(Courtesy of OU) The Orthodox Union’s (OU) Yachad, the leading organization for individuals with disabilities, has announced its April and May virtual speaker series dates to provide inspiration and chizzuk to families of individuals with disabilities. The sessions are being held monthly and feature such top Jewish speakers as Rabbi Judah Mischel, Rabbi Paysach Krohn and Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner.

The first of the three sessions took place late March and featured Rabbi Judah Mischel. Nearly 100 families joined the midday session.

The upcoming session in April features Rabbi Krohn, who will speak about “Inspired Parenting.” It will take place on Tuesday, April 27 at 8:30 p.m. Through relevant and touching stories, Rabbi Krohn will touch upon values, attitudes and perspectives that will guide parents through thick and thin. Those interested in joining can join the Zoom session at: www.yachad.org/speakerseries.

The third of the sessions will take place Tuesday, May 25 at 8:30 p.m. for a women-only audience. It will be led by Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner, who will present a shiur on “Growing from Challenge.” The rebbetzin, who also serves as an educator and inspirational speaker, will discuss her own challenging life experiences, utilizing a breadth of Torah sources and insights that speak to both mind and spirit. Her session can be joined through the same link.

“In pre-COVID times, after the holiday of Pesach, Yachad families would begin to look forward to our annual family shabbaton, an event full of growth and support for one another,” said Chani Herrmann, Yachad’s associate director. “While this year safety precautions will still inhibit our ability to spend a weekend connecting with and strengthening one another at the family retreat, these trying times have made the chizzuk the event provides all the more longed for. Our goal in the virtual series is to give our Yachad families multiple opportunities for inspiration and chizzuk over the course of monthly sessions.”