations, cultural and religious differences.
Camp Shutaf
- Passover Day Camp. During the pre-Passover school break. For children and young teens, ages 6-14.
- Passover Teen Overnight Experience. During the pre-Passover school break. For teens and young adults, ages 14-21.
- Summer Day Camp.During the first 3 weeks of August. For children, teens, and young adults, ages 6-21.
Employment programs at Camp Shutaf
- Junior Counselor work experience for teens and young adults, ages 16-21.
- Vocational Education for teens and young adults, ages 16-30.
Year Programs
- Young Leadership Program for Teens and Young Adults. Held 3x weekly, year-round. Ages 14-21.
- 21+ at Shutaf. Held 1x weekly, year-round. Ages 21-30
- Inclusion education. Staff development, workshops, family gatherings.
Shutaf Staff
Founding Directors

Beth Steinberg, beth@campshutaf.org
A graduate of Massad and Ramah camps and a former New Yorker, Beth believes in the importance of inclusive, informal education as a platform for teaching important Jewish and social values while building a more caring and accepting society. Beth accepted the 2017 Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize in the community-nonprofit category for creating and building Shutaf with co-founder Miriam Avraham. Beth teaches and writes about disability issues and the parenting experience, and is also the artistic director of Theater in the Rough.

Miriam Avraham, miriam@campshutaf.org
A Camp Geva alumni and Camp Ramah staffer, Miriam moved to Israel from the NY area, eventually settling in Jerusalem with her family. Miriam and her husband Yehuda, are long-time advocates for the rights of people with disabilities and the need for a diverse, accepting and inclusive community. When not directing Shutaf operations, Miriam and Yehuda, work together in nonprofit management. Miriam is a skilled EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) practitioner and has written and developed Hebrew-language books for young readers.
Professional Staff

MARCI TIRSCHWELL
marci@campshutaf.org
Program Director

GALIT EVA SMITH
galits@campshutaf.org
Program Coordinator

NOA FELDSTEIN
noa@campshutaf.org
Logistics Coordinator/Program Staff

LILLI KREEGER
lili@campshutaf.org
Logistics Coordinator/Program Staff

JENNIFER SABER
jennifer@campshutaf.org
Educational Development Consultant, North America

TATIANA GUZ
tati@campshutaf.org
Training and Content Development Associate
Program Staff at Camp Shutaf and year-round programs
Shutaf hires, trains and mentors close to 100 counselor staff and specialists, year-round. Counselors are all post-army and national service, a more mature program staff than typically found at local, informal-education programs. Counselors are trained, mentored, and supervised by Shutaf’s senior staff, ensuring a positive experience for all. Program activities are run by specialists in their areas, unusual for most Israeli informal education programs.
Shutaf Board
Sheryl Abbey
Rivka Brama
Tami Durst
Ruthie Ebenstein
Don Goor
Irit Hoffman
Naomi Lipstein
Rami Sar Shalom
Sharon Soffer
Naomi Najman
Audit Committee
Aryeh Abramowitz
Danny Paller
Shutaf International Advisory Council
Elise Bernhardt, Dir. Jerusalem International Fellows
Howard Blas, Dir. National Ramah Tikvah Network of the National Ramah Commission; Dir. Tikvah Program, Camp Ramah Northern California
Debra Cantor, Rabbi, Temple Sinai, West Hartford
Howard Dessau, New York, NY
Naomi K. Eisenberger, Founder and Executive Director, The Good People Fund, Inc.
Richard Hammerman, Rabbi. Caldwell, NJ
Sharon Hammerman, Caldwell, NJ
Ralph Kleinman, Brooklyn, NY
Ellen Shaw, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Columbia Children’s Complex Care Program, Columbia University Medical Center
Participants Served
Shutaf’s unique, reverse-inclusion model brings children, teens, and young adults with diverse needs at all of our programs. At Shutaf, our attitude is, what do you need to be successful rather than, what’s your diagnosis and label?
A PARTIAL listing of participant needs and types-of-diagnoses typically served. Please be in touch with us about your child, teen, or young adult and their specific needs.
- ADD, ADHD
- Autism spectrum disorder, including Asperger’s, PDD, and high-functioning autism
- Down syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
- Epilepsy and seizure disorders
- Physical disabilities
- Learning disabilities, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Processing Deficits
- Emotional, behavioral, and sensory challenges, impulsivity
- ODD, OCD
- Hearing loss
- Prader-Willi syndrome
- Anxiety disorder
- Mental health issues and challenges
Shutaf serves participants from more than 53 different schools and 30 of Jerusalem’s neighborhoods as well as communities including Gush Etzion, Ma’aleh Adumim, Motza, Mevasseret, Abu Gosh, and Beit Shemesh. Participants and staff represent all of Jerusalem’s religious and cultural communities – religious and secular, Arab and Jew.
Find out more about Shutaf programs for your child, teen or young adult at info@campshutaf.org