Last Tuesday, JNF held a festive dedication at LOTEM for the biblical gardens, which were generously donated by Susan and Ben Gutmann. The gardens consist of three paths: the path of the Jewish calendar, the path of trees and vegetation, and the path of creation. Each path emphasizes a different approach to special needs education and includes learning stations, sensory experiences, and more traditional hiking experiences. During the dedication, the Gutmanns and other participants enjoyed the experience of hiking in the path of creation, which is the only challenging hike accessible for wheelchairs in Israel. Along the impressive trail, which blends into a magical Israeli landscape, there are six stops, each of which is a learning station about one day of creation, that engages in experiential learning through illustration and activity. To operate the trail, LOTEM needs five all-terrain wheelchairs, at a cost of $ 20,000 each. The first chair was donated by Bob and Johan Oppenheimer, whose daughter is married to the Guttmanns’ son!
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, welcomed soldiers with disabilities from Jewish National Fund partner Special in Uniform to mark International Disabled Persons Day on December 3.. Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum met with the Special in Uniform delegation, telling them, “In Israel there are over 1.6 million people with disabilities. We are doing the right thing by welcoming people with disabilities into the Army.”
Jewish National Fund partner Hashomer Hachadash received this note from the mother of a participant in the Leaders of the Land high school program: “I am writing as a mother and friend and am trying to summarize correctly how, why, and when we made the decision to send our daughter Ziv to Leads of the Land High School. This place in Hatzeva is the truest connection we found, which speaks our language, does not give up on hard work, offers the best teachers and staff, and does agricultural work that strengthens each student on a daily basis.”
This week, JNF partner Eretz Ir’s Human Resources Forum met for the sixth time. The forum includes HR managers from several dozen large companies in the Negev, and provides them with resources and training. The meeting was hosted by forum members at tech company Wix, who also discussed their corporate HR practices. Additionally, members learned about sexual harassment in the workplace and were able to ask many questions of experts in the field.