Art is a great equalizer. There really is no right or wrong way to create something beautiful. Rather, it is a vehicle through which one can express oneself in a special language. This ability to communicate in a non-threatening environment was clearly evident in the Yachad Art exhibition held on Sunday afternoon in the Teaneck General Store on Cedar Lane.
Visitors to Teaneck’s main business thoroughfare are no doubt familiar with the unique gift shop and kosher café operated by Bruce Prince, a long-time friend of Yachad coordinator Reva Judas, and organizer of last Sunday’s exhibition. Prince is an active supporter of New Jersey Yachad and a partner with Yachad’s vocational training program. His charming shop hosts many creative exhibits and readings, and was the perfect venue to display the work of students at the Ruth Ulevitch Lang art program and the Vocational Training Art Therapy Program.
Every Tuesday night something special takes place at the Art Place in Englewood, a wonderful establishment that provides all types of art classes and programs for adults and children. Weekly, owner Debbie Greenwald provides Yachad students, along with students from Ma’ayanot, TABC and Yeshivat Noam, the unique opportunity to take art classes together, taught by vocational job coach and art instructor Sarah Friedman. This inclusive program is funded by the Karasick family in loving memory of their mother, Ruth Ulevitch Lang, whose third yahrzeit was observed on the night of the art exhibit. Ms. Greenwald also leads weekly vocational guidance sessions for Yachad members and uses art therapy as a means to coach participants to become more confident and self-aware, so that they are prepared to go out into the world.
“It’s amazing to see the progress my students make over the year,” she confided. “They start off quiet and reserved. And then as we all work together without judgment or pressure, they become bolder and more confident and colorful.”
Yachad is the flagship division for the National Jewish Council for Disabilities. Its mission is dedicated to addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities and to facilitating their inclusion in the Jewish community. “By sponsoring programs that bring together Yachad members and their typically developing peers,” they [who’s being quoted, and who are “they”?] enrich the lives of both the Yachad members and their new-found friends.
Chanie Herman, Director of New Jersey Yachad, opened Sunday’s program by asking, “Why Art?” She then reiterated Yachad’s primary mission of inclusion. Art classes such as the program in Englewood foster a feeling of belonging while promoting friendship and a sense of community. All the students come away from it benefiting from the time spent together. Ms Herman then introduced Yitzy Karasick, grandson of Ruth Ulevitch Lang, who spoke movingly about his Bubbie. He told the audience that his grandmother was also an artist and a patron of the arts involved in numerous communal and cultural affairs. She was also the founder of the day school in her home town of Peoria, Illinois.
Yitzy recalled his grandmother as a soft-spoken, elegant woman who taught her grandchildren about the importance of giving and of loving others. Yitzy quoted a 1983 article in the North Peoria Observer covering the Ahavath Achim Shul Dinner, where his grandmother spoke about the importance of making our Torah relevant to our lives. She urged that everyone always look for the best in everyone and concentrate on the positive that every person has to offer, a lesson that the Yachad staff and members take to heart every single day of their lives. She would no doubt appreciate the love and caring her family has shown to the students of Yachad allowing them to explore and communicate through their art.
By Estelle Glass
