A Vegetarian on Israel Independence Day

  My dad was ahead of his time. He chose to become a vegetarian in the 1930′s, no doubt influenced by Harav Kook’s philosophy of vegetarianism as an ethical way of life. My dad believed that being mindful of what we eat together with daily exercise was the path to a healthy body, mind and…

More must be done for kids with disabilities

February is Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month, a time when Jews around the world come together publicly to raise awareness and support for people with disabilities and their families. In Israel as well as worldwide, families and children are isolated and marginalized by disability; in their synagogues, schools, neighborhoods and workplaces. Fear, inadequate education, as well…

Committed to Inclusion

Camp Shutaf, an informal education program, fills a niche for children with special needs. Beth Steinberg moved to Jerusalem from Brooklyn with her husband and three sons in 2006. She knew she’d have to fight an uphill battle for her youngest, Akiva, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. Education for children with special…

Where’s the money for people with disabilities?

The original Op-ed appeared on March 27th, 2013 at 18:33  in the “Israel Opinion” section of Ynetnews.com. By Beth Steinberg, Miriam Avraham. JTA editor’s pick on March 29th. Translated into Hebrew on Haaretz. Ministers must show they believe in the right of people with disabilities to excellent services, dignified lives Listen up, Bibi, Yair, Shai, and Naftali.…

A Pure Heart

In this soul searching season, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’ve changed my attitude towards parenting when it comes to Adina. For so many years – about 15 – I worked tirelessly to get her every possible therapy, work with her at home on building her skills and for a while I was…