The Inclusion Specialists Network
We are thrilled to introduce Whole Community Inclusion’s newest initiative to support disability inclusion in our congregational schools: The Inclusion Specialists Network. Made possible by a generous grant from the Janet and Alvin Schwartz Fund for Special Education, the Inclusion Specialists Network is for professionals working in congregational schools to support students who need extra learning, behavioral and/or emotional support. Well-trained, special needs experts in our schools can dramatically improve the experience for these students as well as parents’ satisfaction with the program. With this new initiative, we will bring these specialists together to learn from each other, share resources [...]
It’s All About the Give and the Get
By Anna Marx, Director, Jewish Education and Leadership Development This week, members of jteenphilly (a consortium of professionals who work with adolescents in the Jewish community) took some time in their quarterly scheduled meeting to think about what they had to give to their colleagues and what they stood to get from their colleagues. We weren’t talking about tangible things to exchange, but rather the important intangibles – knowledge, resources, and programs. It became quickly apparent that everyone had important things to learn and also important things to teach their colleagues. And that’s collaboration. It’s all about the give and the [...]
One Book, One Jewish Community’s (OBOJC) 9th Book!
by Elana Rivel, Associate Director The OBOJC Implementation Team is pleased to announce that, after much reading and conversation, we have selected our feature book for the 2015-2016 program year: A Backpack, A Bear and Eight Crates of Vodka is a story of two intertwined journeys: a Jewish refugee family fleeing persecution and a young man seeking to reclaim a shattered past. In the twilight of the Cold War (the late 1980s), nine-year-old Lev Golinkin and his family cross the Soviet border with only ten suitcases, $600, and the vague promise of help awaiting in Vienna. Years later, Lev, now [...]